The Nature of Stress
Many people think of stress as a simple problem. In reality, however, stress is complex
and often misunderstood.1 To learn how job stress truly works, we must first define it
and then describe the process through which it develops.
Stress Defined
Stress has been defined in many ways, but most definitions say that stress is caused by
a stimulus, that the stimulus can be either physical or psychological, and that the
individual responds to the stimulus in some way. Therefore, we define stressas a
person’s adaptive response to a stimulus that places excessive psychological or
physical demands on him or her.
The Stress Process
Much of what we know about stress today can be traced to the pioneering work of Dr.
Hans Selye. Among Selye’s most important contributions were his identification of the
general adaptation syndrome and the concepts of eustress and distress.
The general adaptation syndrome (GAS) identifies three stages of response to
a stressor: alarm, resistance, and exhaustion.
The general adaptation syndrome (GAS) perspective describes three stages
of the stress process. The initial stage is called alarm. As illustrated here, a person’s
resistance often dips slightly below the normal level during this stage. Next comes
actual resistance to the stressor, usually leading to an increase above the person’s
normal level of resistance. Finally, in stage 3, exhaustion may set in, and the person’s
resistance declines sharply below normal levels.
Chapter 4 - review17.Sandra is the chief operating officer of a fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) company. She is responsible for the overall strategic operation of the company and for communicating the company's vision to the employees. In this case, Sandra is most likely to be part of the:
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18.Labor relations is the process of dealing with employees who are represented by _____.
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19.In the context of M-form organizations, the primary function of the corporate-level human resource (HR) departmentis to:
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21.In the context of human resource management, companies can establish a competitive advantage by:*a.hiring the right people and training them to be effective.b.implementing a hierarchical management scheme.c.adopting a centralized approach to organizational control.d.focusing solely on their external environment.
22.Which of the following is a human resource management (HRM) practice that can lead to improved firm performance?
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