Deck 9: Managing Individual Stress

Question 1

A study of both blue- and white-collar workers found that stress primarily affected the performance of the white-collar workers.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

Rumors of an impending layoff are typically never as stressful as actually being laid off.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

Some people are better able to cope with a stressor than are others.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

Stress is an adaptive response, moderated by individual differences, that is a consequence of any action, situation, or event that places special demands on a person.

Question 5

The person-environment fit approach is related to the concept of the psychological contract.

Question 6

A primary appraisal involves a determination of whether something can be done to reduce a stressor.

Question 7

It is unwise for managers to attempt to counsel workers suspected of being depressed.

Question 8

The greater the power or authority of the person sending conflicting messages, the greater the job dissatisfaction produced by role conflict.

Question 9

Executives in the low end of the stress range, report less serious medical problems.

Question 10

The negative effects of overload can be increased when overload is coupled with low ability to control the demands of work.

Question 11

Stress is not likely to result from a mismatch between an employee's talents and the job requirements.

Question 12

Generally, the longer special demands are placed on us, the more stressful they are.

Question 13

Virtually any occurrence can place special demands on a person and lead to stress.

Question 14

All individuals can withstand the negative consequences of large doses of change.

Question 15

Most people would prefer not to know how management views the quality of their work.

Question 16

Burnout tends to be less of a problem for people whose jobs require extensive contact with other people.

Question 17

Stress is the consequence of the interaction between an environmental stimulus and the individual's response.

Question 18

Job skills and knowledge are not the only factors to consider in employee selection, in order to ensure person-environment fit.

Question 19

Workers' compensation laws are increasingly eliminating benefits for injuries stemming from workplace stress.

Question 20

A high degree of involvement in, identification with, or commitment to one's job or profession is a necessary prerequisite for burnout.

Question 21

Which of the following is a stressor at the individual level?

A) Technology
B) Management styles
C) Intragroup conflict
D) Role overload

Question 22

Long duration stress is sometimes referred to as _______________.

A) terminal stress
B) high-impact stress
C) heritage stress
D) chronic stress

Question 23

Research supports the conclusion that humor boosts the human immune system, but has little effect on stress.

Question 24

All of the following are the result of an optimal level of stress except:

A) High motivation
B) Calmness
C) Sharp perception
D) Boredom

Question 25

The intention of most stress prevention programs is to reduce the _______________ of an individual's stress.

A) occurrence
B) intensity
C) negative impact
D) All of the choices are correct.

Question 26

An individual difference, such as _______________, is a potential stress moderator.

A) age
B) social support mechanisms
C) personality
D) All of the choices are correct.

Question 27

Which of the following is a stressor at the group level?

A) Lack of cohesiveness
B) Management styles
C) Pace of change
D) Role overload

Question 28

Wellness programs are largely restricted to large companies; small companies cannot afford to implement them.

Question 29

_______________ is present whenever compliance by an individual to one set of expectations about a job conflicts with compliance to another set of expectations.

A) Peripheral interference
B) Role conflict
C) Job overlap
D) Job dissatisfaction

Question 30

Which of the following is a symptom of stress caused by work overload?

A) Insomnia
B) Apathy
C) Absenteeism
D) High motivation

Question 31

Which of the following is a stressor at the non-work level?

A) Pace of change
B) Status incongruence
C) The economy
D) Harassment

Question 32

Employee assistance programs were originally conceived as stress reduction programs.

Question 33

Applying the Model of Stressors, Stress, and Outcomes, poor decision making is the result of:

A) Role conflict
B) Work underload
C) Boredom
D) Stress

Question 34

Stress is the result of dealing with something placing a special demand on us. Special means an _______________ experience.

A) physically threatening
B) psychologically threatening
C) unusual
D) All of the choices are correct.

Question 35

The experience of work-related and non-work (extraorganizational) stress produces _______________ outcomes.

A) behavioral
B) cognitive
C) physiological
D) Any or all of the choices are correct.

Question 36

All of the following factors determine whether an experience is likely to result in stress except:

A) Importance
B) Uncertainty
C) Duration
D) Distance

Question 37

Which of the following is a symptom of stress caused by work underload?

A) Apathy
B) Irritability
C) Increased errors
D) Sharp perception

Question 38

The greatest payoff from stress prevention and management comes from ongoing and sustained effort, rather than one-time activities.

Question 39

_______________ arises when a person receives incompatible messages regarding appropriate role behavior.

A) Role conflict
B) Role ambiguity
C) Role confusion
D) All of the choices are correct.

Question 40

Once a person is working in the organization, a critical variable in maximizing fit and preventing stress is effective socialization.

Question 41

Which one of the following statements about depression is incorrect?

A) Depression costs billions of dollars a year in medical bills, lost productivity, and absenteeism
B) The World Health Organization predicts that depression will become the second most common disability, right after heart disease
C) Depression is easy to detect, especially within the current health care system
D) Depression leads to higher absenteeism and decreased worker productivity

Question 42

Disability claims _______________ in companies that have recently downsized.

A) decrease dramatically
B) increase dramatically
C) stabilize
D) are no longer an issue

Question 43

Which of the following burnout symptoms indicates low personal accomplishment?

A) Cannot deal with problems effectively
B) Feels fatigued in the morning
C) Does not want to work with other people
D) Has become calloused by the job

Question 44

A _______________ is a condition, behavior, or characteristic that qualifies the relationship between two variables.

A) moderator
B) modulation
C) bridge
D) regulator

Question 45

A study of 2,100 employees, chosen from 23 different occupations, found that _______________ reported the most boredom and apathy with their job conditions.

A) blue-collar
B) unskilled workers
C) white-collar, nonprofessional workers
D) white-collar, professional workers

Question 46

Which of the following statements about the organizational costs associated with stress is false?

