Deck 7: Stress and Well-Being at Work

Question 1

The medical approach to stress is most similar to:

A) the person-environment fit approach.
B) the cognitive appraisal approach.
C) the psychoanalytic approach.
D) the homeostatic approach.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

A manager instructs an employee to ship an item with a minor defect to a customer in violation of the employee's personal values. This is an example of:

A) role ambiguity.
B) person-role conflict.
C) interrole conflict.
D) non-role conflict.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

The person-environment fit approach to studying and understanding stress emphasizes:

A) homeostasis.
B) cognitive appraisal of the stress situation.
C) ego involvement.
D) social role stress.

Answer 3

D

Question 4

An employee with a major sales presentation on Monday and a sick child at home Sunday night is likely to experience:

A) interrole conflict.
B) intrarole conflict.
C) person-role conflict.
D) role ambiguity.

Question 5

Strain is the same as .

A) stress
B) distress
C) eustress
D) tension

Question 6

Which of the following statements is most accurate with regard to the stress response?

A) The approach to stress will determine the stress response sequence in the mind and body.
B) The stress response sequence in the mind and body begins with the activation of the sympathetic nervous system and the endocrine system.
C) The stress response in the mind and body begins with the release of chemical messengers, primarily adrenaline, into the bloodstream.
D) The stress response is inherently bad and destructive.

Question 7

The person-environment approach to stress emphasizes the:

A) idea that confusing and conflicting expectations of a person in a social role create stress for that person.
B) belief that effort will lead to performance.
C) notion that perception and cognitive evaluations of situations differ and accordingly stress is mostly determined by perception.
D) idea that the fit between a person's self-image or concept and their ideal generates large stress when there is lack of fit.

Question 8

A manager who presses employees for both very fast work and high-quality work would likely cause:

A) interrole conflict.
B) intrarole conflict.
C) person-role conflict.
D) role ambiguity.

Question 9

In the context of cognitive approach to stress, problem-focused coping emphasizes:

A) managing your response.
B) managing the stressor.
C) managing the set of role expectations such that there is a good person-situation fit.
D) managing the gap between your ego-ideal and real self-image.

Question 10

Role ambiguity is:

A) the difficulty stemming from a situation where expectations of two roles conflict.
B) an imbalanced preoccupation with work at the expense of home and personal life satisfaction.
C) the difficulty a person has in reconciling job demands and personal values.
D) the confusion one experiences in relation to the expectations of others.

Question 11

Role conflict results from:

A) lack of control.
B) globalization.
C) work overload.
D) inconsistent expectations.

Question 12

Which of the following persons is most closely associated with the homeostatic or medical approach to stress?

A) Richard Lazarus
B) Harry Levinson
C) Walter B. Cannon
D) Robert Kahn

Question 13

_{5. The approach to stress suggests that stress occurs when an external, environmental demand upsets an}
Individual's natural steady state balance.

A) medical
B) psychoanalytic
C) cognitive appraisal
D) self-image

Question 14

Two of the most stressful demands people face at work are:

A) globalization and company policy.
B) lack of control and globalization.
C) new technologies and lack of control.
D) change and organizational commitment.

Question 15

Task demands include all of the following except:

A) sexual harassment.
B) lack of control.
C) work overload.
D) uncertainty.

Question 16

The fight-or-flight stress response is most closely associated with the .

A) homeostatic approach
B) cognitive appraisal approach
C) person-environment fit approach
D) psychoanalytic approach

Question 17

The adverse psychological, physical, behavioral, and organizational consequence that may occur as a result of demanding events is known as .

A) distress
B) grief
C) depression
D) homeostasis

Question 18

The two major categories of "role stress" at work include:

A) lack of control and role overload.
B) role conflict and role ambiguity.
C) new technologies and role overload.
D) role overload and ethical conflict.

Question 19

The unconscious preparation to fight or flee that a person experiences when faced with any demand is known as _____.

A) homeostasis
B) distress
C) strain
D) stress

Question 20

The unconscious preparation to fight or flee that a person experiences when faced with any demand is known as _____.

A) homeostasis
B) distress
C) stress
D) strain

Question 21

Three direct costs of organizational distress include:

A) participation problems, performance decrements, and compensation awards.
B) functional turnover, high performance, and compensation awards.
C) functional turnover, increased production quality, and compensation awards.
D) performance variation, participation problems, and compensation awards.

Question 22

Benefits of eustress include all of the following except:

A) increased arousal.
B) bursts of physical strength.
C) cardiovascular efficiency.
D) overstimulation.

Question 23

Healthy or normal stress is known as .

