10 stress factors. Stress factors. Causes and factors of stress

Stress– a term literally meaning pressure or tension. It is understood as a human condition that occurs in response to the influence of unfavorable factors, which are commonly called stressors. They can be physical (hard work, injury) or mental (fear, disappointment).

The prevalence of stress is very high. In developed countries, 70% of the population is in a state of constant stress. Over 90% suffer from stress several times a month. This is a very alarming figure considering how dangerous the effects of stress can be.

Experiencing stress requires a lot of energy from a person. Therefore, prolonged exposure to stress factors causes weakness, apathy, and a feeling of lack of strength. The development of 80% of diseases known to science is also associated with stress.

Types of stress

Pre-stress state – anxiety, nervous tension that occurs in a situation when a person is affected by stress factors. During this period, he can take measures to prevent stress.

Eustress– beneficial stress. This may be stress caused by strong positive emotions. Eustress is also a moderate stress that mobilizes reserves, forcing you to more effectively deal with the problem. This type of stress includes all the body’s reactions that ensure a person’s immediate adaptation to new conditions. It makes it possible to avoid an unpleasant situation, fight or adapt. Thus, eustress is a mechanism that ensures human survival.

Distress– harmful destructive stress that the body is unable to cope with. This type of stress is caused by strong negative emotions or physical factors (injuries, illnesses, overwork) that last for a long time. Distress undermines strength, preventing a person from not only effectively solving the problem that caused stress, but also from living fully.

Emotional stress– emotions that accompany stress: anxiety, fear, anger, sadness. Most often, it is they, and not the situation itself, that causes negative changes in the body.

Based on the duration of exposure, stress is usually divided into two types:

Acute stress– the stressful situation lasted for a short period of time. Most people quickly bounce back after a short emotional shock. However, if the shock was strong, then disturbances in the functioning of the nervous system, such as enuresis, stuttering, and tics, are possible.

Chronic stress– Stress factors affect a person for a long time. This situation is less favorable and is dangerous for the development of diseases of the cardiovascular system and exacerbation of existing chronic diseases.

What are the phases of stress?

Alarm phase– a state of uncertainty and fear in connection with an approaching unpleasant situation. Its biological meaning is to “prepare weapons” to combat possible troubles.

Resistance phase– period of mobilization of forces. A phase in which there is an increase in brain activity and muscle strength. This phase can have two resolution options. In the best case, the body adapts to new living conditions. At worst, the person continues to experience stress and moves on to the next phase.

Exhaustion phase– a period when a person feels that his strength is running out. At this stage, the body's resources are depleted. If a way out of a difficult situation is not found, then somatic diseases and psychological changes develop.

What causes stress?

The causes of stress can be very diverse.

It should be noted that the body’s reaction does not depend on what caused the stress. The body will react to both a broken arm and a divorce in the same way - by releasing stress hormones. Its consequences will depend on how significant the situation is for the person and how long he has been under its influence.

What determines susceptibility to stress?

The same impact can be assessed differently by people. The same situation (for example, the loss of a certain amount) will cause severe stress for one person, and only annoyance for another. It all depends on what meaning a person attaches to a given situation. The strength of the nervous system, life experience, upbringing, principles, life position, moral assessments, etc. play a big role.

Individuals who are characterized by anxiety, increased excitability, imbalance, and a tendency toward hypochondria and depression are more susceptible to the effects of stress.

One of the most important factors is the state of the nervous system at the moment. During periods of overwork and illness, a person’s ability to adequately assess the situation is reduced and relatively small impacts can cause serious stress.

Recent studies by psychologists have shown that people with the lowest levels of cortisol are less susceptible to stress. As a rule, they are harder to get angry. And in stressful situations they do not lose their composure, which allows them to achieve significant success.

Signs of low stress tolerance and high susceptibility to stress:

• You can't relax after a hard day;
• You experience anxiety after a minor conflict;
• You repeatedly replay an unpleasant situation in your head;
• You may leave something you have started out of fear that you won’t be able to handle it;
• Your sleep is disturbed due to anxiety;
• Anxiety causes a noticeable deterioration in well-being (headache, trembling hands, rapid heartbeat, feeling hot)

If you answered yes to most of the questions, this means that you need to increase your resistance to stress.

What are the behavioral signs of stress?

How to recognize stress by behavior? Stress changes a person's behavior in certain ways. Although its manifestations largely depend on the character and life experience of a person, there are a number of common signs.

