Deck 17: Managing Stress and Personal Problems

Question 1

The stressor of a significant life change implies that ________.

A)getting old is a major stressor for most people
B)having to cope with major change creates stress
C)pleasant changes rarely create stress
D)slow change is less stressful than quick change

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Stress is a(n)________.

A)external force acting on the individual
B)internal reaction to a force
C)internal force acting on the individual
D)psychological interpretation of an event

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Being conscientious and striving for perfection are helpful preventive tactics against burnout.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

Pablo faces the hindrance stressors of backstabbing, a boss who goes ballistic, and being overwhelmed with work. As a result, he is likely to be more motivated and perform better.

Question 5

One reason that low self-esteem makes a person more stress prone is that the person is readily insulted.

Question 6

In general, job creativity tends to be higher under conditions of moderate or low stress.

Question 7

Baxter, a health and fitness club manager, is experiencing moderate stress today that places him in the optimal performance zone. As a result, Baxter will probably ________.

A)experience a mild degree of burnout
B)switch quickly to Type A behavior
C)become agitated and forgetful
D)think more clearly today about work problems

Question 8

One year ago Chantal, a systems administrator, narrowly escaped a house fire. While watching her house burn from the street outside her house, she was mugged. The next day, Chantal learned that her position had been outsourced to Nigeria. Chantal frequently has flashbacks about those horrible days, suggesting that she is suffering from PTSD.

Question 9

You know that you are suffering from burnout when you are ________.

A)exhausted from facing the same stressors for a long time
B)a victim of workplace violence
C)deal with the fight-or-flight response
D)think it is time for a career change

Question 10

Todd, a sales representative, is facing the challenge stressor of trying to close a sale on a major account. During the meeting with the customer, Todd is therefore likely to ________.

A)be strongly motivated and perform well
B)be poorly motivated out of fear, and perform poorly
C)develop severe emotional symptoms of stress
D)develop severe physical symptoms of stress

Question 11

One of your classmates taking this test right now, finds it so overwhelming that he runs out of the room to calm down. He is experiencing the fight-or-flight response.

Question 12

Everyday annoyances ________.

A)generally elevate job performance
B)have the highest life-change unit value
C)may be irritating but do not create much stress
D)often have a major impact on health

Question 13

Charlotte opens the trunk to her car, and sees a large rattle snake. Which of Charlotte's behaviors would not suggest that she is not experiencing the fight-or-flight response?

A)She slams the door shut, screams, and calls 911.
B)She grabs the rattle snake by the throat and throws it to the ground.
C)She jumps three feet, and starts running at high speed.
D)She closes the trunk, then sends a text to her best friend about the incident.

Question 14

Angela has negative affectivity. Faced with an ordinary problem, she is likely to ________.

A)shrug it off
B)magnify it and create stress for herself
C)count to ten backwards
D)have a heart attack on the spot

Question 15

Tanya, a sales representative, is facing the hindrance stressor of trying to resolve a problem with an angry, hostile customer. During the meeting with the customer, Tanya is therefore likely to ________.

A)be strongly motivated and perform well
B)be poorly motivated and perform poorly
C)develop symptoms of burnout
D)not take the customer's dissatisfaction too seriously

Question 16

A person with Type A behavior ________.

A)is not always in a hurry
B)gets a heart attack at an early age
C)is impatient and angry
D)wants success at any price

Question 17

According to a national survey, the major stressor among American adults is frustrations associated with commuting.

Question 18

Lucy faces the challenge stressor of having to redesign her company website within ten days, so she is likely to be highly motivated and perform well.

Question 19

A positive byproduct of experiencing considerable stress is that you are better able to ward off illness because the stress increases the amount of adrenaline in the blood.

Question 20

One of the ways in which low self-esteem contributes to experiencing stress is that people with low self-esteem ________.

A)doubt their ability to work out of problems
B)actively seek out stressful situations
C)perceive most stressors to be of the challenge type
D)usually suffer from damaged immune systems

Question 21

Lily, a vegetarian, is the produce buyer at a supermarket chain. Top management informs Lily that she will now become the meat, poultry and fish buyer. Which cause of stress is Lily likely to experience?

A)Role conflict
B)Role ambiguity
C)Role underload
D)Role overload

Question 22

People with an internal locus of control are highly susceptible to stress.

Question 23

The features of the Type A behavior pattern closely associated with coronary heart disease are hostility, anger, cynicism, and suspiciousness.

Question 24

Megan is the most likely to suffer from emotional labor when she has to ________.

A)work hard, even on Monday
B)express her anger frequently throughout the day
C)sell customers products or services they really do not want
D)smile frequently at customers who give her a hard time

Question 25

Research suggests that abusive supervision apparently is a challenge stressor because performance usually increases when workers are abused by their supervisor.

