As you read the section in Chapter 11 entitled Occupational Stress, you obviously noticed that what we typically call job stress is actually called job strain – a negative reaction to situations, conditions, and events that occur on the job; whereas, a job stressor is the actual situation, condition, or event itself. On page 284 in Table 11.4, you will find three categories of job strain that occur when we are unable to properly react to or appropriately adapt to one or more job stressors. Those three job strains each provide specific examples of negative outcomes.
An example of a job stressor for an on-campus professor may be having 30 or more students stopping by his/her office for academic advising one week before registration begins for the next term. The professor may not always adapt well to this situation. In this case, he/she might experience psychological job strain by way of becoming frustrated and anxious. The professor might also experience physical job strain when he/she gets a headache and/or stomach distress. On the other hand, if the professor learned to adapt in an appropriate manner to the job stressor, he/she could avoid some or maybe all of the job strain. Notice I did not say the professor could avoid the job stressors. The students will come to the professor for advising; one way or the other. The professor cannot avoid the students; however, the experience of job strain could be reduced, by setting up specific appointment times, requiring the students to prepare for the appointment, and also reviewing the students’ transcripts before their assigned appointment.
In your initial post, provide examples of two specific job stressors in your job. Explain how you adapt to job stressors and avoid job strain or how you fail to adapt to the job stressors and experience job strain. In your discussion, be sure to specify the category of job strain: Psychological, Physical, and/or Behavioral. Also, identify specific negative outcomes.
NOTE: You may select a coworker or even a fictitious person to use in your example, if you would rather not get too personal about your own situations at
