Book #4 Information

You Don't Have to be Over Stressed All The Time

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Table of Contents


Preface	xvii
Introduction	xxi
Are We Experiencing a Stress Epidemic?	xxi
The Importance of Stress Management	xxii
The Symbolic Importance of the Tiger as a Potential Stressor	xxiii
Our Modern-Day Society and Its Stressors	xxv
Not All Stress Is Bad	xxvi
Understanding As a Prerequisite To Controlling Stress	xxvii
Preventive Maintenance: Similarities Between a Car and the Human Body	xxx
A Car	xxx
Human Body	xxxi
Major Points of The Book	xxxii

Part One: I = Identifying the Nature, Background and Causes of Stress

Chapters
1. What Do You Know About Stress?	3
The Position Taken Concerning Stress	3
What Is Understood About Stress	4
The Role of Perception	5
- Stress As a Transaction	5
- The E-P-R Process: The Importance of Perception	6
- Factors Influencing Perception	7
Definition of Stress	9
Exercise 1.1: Load Experience	12
Summary Outline of Key Headings in the Chapter	13

2. What Causes Stress?	15
Who and What Stress Affects	15
The Causes of Stress	16
Stressors: Features and Classification	17
- Features of Stressors	17
- Classification of Stressors	19
- The Role of Perception and Subjectivity in Determining Stressors	20
- The Overlapping and Arbitrary Classification of Stressors	21
- What is Associated With These Stressor Categories?	27
Summary Outline of Key Headings in the Chapter	29

3. Personality Stressors	31
The Central and Dominant Roles of Personality Stressors	31
Main Areas of Potential Personality Stressors	32
Personality Traits and Related Behaviors	33
- Perceiving Others and Ourselves	33
- Stress-Related Behaviors	34
+ The “Stomping Bull” Behavior	35
+ The “Only I Can Do It All” Behavior	35
+ The "Always in a Hurry" Behavior	36
+ The "Compulsive Time-Racing" Behavior	36
+ The Aggressive Competitor Behavior	37
Mind Traps	37
- Personal Beliefs	38
- Being a Perfectionist	38
- Having Unrealistic Expectations	39
- Not Being in Control	39
- Keeping Things in Perspective	40
- Having Negative Self-Talk	41
Summary Outline of Key Headings in the Chapter	42

4. Private Stressors	43
Private Life Stressors: Internal and External Conditions	43
Main Areas of Potential Private Life Stressors	44
Home Events	45
- Family Concerns	46
- Financial Concerns	46
Adjusting to Life Events	47
- Pain, Injury and Illness	48
- Measuring Life Changes	48
- Hardy Personalities	49
Daily Hassles	50
- Everyday Nuisances	52
- Home Overload	53
At-Risk Lifestyle Activities	54
- Stimulants	54
+ Drug Misuse	54
+ Alcohol	57
+ Caffeine	58
+ Cigarette or Tobacco Smoking	58
- Nutrition	59
- Sleep	60
- The Sleep-Nutrition Relationship	61
- The Sleep-Stress Relationship	61
+ What is Optimum Sleep?	62
+ What Causes Us Not To Sleep?	64
+ The Combination of Excessive Work, Inadequate Sleep and Diet	64
- Exercise	65
Table 4.1: Livingston’s Life Events’ Index (LLEI)	67
Summary Outline of Key Headings in the Chapter	69

5. Psychosocial Stressors	71
The Linking Nature of Psychosocial Stressors	72
Frustrations	73
- Socioeconomic Factors or Poverty	74
- Discrimination	75
- Overcrowding	77
- Structure and Functioning of Organizations	78
- Adaptation To Daily Events	79
Overload	79
- Overload Involving Education	82
- Overload and the Home Environment	83
Underload	84
Acculturation	85
- Immigrants and Acculturative Stress	85
Loneliness and Boredom	88
Festive Occasions	89
Terrorism	90
Summary Outline of Key Headings in the Chapter	93
	95
6. Organizational Stressors	95
Organizational Stressors As External Conditions	96
Main Areas of Potential Organizational Stressors	97
Psychosocial Stressors in the Workplace	98
The Work Environment	99
Stressors Associated With the Work Environment	101
Physical Surroundings	101
Spatial Arrangement	102
Inadequate Lighting	103
Stressors Associated With Work Conditions	105
- Job Overload	106
+ Burnout	107
- Job Underload	108
- Unsafe Working Conditions	110
- Shift Work	110
- Changes in Technology	111
Relationships at Work	114
- Workplace Violence	116
Role Conditions	120
- Role Ambiguity	120
- Role Conflict	121
+ Different Types of Role Conflict	122
- Sexual Harassment	125
Career Development and Change	125
- Underpromotion	126
- Overpromotion	127
- Lack of Job Security	128
Organizational Structure and Climate	129
- Lack of Participation	130
- Bureaucratic Pettiness	130
- Conformity Pressures	131
- Lack of Responsiveness	132
Intrinsic Worker Conflict	133
- Lack of Meaning in the Job	134
- Obsessive Concern for Work	134
- Frustrated Ambitions	135
- Level of Anxiety	136
- Level of Emotionality	138
- Tolerance for Ambiguity	139
Summary Outline of Key Headings in the Chapter	140

