Stress: Meaning, Nature and

Levels – Explained !
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Read this article to learn about the meaning, nature, and

levels of stress

Meaning and Definition:

Considered from an individual’s point of view, stress is our body’s

physical, mental and chemical reactions to circumstances that
frighten, confuse, endanger or irritate us. If controlled, stress is a
friend that strengthens us for the next encounter. If handled poorly, it
becomes an enemy which can cause diseases like high blood pressure,
ulcer, asthma and overactive thyroid. As per the medical explanation
of the term, “stress is the body’s general response to environmental
situations.”
It can lead to:

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(i) Physiological discomfort.

(ii) Some kind of emotional unhappiness.

(iii) Strained relationships with other people.

In very simple words, stress refers to an individual’s reaction to a dis-

turbing factor in the environment.

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“Stress is defined as an adaptive response to an external situation

that results in physical, psychological and/or behavioural deviations
for organisational participants.”

“Stress is a dynamic condition in which an individual is confronted

with an opportunity, constraint or demand related to what he or she
desires and for which the outcome is perceived to be both uncertain
and important.”

According to Ivancevich and Matterson, “Stress is the interaction of

the individual with the environment. It is an adaptive response, medi-
ated by individual differences and/or psychological process; that is a
consequence of any external (environmental) action, situation or
event that places excessive psychological and/or physical demands
upon a person”

According to Beehr and Newman, “Job stress is a condition arising

from the interaction of the people and their jobs, and characterised
by changes within people that force them to deviate from their nor-
mal functioning.”

Nature of Stress:

Some important points relating to the nature of stress is:

1. Stress is a Neutral Word:

Stress is not bad in itself. But when stress is created by undesirable

outcomes, it becomes Distress. On the other hand, if it is created by
desirable and successful effects it is called Eustress. Eustress is a
healthy, positive and developmental stress response. It is primarily
the Distress form of stress which requires examination and steps to
cope with it; because distress is generally associated with heart dis-
ease, alcoholism, drug abuse, marital problems, absenteeism etc.

2. Stress is Associated with Constraints and Demand:

Constraints prevent an individual from doing what he or she desires.

If a person wants to buy something, but he does not have the neces-
sary cash, it is a constraint. Demands refer to the loss of something
desired. If a person wants to go and watch a movie, but he is unable
to do so because of pressing official work, it amounts to a demand.
Both Constraints and Demands can lead to potential stress.

3. Two Conditions are Necessary for Potential Stress to Become

Actual Stress:

There must be:

(i) Uncertainty over the outcome, and

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(ii) Outcome must be important.

Stress is usually very high when there is uncertainty over the out-
come and the outcome is very significant. Both these conditions are
necessary. If there is no uncertainty but the outcome is significant,
there will not be any stress. On the other hand, if there is uncertainty,
but the outcome is not significant, there will again be no stress.

4. Stress is not Simply Anxiety:

Stress may be accompanied by anxiety, but the two are not synony-
mous. Anxiety is psychological and emotional whereas stress operates
in the physiological sphere also along with psychological sphere.
5. Stress should also be Differentiated from Nervous Tension:

Nervous tension may be a result of stress. Stress is a subconscious

action. Even unconscious people have exhibited stress, whereas nerv-
ous tension is a conscious action. People may “bottle up” their emo-
tions and not reveal them through nervous tension.

6. The Term “Burnout” is also Closely Associated with Stress:

Some researchers contend that burnout is a type of stress, but others

treat it differently. Burnout is closely associated with helping profes-
sions like nursing, education and social work, it is characterised by
emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and diminished personal
accomplishments. Even though technically, burnout is different from
stress, these are generally used interchangeably.

Levels of Stress:

Stress is highly individualistic in nature. Some people have high toler-

ance for stress and thrive well in face of several stressors in the envi-
ronment. In fact, some individuals will not perform well unless they
experience a level of stress which activates and energizes them to put
forth their best efforts. On the other hand, some people have very low
level of tolerance for stress and they become paralyzed when they
have to interface with routine everyday factors that appear undesira-
ble to them.

Generally, stress is viewed as something bad, having negative conse-

quences. However, stress is not always bad. It is only the degree or
the level of stress which produces positive or negative consequences.

From this point of view, stress can be categorized into two types:

(i) Eustress and

(ii) Distress.

1. Eustress:

Eustress is the healthy, positive and developmental stress response.

This may lead employees to new and better ways of doing their work.
It denotes the presence of optimum level of stress in an individual.
Under optimum level of stress the employees will perform to his full
capacity.

If the stress experienced is below this level, then the individual gets
bored, the motivational level to work reaches a low point and apathy
sets in. If one operates in very low stress environment and constantly
experiences boredom, the person is likely to be psychologically or
physically withdrawn from work. Psychological withdrawal will
result in careless mistakes being frequently made, forgetfulness and
absentmindedness. Physical withdrawal will manifest itself in
increased rate of tardiness and absenteeism which will ultimately
lead to turnover.

2. Distress:

Distress is the unhealthy and negative stress response. It denotes the

presence of high level of stress in an individual which affects his per-
formance and efficiency adversely.

Errors will increase, bad decision will be made and the individual will
experience insomnia, stomach problems and psychosomatic illnesses.

Organisational performance and individual health are at their peak at

optimum levels of experienced stress (Eustress).

It is explained with the help of the following figure:

Though, the optimum stress level may be different for different indi-
viduals, each individual can sense and determine how much stress is
functional for him or her to operate in a productive manner.