Is there a link between work and
stress?
Write the meaning for the key
words
Workplace stressors
Physical stressors
Psychological stressors
Questionnaire
Workload
Control
Role conflict
Write the meaning for the key
words
• Workplace stressors – stress related to your job
• Physical stressors – noise and length of the day
• Psychological stressors – relationships with coworkers and responsibility
• Questionnaire – a research method that asks
questions about behaviour/feelings
• Workload – amount of work and demand of the job
• Control – how much ‘power’ a person has
• Role conflict – work-life balance
Learning objectives:
• To know the meaning of key words
• To understand the link between work and
stress
Learning outcomes:
• To be able to outline research into stress and
work (AO1)
• To be able to evaluate the research (AO2)
Questionnaire
• What does it tell us about workplace stress?
Card sort
Research
• Sort the cards into stressors – workload,
control and role conflict
• Complete the boxes on the sheet
• Outline the research - How was it measured?
What were the findings? (A01)
• Evaluate the research – applications to the
real world? Extraneous variables? Using
questionnaires? (A02)
Answers – Workload (Marmot)
• Civil servants
• Job strain model
• Link between work and stress, 1. High
workload and 2. low job control
• No link between high workload and stress
• Job demand no a significant factor in stress
Answers – Workload (Johansson)
• Effects of performing repetitive jobs require (high
demand)
• Swedish sawmill workers
• Unrelenting tasks
• High risk group= higher illness rates
• Higher levels of adrenaline in their urine
• Low risk group = less monotonous and more
flexible jobs
• Link between workload (high risk group) and stress
Answers – Control (Marmot)
• Job strain model
• Link between work and stress, 1. High workload
and 2. low job control
• Participants in higher grade jobs = had lower
cardiovascular illness
• Civil servants in higher grade jobs expressed high
sense of job control
• Lower grade civil servants have less job control
• Link between lower grade civil servants and stress
Answers – Role conflict (Pomaki)
• Experiences at work conflict with family life
(vice versa)
• Employees who take time off for childcare
• Is associated with higher absenteeism and
lower performance
• 226 hospital doctors
• Direct link between role conflict and
emotional depression symptoms
Essay
Outline and evaluate two or more
factors that lead to stress in the
workplace (12 marks)
Factor 1:
The role of control
Factor 2:
The role of workload
Review your understanding
1. Describe four findings from research into
workplace stress, and for each state the
conclusion (AO1)
e.g. Marmot found no link between high
workload and stress. This concludes that job
demand was not a significant factor in stress.
Review your understanding
2. Identify and explain four criticisms of
research into workplace stressors (AO2)
e.g. Lazarus found that different people were
able to cope differently with stress. Individual
differences.
Review your understanding - Scenarios
Jane Smith is a teacher she regularly
suffers from colds and feels
overworked. Use psychological
understanding to make suggestions of
how she could improve her situation
Review your understanding - Scenarios
Jake says that he feels stressed. He works
as an accountant, he manages a team
of accountants. He wants to give up his
job. Use psychological understanding
to prove that he should stay in his job