• Binge eating. Although sometimes there is a loss of appetite.
• Insomnia. Shallow sleep with frequent awakenings.
• Slowness of movement or fidgetiness.
• Irritability. May manifest itself as tearfulness, grumbling, and unreasonable nagging.
• Closedness, withdrawal from communication.
• Reluctance to work. The reason lies not in laziness, but in a decrease in motivation, willpower and lack of strength.

External signs of stress associated with excessive tension of individual muscle groups. These include:

• Pursed lips;
• Tension of the masticatory muscles;
• Raised “tight” shoulders;

What happens in the human body during stress?

Pathogenetic mechanisms of stress– a stressful situation (stressor) is perceived by the cerebral cortex as threatening. Next, the excitation passes through a chain of neurons to the hypothalamus and pituitary gland. Pituitary cells produce adrenocorticotropic hormone, which activates the adrenal cortex. The adrenal glands release stress hormones into the blood in large quantities - adrenaline and cortisol, which are designed to ensure adaptation in a stressful situation. However, if the body is exposed to them for too long, is very sensitive to them, or hormones are produced in excess, this can lead to the development of diseases.

Emotions activate the autonomic nervous system, or rather its sympathetic department. This biological mechanism is designed to make the body stronger and more resilient for a short period of time, to set it up for vigorous activity. However, prolonged stimulation of the autonomic nervous system causes vasospasm and disruption of the functioning of organs that lack blood circulation. Hence the dysfunction of organs, pain, spasms.

Positive effects of stress

The positive effects of stress are associated with the effect on the body of the same stress hormones adrenaline and cortisol. Their biological meaning is to ensure human survival in a critical situation.

It should be noted that the positive effects of hormones are observed during their short-term effects on the body. Therefore, short-term moderate stress can be beneficial for the body. He mobilizes and forces us to gather our strength to find the optimal solution. Stress enriches life experience and in the future a person feels confident in such situations. Stress increases the ability to adapt and in a certain way contributes to personal development. However, it is important that the stressful situation is resolved before the body’s resources are exhausted and negative changes begin.

Negative effects of stress

Negative effects of stress onpsyche are caused by prolonged action of stress hormones and overwork of the nervous system.

• Concentration of attention decreases, which entails memory deterioration;
• Fussiness and lack of concentration appear, which increases the risk of making rash decisions;
• Low performance and increased fatigue may be a consequence of disruption of neural connections in the cerebral cortex;
• Negative emotions predominate - general dissatisfaction with position, work, partner, appearance, which increases the risk of developing depression;
• Irritability and aggression, which complicate interaction with others and delay the resolution of a conflict situation;
• The desire to alleviate the condition with the help of alcohol, antidepressants, narcotic drugs;
• Decreased self-esteem, lack of self-confidence;
• Problems in sexual and family life;
• A nervous breakdown is a partial loss of control over one’s emotions and actions.

Negative effects of stress on the body

1. From the nervous system. Under the influence of adrenaline and cortisol, the destruction of neurons is accelerated, the smooth functioning of various parts of the nervous system is disrupted:

• Excessive stimulation of the nervous system. Prolonged stimulation of the central nervous system leads to its overwork. Like other organs, the nervous system cannot work in an unusually intense mode for a long time. This inevitably leads to various failures. Signs of overwork include drowsiness, apathy, depressive thoughts, and cravings for sweets.
• Headaches may be associated with disruption of cerebral vessels and deterioration of blood outflow.
• Stuttering, enuresis (urinary incontinence), tics (uncontrolled contractions of individual muscles). They may occur when neural connections between nerve cells in the brain are disrupted.
• Excitation of parts of the nervous system. Excitation of the sympathetic nervous system leads to dysfunction of internal organs.

2. From the immune system. The changes are associated with an increase in the level of glucocorticoid hormones, which inhibit the functioning of the immune system. Susceptibility to various infections increases.

• The production of antibodies and the activity of immune cells decreases. As a result, susceptibility to viruses and bacteria increases. The likelihood of contracting viral or bacterial infections increases. The chance of self-infection also increases - the spread of bacteria from foci of inflammation (inflamed maxillary sinuses, palatine tonsils) to other organs.
• Immune protection against the appearance of cancer cells decreases, and the risk of developing cancer increases.

3. From the endocrine system. Stress has a significant impact on the functioning of all hormonal glands. It can cause both an increase in synthesis and a sharp decrease in hormone production.