7. Environmental Stressors	143
Environmental Stressors as External Conditions

7. Environmental Stressors 143

☐ Environmental Stressors As External Conditions 143

☐ Psychosoial Stressors in the Environment 144

☐ Main Areas of Potential Environmental Stressors 145

☐ Bio-Environmental Conditions 146

☒ Noise 146

☒ Lighting 149

☒ Climatic Conditions 150

☒ Air Travel 151

☒ Bio-Ecological Conditions and Air Travel 152

▬ Time Cycles 153

▬ Jet Lag 153

☒ Commuting and Traffic Congestion 156

☒ Environmental Threats 157

☐ Sociocultural Conditions 158

☒ Neighborhood Conditions 159

▬ Overcrowding 159

▬ Fear of Crime or Victimization 160

▬ Socioeconomic Factors 160

▬ Discrimination 162

☒ Urban Overload 163

☒ Road Rage 164

▬ Contributing Factors To Road Rage 165

☒ Air Rage 167

▬ Concerned Voices 168

▬ Contributing Problems To Air Rage 169

☛ Summary Outline of Key Headings in the Chapter 171

8. The Variable Conditions of Stressors 173

☐ Kinds of Stressors 174

☐ Number of Stressors 175

☐ Duration of Stressors 176

☐ Frequency of Stressors 177

☐ Experience With Stressors 178

☐ What Stressors Do You Personally Experience? 179

✍ Exercise: What Daily Stressors Do You Experience? 180

☛ Summary Outline of Key Headings in the Chapter 198

Part Two: R = Recognizing the Signs

and Reactions to Stress 199

9. The First Stage of the Stress Process - Onset 201

☐ Stress Viewed As a Stimulus 202

☐ Stress Viewed As a Response 203

☐ Stress Viewed As a Transaction 203

☐ Beginning the Stress Process 205

☐ Three Main Types of Stress 205

☒ Good Stress 206

☒ Normal Stress 207

☒ Bad Stress 208

▬ Various Types of Bad Stress 210

▬ Acute Stress 210

▬ Episodic Stress 211

▬ Cataclysmic Stress 211

▬ Chronic Stress 212

▬ Post-Traumatic Stress 213

▬ Critical Incident Stress 215

▬ The Interrelated of the Bad Stresses 216

☐ The Relationship Between Stress and Performance 217

☛ Summary Outline of Key Headings in the Chapter 218

10 The Second Stage of the Stress Process - Reaction 219

☐ The Non-Specific Response of Stress 219

☐ The Fight-or-Flight Response 220

☐ The Physiology of the Fight-or-Flight Response 221

☒ The Endocrine System 222

☒ The Autonomic Nervous System 225

☐ Fight and Flight - The Case of Ancient and

Modern Man 227

☐ General Adaptation Syndrome or GAS 230

☒ The Alarm Reaction Phase 231

☒ The Resistance Phase 232

☒ The Exhaustion Phase 232

☒ A Final Note on the Three Phases of the GAS 233

☛ Summary Outline of Key Headings in the Chapter 236

11. The Third Stage of the Stress Process - Outcome 237

☐ Categorizing Stress Effects or Outcomes 238

☐ Behavior Effects 239

☒ Drinking of Alcohol 239

☒ Excessive Coffee Drinking 239

☒ Frequent Use of Cigarettes 240

☒ Absenteeism 241

☒ Insomnia 241

☒ Eating Problems 242

☒ Accident Proneness 243

☒ Sexual Problems 243

☒ Suicide 244

☐ Cognitive Effects 244

☒ Poor Self-Concept 244

☒ Perfectionism 245

☒ Worrying 245

☐ Emotional Effects 245

☒ Burnout 246

☒ Anxiety and Fear 246

☒ Depression 247

☒

☐ Physical Effects 247

☒ Backaches 247

☒ Headaches 248

☒ Allergies and Asthma 249

☒ Arthritis 250

☒ Diabetes 251

☒ Ulcers 252

☒ Hypertension, Heart Disease and Stroke 253

☒ Cancer 254

☒ Other Physical-related Outcomes 256

☛ Summary Outline of Key Headings in the Chapter 258

✍ Exercise: What Are Your Health-Related Experiences? 259

Part Three: M = Managing Stress

Using a Combination of Strategies 267

12. The Dynamics of Stress Management 269

☐ Stress management is Really About Having Balance 269

☐ The Importance of Change For Stress Management 270

☐ Required Skills For Stress Management 272

☒ Awareness Skills 273

☒ Acceptance Skills 274

☒ Coping Skills 274

☒ Action Skills 275

☐ The Importance of the I-R-M Approach to Stress 276

☒ Step #1: I - Identifying Your Stressors 277

☒ Step #2: R - Recognizing Your Stress Signals 277

☒ Step #3: M - Managing Your Stress Using

Selected Strategies 279

☐ Strategies For Managing Stress: Your Personal

Plan of Action (PPOA) 280

☐ The Relationship Between Stress Management

Strategies and Stressors 281

☐ The Inter-relationship of the Stress Management

Strategies 283

☛ Summary Outline of Key Headings in the Chapter 286

13. Cognitive Restructuring 287

☐ What is Cognitive Restructuring? 287<