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1 (39) 2015
MANAGEMENT OF OCCUPATIONAL
STRESS
LenuaTRANDAFIR
elena.trandafyr@yahoo.com
AL.I.CUZAPOLICEACADEMY,BUCHAREST,ROMANIA
ABSTRACT
Stress is an important problem in the majority of countries. Apart from the fact
that it is responsible for numerous diseases, it also causes much suffering. Stress
appears as an adaptation reaction of our body to those external factors that we
perceive as being agressive and which frequently lead us to an alarm state, felt both
psychically (tension, fear, anxiety), and physically (increase of the adrenaline
secretion, intensity of heartbeats, sweating). It isnt actually a disease, but it can lead
to sickness in time. This is why it is good to know what stresses us and how we can
escape stress.
Keywords
Management, stress, occupational health, individual, organization
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one. From the traditional accent on a flight). He is also the first to use the term of
manufacturing and consumerism production, tres.
we gradually moved to an economy mostly Called the father of stress, the
oriented on services. This is not easily to physician and endocrinologist Han ele,
see, but it is a reality [2]. What is specific in defines tres as a nonspecific response of
the nowadays Romanian society is a the human body to any strain on it [3]. He
substantial increase of the stress level and was the first to make the distinction between
an increase as share of reactions to what the beneficial stress (eutres) and harmful
was called in literature stressors. stress (dtres). The first motivates the
The consequences of work stress on the individual, by attracting him into a hard
working staff were studied carefully, work, the second, if persistent in time, may
obtaining precise information. The symptoms produce negative reactions on health.
of occupational stress are easily highlighted ele observed that the response
and observable, being manifested through sequence to almost any distress or trauma is
behaviours such as the employees almost identical. He calls it General
encountering certain difficulties in adapting Adatatn ndrme (GA), consisting in
to the changes imposed to the occupied three stages:
position, the dramatic decrease of work 1. Alarm reaction the body mobilizes
productivity, in other words, a double action its resources to fight against stress (the
is manifested: at the level of the individual heartbeats and stress hormons increase
who perceives the stressful situation and at adrenaline, norepinephrine, epinephrine and
the level of the organization on which the cortisone).
existence of a stressful environment falls. 2. Resistence the body fights against
Occupational stress may be defined as the original source of stress, the resistence to
being: other stressors being diminished.
Physical and emotional responses, 3. Fatigue the general resistence falls
deleterious, which occur when the down and the adverse consequences appear:
requirements of the workplace do not burnout, sickness and even death.
correspond to the individuals skills, A. The Pattern of Work Stress
resources, needs, leading to the damage or
The pattern of work stress [4]
even harm of his/ her health state.
cnders that the objective environment of
A cognitive, behavioral and
work influences the perception of the
physiological reaction to the aggressive and
individual on the ambiance, which, in turn,
harmful aspects specific to the job, work
determines the response from the
environment and organizational climate; it is
physiological, behavioral and affective point
a state chracterised by high levels of distress
of view. The effects of these responses may
and frequently by the feeling of helplessness be classified as indicators of mental and
in meeting tasks. physical health or of illness. Within this
process, an important role is played by the
2. Patterns of Occupational stress characteristics of the individual and the
Among the stress pioneers, Walter interpersonal relationships that influence
Cannn and Han ele are frequently every step of the process, moderating or
quoted. Cann was a physiologist and he exagerating.
studied human and animal reactions under
dangerous situations. He specified that both B. The Pattern of Individual
animals and humans adopt adaptive Environment Adequacy
responses to stressful situations against The pattern of individual environment
which they decide to fight or avoid (Cann adjustment/adequacy [5] starts with the
names this behavior the reaction of fight or premise that the attitudes, behavior and the
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other effects at the individuals level result medical practice and theory, of the theoretical
from the interraction between the individuals framework of the relation between health,
characteristics and those of the environment. illness and behavioral pattern. The use of
The stress amount felt by an employee stress concept provided medicine with a basis
is influenced by the individuals perception to link the external events and the behavior
on the environmens requirements, and by patterns with the internal and biochemical
its perception on its own ability to deal with conditions associated to etiology, favorable
these requests. Using this pattern, French factors, the onset and maintenance of the
and his partners have found that a reduced diseases.
suitability between the individual and the The use of the terms stress and
environment is frequently associated with adaptation reflects, mainly, the fast increase
increased reactions to stress. The employees of the popularity of these two variables.
whose skills and abilities are more adequate Biological resources are used by the body to
to the work environment report a low stress respond to stress, as the authors of the
level and fewer reactions [6]. adaptation definitions currently note [7].