• Failure of the menstrual cycle. Severe stress can disrupt the functioning of the ovaries, which is manifested by delay and pain during menstruation. Problems with the cycle may continue until the situation is completely normalized.
• Decreased testosterone synthesis, which is manifested by a decrease in potency.
• Slowdown in growth rates. Severe stress in a child can reduce the production of growth hormone and cause delays in physical development.
• Decreased synthesis of triiodothyronine T3 with normal levels of thyroxine T4. Accompanied by increased fatigue, muscle weakness, decreased temperature, swelling of the face and limbs.
• Decrease in prolactin. In breastfeeding women, prolonged stress can cause a decrease in breast milk production, up to a complete stop of lactation.
• Disruption of the pancreas, responsible for the synthesis of insulin, causes diabetes mellitus.

4. From the cardiovascular system. Adrenaline and cortisol increase heart rate and constrict blood vessels, which has a number of negative consequences.

• Blood pressure increases, which increases the risk of hypertension.
• The load on the heart increases and the amount of blood pumped per minute triples. Combined with high blood pressure, this increases the risk of heart attack and stroke.
• The heartbeat accelerates and the risk of heart rhythm disturbances (arrhythmia, tachycardia) increases.
• The risk of blood clots increases due to an increase in platelet counts.
• The permeability of blood and lymphatic vessels increases, their tone decreases. Metabolic products and toxins accumulate in the intercellular space. Tissue swelling increases. Cells are deficient in oxygen and nutrients.

5. From the digestive system disruption of the autonomic nervous system causes spasms and circulatory disorders in various parts of the gastrointestinal tract. This can have various manifestations:

• Feeling of a lump in the throat;
• Difficulty swallowing due to spasm of the esophagus;
• Pain in the stomach and various parts of the intestines caused by spasms;
• Constipation or diarrhea associated with impaired peristalsis and the release of digestive enzymes;
• Development of peptic ulcer;
• Disruption of the digestive glands, which causes gastritis, biliary dyskinesia and other functional disorders of the digestive system.

6. From the musculoskeletal side systems Long-term stress causes muscle spasms and poor blood circulation in bone and muscle tissue.

• Muscle spasm, mainly in the cervicothoracic spine. In combination with osteochondrosis, this can lead to compression of the spinal nerve roots - radiculopathy occurs. This condition manifests itself as pain in the neck, limbs, and chest. It can also cause pain in the area of ​​internal organs - heart, liver.
• Bone fragility is caused by a decrease in calcium in bone tissue.
• Decreased muscle mass – stress hormones increase the breakdown of muscle cells. During prolonged stress, the body uses them as a reserve source of amino acids.

7. From the skin

• Acne. Stress increases sebum production. Clogged hair follicles become inflamed due to reduced immunity.
• Disturbances in the functioning of the nervous and immune systems provoke neurodermatitis and psoriasis.

We emphasize that short-term episodic stress does not cause serious damage to health, since the changes caused by it are reversible. Diseases develop over time if a person continues to acutely experience a stressful situation.

What are the different ways to respond to stress?

Highlight three strategies for dealing with stress:

Rabbit– passive reaction to a stressful situation. Stress makes it impossible to think rationally and act actively. A person hides from problems because he does not have the strength to cope with a traumatic situation.

a lion– stress forces you to use all the body’s reserves for a short period of time. A person reacts violently and emotionally to a situation, making a “jerk” to solve it. This strategy has its drawbacks. Actions are often thoughtless and overly emotional. If the situation cannot be resolved quickly, then the strength is depleted.

Ox– a person rationally uses his mental and mental resources, so he can live and work for a long time, experiencing stress. This strategy is the most justified from the point of view of neurophysiology and the most productive.

Methods for dealing with stress

There are 4 main strategies for dealing with stress.

Raising awareness. In a difficult situation, it is important to reduce the level of uncertainty; for this it is important to have reliable information. Preliminary “living” of the situation will eliminate the effect of surprise and allow you to act more effectively. For example, before traveling to an unfamiliar city, think about what you will do and what you want to visit. Find out the addresses of hotels, attractions, restaurants, read reviews about them. This will help you worry less before traveling.

Comprehensive analysis of the situation, rationalization. Assess your strengths and resources. Consider the difficulties you will face. If possible, prepare for them. Shift your attention from the result to the action. For example, analyzing the collection of information about the company and preparing for the questions that are asked most often will help reduce fear of an interview.

Reducing the significance of a stressful situation. Emotions prevent you from considering the essence and finding an obvious solution. Imagine how this situation is seen by strangers, for whom this event is familiar and does not matter. Try to think about this event without emotion, consciously reducing its significance. Imagine how you will remember the stressful situation in a month or a year.