A) The American Medical Association claims that stress was the cause of up to 85 percent of all human illness and disease
B) Stressed workers smoke more, eat less well, and have more family problems
C) Forty percent of employee turnover is due to excessive stress
D) All of the above

Question 47

Which of the following are moderators of stress?

A) Personality
B) Type A behavior
C) Social Support
D) All of the above

Question 48

_______________ refers to the extent that a person's knowledge, opinions, and ideas are included in the decision-making process.

A) Control
B) Integration
C) Participation
D) Pervasiveness

Question 49

Polls indicate that over 40 percent of Japanese workers aged 30 to 60 believe that they will die from _______________.

A) overwork
B) cancer
C) heart attacks
D) boredom

Question 50

Burnout is a psychological process that typically results in all of the following except:

A) A desire to move into a more challenging job
B) Emotional exhaustion
C) Depersonalization
D) Feelings of decreased accomplishment

Question 51

During a crisis, a neurotransmitter called catecholamine suppresses parts of the brain dealing with all of the following except:

A) Memory
B) Concentration
C) Motor skills
D) Rational thought

Question 52

The term _______________ refers to a relatively stable set of characteristics, temperaments, and tendencies that shape the similarities and differences in people's behavior.

A) character
B) personality
C) persona
D) talent

Question 53

Those who score high on _______________ are better prepared to deal with stressors associated with change, because they view change as a challenge.

A) extroversion
B) conscientiousness
C) openness to experience
D) emotional stability

Question 54

_______________ outcomes of stress include sweating, hot and cold flashes, and increased heart rate.

A) Cognitive
B) Behavioral
C) Physiological
D) Behavioral and physiological

Question 55

All of the following are characteristics of a hardy person except:

A) The hardy person assumes that he or she is in control
B) The hardy person ignores changes
C) The hardy person is highly committed to lively activities
D) The hardy person treats change as a challenge

Question 56

Which of the following Big Five personality dimensions is most clearly related to stress?

A) Emotional stability
B) Extroversion
C) Agreeableness
D) Conscientiousness

Question 57

A comprehensive study of American workers concluded that one-third of them experience job-stress-related _______________.

A) depression
B) nervousness
C) anxiety
D) None of the above.

Question 58

If you are low on _______________, you tend to be antagonistic, unsympathetic, and even rude toward others.

A) emotional stability
B) extroversion
C) agreeableness
D) conscientiousness

Question 59

While the organizational consequences of stress are many and varied, they share one common feature: stress costs organizations _______________.

A) tempo
B) their reputations
C) customer loyalty
D) money

Question 60

A study of 2,100 employees, chosen from 23 different occupations, found that _______________ reported the fewest negative consequences from their job conditions.

A) blue-collar
B) unskilled workers
C) white-collar, nonprofessional workers
D) white-collar, professional workers

Question 61

There are two types of work overload, what are they?

Question 62

Ideally, the process for maximizing person-environment fit begins _______________.

A) at the first sign of job-related stress
B) before the individual joins the organization
C) during job orientation
D) at the request of the employee

Question 63

For any employee assistance program to be a success, employees must trust in all of the following except:

A) The program can and will provide real help
B) The program will be available on a long-term basis
C) Confidentiality will be maintained
D) Use of the program carries no negative job implications

Question 64

How does hardiness impact stress?

Question 65

All of the following are cognitive distortions except:

A) Magnifying
B) Overgeneralizing
C) Personalization
D) Distancing

Question 66

Which of the following can be brought under voluntary control through the use of biofeedback techniques?

A) Brain waves
B) Heart rate
C) Muscle tension
D) All of the choices are correct.

Question 67

_______________ was defined in the text as the comfort, assistance, or information one receives through formal or informal contacts with individuals or groups.

A) Social support
B) Emotional support
C) Companionship
D) All of the choices are correct.

Question 68

What is the first step in any attempt to deal with stress?

A) Calming down
B) Identifying the source of the stress
C) Recognizing that stress exists
D) Removing the source of the stress

Question 69

What is role conflict? Provide an example.

Question 70

Provide an example of problem-focused coping.

Question 71

Explain the typical workweek of a eurocommuter.

Question 72

Two major components of a Type A Behavior Pattern are:

A) Impatience and hostility
B) Impatience and arrogance
C) Ambition and arrogance
D) Ambition and hostility

Question 73

_______________ has been cited as the greatest cause of poor health habits.

A) Alcoholism
B) Drug abuse
C) Poor health education
D) Stress

Question 74

In the Model of Stressors, Stress, and Outcomes, stressors were presented in four main categories, what are they?

Question 75

Any activity that an organization engages in that is designed to identify and assist in preventing or correcting _______________ can be thought of as wellness-related.

A) health hazards
B) negative health habits
C) specific health problems
D) All of the choices are correct.

Question 76

Stress is the result of dealing with something placing special demands on us. In this context, what does special mean?

Question 77

Employee assistance programs are designed to deal with a wide range of stress-related problems. General elements of such a program include all of the following except:

A) Diagnosis
B) Screening
C) Humiliation
D) Treatment

Question 78

Relaxation training generally results in all of the following except:

A) Increased heart rate
B) A clear sense of being in control
C) A reduction in anxiety and tension
D) Slowed breathing

Question 79

Two types of organizational programs have become particularly popular during the last two decades: employee assistance programs and _______________ programs.

A) health care
B) wellness
C) physical fitness
D) biofeedback

Question 80

Analysis showed that _______________ was related to the presence of arteriosclerosis more than any other Type A Behavior Pattern dimension.

A) ambition
B) impatience
C) work orientation
D) hostility