Due to recent researches on the health
C. Beehr and Newmas Conceptual Pattern state of the contemporaneous society with
Beehr and Newmans conceptual pattern accent on diet, exercises, control over harmful
(1978) roses to analyze seven dimensions: behaviors (smoking, alcohol, stress), the
1. environment (all the requirements biological resources have become common
and characteristics of work or life tasks); in the regimes of stress control, but they are
2. individual (psychological, physiological, rather used as a reflex, more than a
demographic characteristics; personality deliberate manner.
type; physical features; anxiety etc.); In accordance with an overwhelming
3. rcess; stressful event, which exceeds the adaptation
4. cnequences on the individual ability, the individual may react with a
(psychological effects: anety, physical transitory dissociative state. The acute stress
fatigue, depressions, hostility, bournout; disorder may precede its posttraumatic
physical/physiological effects: cardiovascular disorder. For a group of post-stress subjects,
diseases, hypertension etc.; behavioral effects: the presence of this reaction predicted in a
absenteeism, drugs/substances abuse, decrease percentage of 83 %, the occrrence of the
posttraumatic stress disorder within the
of work performance etc.;
interval considered to be standard, of 6
5. cnequences on the organization
months, in which it appears subconsequent
(decrease of the performance, profit,
to psycho-trauma [8].
productivity, staff fluctuation etc.);
The diagnostic criteria of the acute
6. adaptive responses (consist in stress disorder, upon DSM-IV
management strategies coping both on A. The individual who was exposed to a
individual level searching for social support, traumatic event in which both the conditions
physical exercises, change of workplace etc. mentioned below were present:
and organizational level reorganizing the The person had an experience, was
activity, work schedule etc.); marked or confronted with an event/s that
7. tme (on which all the other implied the death or the serious injury or a
dimensions of occupational stress depend). threat to its own physical integrity or the
integrity of others.
3. Management of Non-Traumatic The response of the person implied
and Traumatic Stress intense fear, helplessness or honour.
The introduction of the concept of B. Either during or after experiencing the
stress in the medical field was linked to the traumatic event, the person presents three
lack felt during the last four decades, in (or more) of the following dissociative symptoms:
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The actual knowledge about stress harm of the stress, therefore, it has to be
neurophysiology has important implications highlighted the critical importance of the
regarding stress management. Firstly, all prevention, of the early identification and
these data represent evidence of the fact that the efficient intervention to reduce the
stress and trauma have a toxic effect for the effects. Such psychological interventions
normal development of the brain. There are can prevent, minimize or even cancel the
no other stronger evidences to show the harmful effects on the brain development.
Aknowledgement
This work was possible with the financial support of the Sectoral Operational Programme for
Human Resources Development 2007-2013, co-financed by the European Social Fund, under the
project number POSDRU/159/1.5/S/138822 with the title Transnational network of integrated
management of intelligent doctoral and postdoctoral research in the fields of Military Science,
Security and Intelligence, Public order and National Security Continuous formation
programme for elite researchers SmartSPODAS.
References
1. Stress is an internal response to a stimulus or external situation, named stressor or stress
factor. However, a person can be affected by a stressor, while someone else not. More
people exposed to stressors, even traumatized, succed to adapt to situation. Other people
manifest intense psychological symptoms and usually for a long time.
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Resource Management for a Market Responsive Economy, Paper presented at the
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environment and mental health, Journal of Social Issues, 18, (1962): 1-47.
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Mine Publishing House, 2008), 59.
8. Dan Prelipceanu, Psihiatrie clinic, (Bucharest: Medical Publishing House, 2013), 521.
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Psychobiology of Stress and Healing, www.isma.org.uk.
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Bibliography
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