Question 26

Duff works in a setting with considerable noise pollution. As a result, he might very well suffer from high blood pressure and maybe a heart attack.

Question 27

The stress reduction technique of meditation requires that the person ________.

A)attain a deep state of mental and physical calmness
B)engage in intense physical exercise
C)inhale and exhale deeply
D)float in heavily salted water

Question 28

Company wellness programs are designed to keep workers healthy, and they also include several components linked to stress management.

Question 29

Ben works as an accountant at the headquarters of a fast-food chain. His boss regularly insults him with such comments as, "You are the dumbest accountant I ever met," and "You could easily be replaced with software." Ben will most likely experience ________.

A)psychological distress
B)Type A behavior
C)emotional labor
D)role overload

Question 30

Research suggests that emotional labor can sometimes be avoided if the worker learns to recognize the emotions of a customer, client, or patient.

Question 31

Carla, an optics technician working at a large company, is stressed out because she is in heavy debt, drinks beer excessively, and smokes one pack of cigarettes per day. Which type of organizational support would be best for Carly?

A)Encouragement from her supervisor
B)Emergency loan program
C)Urgent care (First Aid)facility
D)Employee assistance program

Question 32

Incivility by coworkers tends to ________.

A)make work exciting and fun for most workers
B)be perceived as a challenge stressor by most workers
C)have stress-related negative consequences
D)create stress mostly for people with negative affectivity

Question 33

Cognitive-behavioral interventions help you deal with stress by ________.

A)thinking constructively about a problem
B)learning to apply relaxation techniques while on the job
C)getting you to overcome bad food habits
D)getting you to exercise properly

Question 34

Cognitive-behavioral interventions are aimed at reducing stress by helping you become so involved in physical activity that you become too fatigued to think about personal problems.

Question 35

Martha experiences negative affectivity so she is more likely to look for than solve problems.

Question 36

Gil keyboards night and day, and slowly develops a terrible pain in both wrists because his wrist tendons have swelled, resulting in a pinching of the median nerve. Gil visits the company medical office, and the nurse practitioner is most likely to inform him that he is suffering from ________.

A)the emotional instability syndrome
B)challenging stressors
C)carpal tunnel syndrome
D)burnout

Question 37

Apparently talking to others to reduce stress has a scientific basis. Engaging socially with others triggers neural circuits that calm the heart, relax the intestines and dampen fear.

Question 38

Emergency nurse Candace has to take care of a convicted serial killer who has been brought into the emergency room. Her professional role requires that she smiles and give reassurance as she tends to the wounded killer. Candace will most likely experience emotional labor.

Question 39

The relaxation response is designed to counteract ________.

A)a slow respiration rate
B)visualization
C)the fight-or-flight response
D)rehearsing a stressful situation

Question 40

On her second day in her new position as cost estimator, Melissa is assigned a cubicle, and then told by her manager, "Enjoy your new job. I'll get back to you in a few days with an assignment." Melissa is likely to experience ________.

A)job burnout
B)stress stemming from an internal locus of control
C)role overload stress
D)role underload stress

Question 41

In terms of developing resilience, the purpose of conducting a failure analysis is to ________.

A)analyze why the failure took place
B)figure out who to blame for one's failure
C)identify the leading stressors in the situation
D)learn how to enjoy failing

Question 42

Sally successfully completes a course in resilience training, so she now knows how to steel herself against difficult situations instead of becoming overly stressed.

Question 43

Yoga is both a physical exercise and a way of developing mental attitudes that calm the body and the mind.

Question 44

A major way of benefiting from criticism is to ________.

A)be quite selective about listening to criticism
B)demand documentation from the criticizer
C)accept criticism only from people with winner scripts
D)stand outside oneself to observe the criticism

Question 45

A key recommendation for overcoming self-defeating behavior is to ________.

A)study the defeats of other people
B)solicit feedback on one's actions
C)criticize others rather than oneself
D)learn a new life script each month

Question 46

An important link between diet and stress is that certain foods, such as donuts and pastries have so much sugar that they often enhance stress.

Question 47

An effective way of benefiting from criticism is to act as a detached observer looking for useful information.

Question 48

A major element of self-defeating behavior is that the person ________.

A)suffers a defeat himself or herself
B)works against his or her own self-interest
C)has low self-confidence and low self-esteem
D)works hard but is defeated by environmental forces

Question 49

Heavy equipment operator Donna engages in mindfulness when she tells the other workers to mind where they or going, or risk getting hit by her equipment.

Question 50

Meditation is a favorite relaxation technique of hyperactive people because mediation can be readily practiced while talking on a cell phone or watching television.