Deck 10: Worker Stress and Negative Employee Attitudes Behaviors

Question 1

Research has indicated that work overload is related to

A) lower quality work.
B) job dissatisfaction.
C) elevated serum cholesterol.
D) All of the above

Answer 1

All of the above

Question 2

John feels that his new job does not use his work-related skills. He is experiencing

A) underutilization.
B) job ambiguity.
C) lack of control.
D) work deficiency.

Answer 2

underutilization.

Question 3

According to research, which of the following occupations is the most stressful?

A) physician
B) pharmacist
C) nurse
D) college professor

Answer 3

nurse

Question 4

When a job requires excessive work speed, output, or concentration, the worker may experience

A) job intensity.
B) work overload.
C) job uncertainty.
D) technostress.

Question 5

Riggio defines worker stress as

A) physiological and/or psychological reactions to events that are perceived to be threatening or taxing.
B) a build-up of cognitive dissonance.
C) emotional exhaustion caused by threatening environmental events.
D) negative psychological consequences of physiological reactions to frustration.

Question 6

Stress is

A) always negative.
B) always positive.
C) negative when it causes physiological reactions.
D) sometimes negative and sometimes positive.

Question 7

Which of the following is NOT a reason why air traffic controllers are stressed?

A) Fear of causing accidents
B) Poor airport layouts
C) Heavy workloads
D) Equipment problems
E) All of the above are reasons why air traffic controllers are stressed.

Question 8

Organizational sources of worker stress

A) can be alleviated by management actions
B) affect only higher-level workers.
C) cannot be alleviated.
D) result from individual characteristics.

Question 9

Work overload and underutilization are

A) work role stressors.
B) work place stressors.
C) work task stressors.
D) dispositional stressors.

Question 10

Positive stress is called

A) distress.
B) exstress.
C) eustress.
D) astress.

Question 11

According to Hans Selye, stress is defined as

A) a physiological reaction to threatening environmental events.
B) a psychological reaction to threatening environmental events.
C) a psychological reaction to work overload and deadlines.
D) All of the above

Question 12

A stressor is defined as

A) an individual characteristic that leads to stress.
B) an environmental event that is perceived as threatening.
C) a psychological reaction that causes a physiological reaction.
D) All of the above

Question 13

Lazarus proposes a(n)

A) interactional view of stress.
B) transactional view of stress.
C) sectional view of stress.
D) situational view of stress.

Question 14

Companies and managers are mainly interested in worker stress because

A) stress motivates workers.
B) stress causes illness.
C) stressful workers are often late to work.
D) stressful workers have higher productivity rates.

Question 15

Stressful occupations include

A) air traffic controllers.
B) medical doctors.
C) dentists.
D) All of the above.

Question 16

Stress-related illnesses include

A) hepatitis.
B) pneumonia.
C) hypertension.
D) All of the above

Question 17

Stress arising from conditions in the environment is called

A) environmental stress.
B) dispositional stress.
C) workplace stress.
D) situational stress.

Question 18

Research on stressful occupations has indicated that

A) police officers are particularly stressed because of physical dangers.
B) physical dangers at work cause the most stress.
C) police officers are not stressed at all.
D) police officers may be motivated by physical danger.

Question 19

Physiological reactions to stress include

A) increased heart rates.
B) perspiration.
C) elevated blood pressure.
D) All of the above

Question 20

When studying stress, it is important to

A) use self-report methods for measuring stress.
B) focus on relieving stress.
C) focus on a broad picture of the total stress an individual is experiencing.
D) focus only on work stress.

Question 21

Research has indicated that a lack of hardiness is associated with

A) higher levels of interpersonal conflict on the job.
B) higher levels of role conflict on the job.
C) higher levels of self-perceived stress.
D) a tendency to leave jobs because of stress.

Question 22

Dispositional stress results from

A) worker characteristics.
B) chronic depression.
C) low salary.
D) a lack of job knowledge.

Question 23

According to research, which of the following is likely to increase the risk of coronary heart disease in Type As?

A) Competitiveness
B) The striving for organizational power
C) A combination of hostility and lack of appropriate emotional expression
D) A combination of hostility, competitiveness, and impatience

Question 24

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of the Type A behavior pattern?

A) Excessive drive
B) Competitiveness
C) Depression and inappropriate emotional expression
D) A sense of urgency
E) All of the above are characteristics of the Type A behavior pattern.

Question 25

Worker stress resulting from a lack of control may be reduced by

A) giving workers more money.
B) giving workers extended vacations.
C) allowing workers to participate in decision making.
D) allowing workers to delegate responsibilities to coworkers.