A) distress
B) strain
C) eustress
D) normstress

Question 24

All of the following would be considered a source of stress due to interpersonal demands except:

A) role ambiguity.
B) functional diversity.
C) leadership style.
D) sexual harassment.

Question 25

In the context of individual differences in the stress-strain relationship, individuals possessing a Type A personality:

A) are socially secure.
B) are less prone than Type B personalities to heart attacks.
C) may become aggressive when faced with work-related difficulties.
D) manage their time well and do not exhibit time urgency.

Question 26

Which of the following situations would result in the individual being most at risk of health disorders?

A) Type A individuals in Type B organizations
B) Type B individuals in Type A organizations
C) Type B individuals in Type B organizations
D) Type A individuals in Type A organizations

Question 27

The most notable self-imposed personal demand is probably:

A) child rearing.
B) workaholism.
C) civic duties.
D) being a perfectionist.

Question 28

The three forms of individual distress include:

A) psychological, medical, and behavioral problems.
B) participation problems, performance decrements, and compensations deficit.
C) work-related, stress-related, and organizational problems.
D) performance decrements, work-related and stress-related problems.

Question 29

The stress-handling strategy that may lead to short-term stress reduction at the cost of long-term healthy life adjustment is:

A) tertiary coping.
B) counterdependence.
C) regressive coping.
D) stress avoidance and withdrawal.

Question 30

A personality type that tends to be resistant to distress is a(n) .

A) overdependent personality
B) Type A personality
C) counterdependent personality
D) hardy personality

Question 31

A positive consequence of organizational distress may take the form of:

A) performance increments.
B) absenteeism.
C) employee work stoppage.
D) functional turnover.

Question 32

Organizational costs of distress may take the form of all of the following except:

A) performance loss.
B) interpersonal conflicts.
C) accidents.
D) medical illness.

Question 33

Self-reliance is a healthy, secure, pattern of behavior.

A) overdependent
B) counterdependent
C) psychologically distant
D) interdependent

Question 34

The Yerkes-Dodson law suggests that the relationship between stress level and performance arousal is:

A) u-shaped.
B) linear and negative.
C) bell-shaped.
D) dependent on the person.

Question 35

Costs associated with absenteeism, tardiness, strikes, work stoppages, and turnover are known as .

A) performance decrements
B) participation problems
C) unrealistic job interview problems
D) intrarole conflicts

Question 36

Psychosomatic disorders:

A) are a form of burnout.
B) are a form of rust-out.
C) are physical ailments that begin in the mind.
D) can always be traced to the work situation.

Question 37

The Yerkes-Dodson law suggests that:

A) initial stress (or the onset of stress) causes performance to drop significantly.
B) the greatest performance benefits are achieved in the midrange of the curve.
C) stress and performance are unrelated.
D) stress and performance are inversely related.

Question 38

All of the following are stress-related interpersonal demands of the workplace except:

A) an authoritarian leadership style.
B) sexual harassment.
C) emotional toxins.
D) intrarole conflict.

Question 39

Assume that you are the supervisor of a team of ten employees, one of whom is clearly a Type A personality. Which of the following approaches would you follow to effectively manage this employee?

A) Frequently remind the employee about schedules and deadlines.
B) Try to maintain a certain level of conflict with the employee because this will stimulate higher performance.
C) Keep the employee very busy by adding tasks and projects to the person's workload.
D) Suggest some helpful time management applications to the employee, and help the person to pace him or herself.

Question 40

An individual who is relatively good at transformational coping has .

A) low control
B) overdependent behavior
C) a hardy personality
D) a Type A personality

Question 41

The stage in preventive stress management designed to heal individual or organizational symptoms of distress and strain is called:

A) primary prevention.
B) secondary prevention.
C) tertiary prevention.
D) job redesign.

Question 42

According to Harry Levinson, self-image is the embodiment of a person's perfect self.

Question 43

The job strain model suggests that:

A) the combination of high job demand and high employee control lead to a high-strain job.
B) low self-determination and self-reliance leads to a low-strain job.
C) an active job is associated with high strain.
D) the combination of high job demand and restricted job decision latitude leads to a high-strain job.

Question 44

Job redesign as a stress prevention method may involve any one or all of the following except:

A) changing the schedule of work and the sequencing of tasks.
B) giving the worker inspection responsibility.
C) reducing job tasks.
D) increasing uncertainty and reducing predictability in the workplace.

Question 45

A secondary prevention method of organizational stress is:

A) job redesign.
B) role negotiation.
C) goal setting.
D) team building.

Question 46

A stress response can be very effective in preparing a person to handle legitimate emergencies through peak performance.