Question 26

Stress resulting from a feeling of lack of control is particularly common in

A) lower-level workers.
B) higher-level workers.
C) highly trained workers.
D) employees who work as part of a team.

Question 27

Hardiness refers to

A) the notion that some people may be more resistant to the health-damaging effects of stress.
B) the notion that some people possess personality characteristics that are less likely to cause stress.
C) the notion that some people may function more efficiently in stressful jobs than others.
D) All of the above

Question 28

Physiological measures of stress include

A) electrocardiograms and blood tests.
B) tests of the hormone levels in perspiration.
C) tests of eye movements.
D) All of the above

Question 29

Individual sources of worker stress include

A) depression.
B) the Type A behavior pattern.
C) drug abuse.
D) inadequate training.

Question 30

Work stress that results from a lack of regular performance feedback is called

A) underutilization.
B) job uncertainty.
C) job ambiguity.
D) role conflict.

Question 31

Work stress that results from a lack of clearly defined work tasks is called

A) underutilization.
B) technostress.
C) job ambiguity.
D) job uncertainty.

Question 32

Measurements of worker stress include

A) physiological measures.
B) surveys.
C) measurement of stressful life events.
D) All of the above

Question 33

Self-reports about organizational conditions that cause stress include items concerning

A) workload and salary.
B) supervisory style and degree of training.
C) autonomy, ambiguity, and task identity.
D) All of the above

Question 34

One of the greatest sources of stress in the work place results from

A) disparate compensation systems.
B) difficulties with organizational policies.
C) difficulties with interpersonal relationships.
D) poorly trained clerical staff.
E) All of the above are equally stressful in the work place.

Question 35

Work role stressors include

A) physical work conditions.
B) organizational change.
C) lack of control.
D) All of the above

Question 36

According to research, individuals who exhibit the Type A behavior pattern

A) tend to abuse alcohol and drugs more often than Type Bs.
B) tend to work harder than Type Bs and work well in a variety of jobs.
C) produce higher quality work, but at a slower rate than Type Bs.
D) tend to have lower organizational positions than Type Bs.

Question 37

Common organizational change situations that lead to worker stress include

A) changes in work technology and work systems.
B) managerial or employee changes.
C) company reorganizations and mergers.
D) All of the above

Question 38

Standardized measures of work stress include

A) the Occupational Stress Indicator (OSI) and the Job Diagnostic Survey (JDS).
B) the Stress Diagnostic Survey (SDS) and the Job Stress Survey (JSS).
C) the Job Descriptive Index (JDI) and the Franklin Type A Scale (FTAS).
D) All of the above

Question 39

Research indicates that self-efficacy is related to

A) higher levels of work stress.
B) the Type A behavior pattern.
C) an individual's sense of competence and effectiveness.
D) hardiness.

Question 40

Research on work-family conflict indicates that

A) very few people experience work-family conflict.
B) work-family conflict is stressful for workers around the world.
C) traditional family structures are needed to reduce work-family conflict.
D) workers' experience of work-family conflict has actually decreased over the past years.

Question 41

Burnout may be measured with the

A) Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI).
B) Social Readjustment Rating Scale.
C) Jenkins Burnout Scale (JBS).
D) Job Stress Survey (JSS).

Question 42

The phases of burnout, in order of occurrence, are

A) emotional exhaustion and depersonalization.
B) emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and feelings of low personal accomplishment.
C) depersonalization, emotional exhaustion, and withdrawal.
D) depersonalization, depression, and departure.

Question 43

The primary rationale behind diet and exercise programs as coping techniques is

A) to lose weight.
B) to make the body more resistant to stress-related illness.
C) to strengthen the cardiovascular system.
D) All of the above

Question 44

Research suggests that voluntary turnover in organizations may be predicted by

A) high worker stress and methods of training.
B) high worker stress and low levels of organizational commitment.
C) high worker stress and punitive supervisory style.
D) worker stress that is too low and orientation methods.

Question 45

Systematic relaxation coping strategies may NOT be effective because

A) it is impossible for some people to relax.
B) they can only be accomplished in groups.
C) they typically require the user's dedication and practice.
D) All of the above

Question 46

All of the following are organizational coping strategies except

A) increasing employees' sense of control.
B) training in time management.
C) eliminating punitive management.
D) improving training and orientation programs.
E) All of the above are organizational coping strategies

Question 47

Improving the person-job fit involves

A) hiring only very educated workers.
B) working in groups in order to share job tasks.
C) instituting job enrichment and job rotation programs.
D) the careful screening, selection, and placement of employees.