Question 47

Aerobic exercise has been found to:

A) increase adrenaline levels in the blood at rest.
B) improve a person's ability to manage stressful situations.
C) improve a person's time management skills.
D) weaken and cause faster heart beats in persons.

Question 48

An employee assistance program is:

A) an individual prevention approach to stress.
B) a self-reliance approach to stress.
C) an organizational approach to stress reduction.
D) used by organizations to encourage Type A behavior pattern among employees.

Question 49

In the context of stress prevention management, most organizational prevention is:

A) secondary.
B) primary.
C) tertiary.
D) counterproductive.

Question 50

The stress response can be very effective in preparing a person to handle legitimate emergencies through peak performance.

Question 51

The cognitive appraisal approach to stress emphasizes the fit between a person and his or her environment in terms of individual abilities and task or role demands.

Question 52

In the context of social support system, the relationship between a person and the key elements in his or her work and nonwork social support system provides .

A) evaluative feedback
B) focal role definition
C) task specification
D) positive thinking

Question 53

In the context of individual stress prevention management, learned optimism is:

A) a secondary individual stress prevention method.
B) the planning and prioritizing of tasks.
C) distracting oneself from pessimistic thoughts.
D) is a strong Type A personality characteristic.

Question 54

A commonly used secondary individual stress prevention is:

A) time management.
B) leisure time pursuits.
C) learned optimism.
D) physical exercise.

Question 55

Problem-focused coping focuses on managing and controlling the stressor.

Question 56

Job redesign, goal setting, and career management are used as stress prevention management techniques in the _____ stage.

A) tertiary
B) primary
C) reduction
D) secondary

Question 57

Stress is a great asset in managing legitimate emergencies and achieving peak performance.

Question 58

In the context of preventive stress management, a manager's decision to increase worker control in a given task is an example of:

A) individual prevention.
B) secondary prevention.
C) primary prevention.
D) tertiary prevention.

Question 59

Secondary prevention is intended to:

A) reduce, modify, or eliminate the demand causing stress.
B) alter or modify an individual's or the an organization's response to a demand.
C) heal individual or organizational symptoms of distress and strain.
D) eliminate key environmental sources of stress or provide direct intervention to reduce the source of stress.

Question 60

The fight-or-flight response to stress is based on an environmental demand that upsets a person's natural steady state according to the homeostatic approach.

Question 61

Briefly indicate how you can prevent distress in preparing for the final exam of the course in which you are using this book.

Question 62

Match the following:
a. The embodiment of a person's perfect self
b. An equilibrium or steady state of bodily functioning
c. Adverse consequences of stress
d. The unconscious preparation to fight or flee
e. The way a person sees himself or herself, both positively and negatively
Distress

Question 63

Individuals who display hardiness tend to be Type A personalities.

Question 64

Regardless of the stress approach used, the stress response can be characterized by a predictable sequence of mind and body events.

Question 65

Interrole conflict is caused by conflicting expectations related to a single role.

Question 66

Describe the GP³ method of time management.

Question 67

Which of the four approaches to stress appears most useful in understanding job and work-related stress?

Question 68

Match the following:
a. The embodiment of a person's perfect self
b. An equilibrium or steady state of bodily functioning
c. Adverse consequences of stress
d. The unconscious preparation to fight or flee
e. The way a person sees himself or herself, both positively and negatively
Ego-ideal

Question 69

The Type A behavior pattern is also labeled coronary-prone behavior.

Question 70

Type B personalities display insecure behavior and may respond aggressively in conflict situations.

Question 71

Employee assistance programs have been designed in part to provide help to employees in coping with nonwork demands.

Question 72

Primary stress prevention is designed to reduce and possibly eliminate the source of stress, or the stressor.

Question 73

Nonwork demands may broadly be identified as home demands from an individual's personal life environment and
personal demands that are self-imposed.

Question 74

Describe the Type A behavior pattern.

Question 75

Match the following:
a. The embodiment of a person's perfect self
b. An equilibrium or steady state of bodily functioning
c. Adverse consequences of stress
d. The unconscious preparation to fight or flee
e. The way a person sees himself or herself, both positively and negatively
Homeostasis

Question 76

Change and lack of control are two of the most stressful demands people face at work.

Question 77

Counterdependence is a healthy, secure, interdependent pattern of behavior that is useful when facing stressful situations.

Question 78

Women's behavioral responses to stress are very similar to men's responses to stress.

Question 79

Role ambiguity and task uncertainty both indicate lack of information.

Question 80

How can job redesign modify a job to prevent excessive stress?