Question 48

Person-environment fit refers to

A) the match between worker motivation and job tasks.
B) the match between worker satisfaction and job rewards.
C) the match between a worker's abilities and needs and organizational demands and rewards.
D) the match between a worker's abilities and values and managerial techniques.

Question 49

Levels of work stress influence

A) worker productivity.
B) worker motivation.
C) feeling challenged at work.
D) All of the above

Question 50

The Social Readjustment Rating Scale is used to measure

A) person-environment fit.
B) stressful life events.
C) stress caused by organizational change.
D) job ambiguity.

Question 51

Important organizational outcomes that are affected by stress include

A) work group interactions.
B) training programs.
C) productivity and absenteeism.
D) All of the above

Question 52

Individual coping strategies include

A) improving the person-job fit.
B) increasing a sense of control.
C) biofeedback.
D) All of the above

Question 53

Cognitive restructuring is

A) an individual coping technique that has been found to be ineffective.
B) an individual coping technique that requires group participation.
C) an individual coping technique that has been found to be effective.
D) an organizational coping technique designed for managers and supervisors.

Question 54

Symptoms of burnout include

A) a decrease in worker commitment.
B) increases in tardiness.
C) increases in absenteeism.
D) All of the above

Question 55

Research has indicated that burnout is especially high in

A) lower-level organizational members.
B) high-level organizational executives.
C) human service professions.
D) technical professions.

Question 56

The relationship between stress and performance is

A) curvilinear.
B) direct.
C) significantly positive.
D) significantly negative.

Question 57

Perhaps the most stressed group of workers in any organization is

A) new employees.
B) managers.
C) older workers.
D) lower-level support staff.

Question 58

The organizational coping strategy of eliminating punitive management may involve

A) training managers and supervisors to minimize the use of punishment.
B) eliminating threatening company policies.
C) Both of the above
D) None of the above

Question 59

High levels of stress are associated with

A) depression and anxiety.
B) lowered self-esteem.
C) higher work accident rates.
D) All of the above

Question 60

The effectiveness of relaxation techniques as coping strategies

A) is unclear.
B) is directly related to the type of job the person performs.
C) is minimal.
D) has been demonstrated in many studies.

Question 61

The experience of stress depends on the perceptions of the individual worker.

Question 62

Workers with a Type A behavior pattern are likely to be very productive and work well in a variety of jobs.

Question 63

Employee Assistance Programs in organizations usually take one of two forms:

A) drug or alcohol programs.
B) external or internal programs.
C) drug and alcohol counseling or work stress/personal problem counseling.
D) federally funded or company funded.

Question 64

The Type A behavior pattern is characterized by excessive drive, hostility, and impatience.

Question 65

Psychological reactions to stress include anxiety, fear, frustration, and despair.

Question 66

Stress caused by a feeling of a lack of control is often mediated by worker personality
characteristics.

Question 67

Which of the following accurately describes research findings on alcohol and drug use in the workplace?

A) Rates of drug and alcohol use on the job are decreasing.
B) Drug and alcohol abuse is directly responsible for decreased productivity and increased absenteeism.
C) Stress leads to alcohol and drug use, which tend to alleviate stress for most workers.
D) Few employees within large organizations actually abuse drugs and alcohol, and thus costs for organizations are likely to be low.
E) All of the above accurately describe research on alcohol/drug use in the workplace.

Question 68

Stress arising from work place conditions is called conditional stress.

Question 69

Worker stress is in many ways the opposite of worker motivation.

Question 70

A feeling of a lack of control in workers is particularly common in organizations which
lack a high degree of structure.

Question 71

Work-family conflict is decreasing in the U.S. and internationally.

Question 72

Work role stressors include physical work conditions and organizational change.

Question 73

Underutilization is a work task stressor.

Question 74

Communication problems at work that cause stress commonly include

A) inadequate telephone systems.
B) workers feeling uninformed about organizational processes.
C) increased decision making by workers.
D) All of the above

Question 75

A major reason that it is difficult to determine the effectiveness of EAPs is that

A) drug and alcohol use are difficult to measure.
B) the quality of program evaluation of EAPs is questionable.
C) EAPs do not really work.
D) there are relatively few EAPs in current operation.

Question 76

Deviant behaviors that are harmful to an employee's organization and its members are called

A) counterproductive work behaviors.
B) negative worker outcomes.
C) job dissatisfaction.
D) worker crime.

Question 77

Job ambiguity is a work task stressor.

Question 78

Stressful occupations include nurses, business executives, and dentists.

Question 79

Organizational sources of stress include work training and work group stressors.

Question 80

Work-family conflict usually only increases stress in working mothers.