Increased possible negative consequences. Imagine the worst case scenario. As a rule, people drive this thought away from themselves, which makes it obsessive, and it comes back again and again. Realize that the likelihood of a disaster is extremely low, but even if it happens, there will be a way out.

Setting for the best. Constantly remind yourself that everything will be fine. Problems and worries cannot continue forever. It is necessary to gather strength and do everything possible to bring a successful outcome closer.

It is necessary to warn that during prolonged stress, the temptation to solve problems in an irrational way with the help of occult practices, religious sects, healers, etc. increases. This approach can lead to new, more complex problems. Therefore, if you cannot find a way out of the situation on your own, then it is advisable to contact a qualified specialist, psychologist, or lawyer.

How to help yourself during stress?

Various ways to self-regulate under stress will help you calm down and minimize the impact of negative emotions.

Autotraining– a psychotherapeutic technique aimed at restoring balance lost as a result of stress. Autogenic training is based on muscle relaxation and self-hypnosis. These actions reduce the activity of the cerebral cortex and activate the parasympathetic division of the autonomic nervous system. This allows you to neutralize the effect of prolonged stimulation of the sympathetic department. To perform the exercise, you need to sit in a comfortable position and consciously relax the muscles, especially the face and shoulder girdle. Then they begin to repeat the autogenic training formulas. For example: “I am calm. My nervous system calms down and gains strength. Problems don't bother me. They are perceived as the touch of the wind. Every day I get stronger."

Muscle relaxation– technique for relaxing skeletal muscles. The technique is based on the assertion that muscle tone and the nervous system are interconnected. Therefore, if you can relax your muscles, the tension in the nervous system will decrease. When doing muscle relaxation, you need to strongly tense the muscle and then relax it as much as possible. The muscles are worked in a certain order:

• dominant hand from fingers to shoulder (right for right-handers, left for left-handers)
• non-dominant hand from fingers to shoulder
• back
• stomach
• dominant leg from hip to foot
• non-dominant leg from hip to foot

Breathing exercises. Breathing exercises to relieve stress allow you to regain control over your emotions and body, reduce muscle tension and heart rate.

• Belly breathing. As you inhale, slowly inflate your stomach, then draw air into the middle and upper sections of your lungs. As you exhale, release the air from the chest, then draw in the stomach a little.
• Breathing on a count of 12. While inhaling, you need to slowly count from 1 to 4. Pause – count 5-8. Exhale on a count of 9-12. Thus, the breathing movements and the pause between them have the same duration.

Autorational therapy. It is based on postulates (principles) that help change the attitude towards a stressful situation and reduce the severity of vegetative reactions. To reduce stress levels, a person is recommended to work with his beliefs and thoughts using well-known cognitive formulas. For example:

• What does this situation teach me? What lesson can I learn?
• “Lord, give me the strength to change what is in my power, give me peace of mind to come to terms with what I am not able to influence and the wisdom to distinguish one from the other.”
• It is necessary to live “here and now” or “Wash the cup, think about the cup.”
• “Everything passes and this will pass” or “Life is like a zebra.”

Psychotherapy for stress

Psychotherapy for stress has more than 800 techniques. The most common are:

Rational psychotherapy. The psychotherapist teaches the patient to change his attitude towards exciting events and change incorrect attitudes. The main impact is aimed at a person’s logic and personal values. The specialist helps you master the methods of autogenic training, self-hypnosis and other self-help techniques for stress.

Suggestive psychotherapy. The correct attitudes are instilled in the patient, the main impact is aimed at the person’s subconscious. Suggestion can be carried out in a relaxed or hypnotic state, when the person is between wakefulness and sleep.

Psychoanalysis for stress. Aimed at extracting from the subconscious mental traumas that caused stress. Talking through these situations helps reduce their impact on a person.

Indications for psychotherapy for stress:

• a stressful state disrupts the usual way of life, making it impossible to work and maintain contact with people;
• partial loss of control over one’s own emotions and actions against the background of emotional experiences;
• formation of personal characteristics - suspiciousness, anxiety, grumpiness, self-centeredness;
• a person’s inability to independently find a way out of a stressful situation and cope with emotions;
• deterioration of somatic condition due to stress, development of psychosomatic diseases;
• signs of neurosis and depression;
• post-traumatic disorder.

Psychotherapy against stress is an effective method that helps you return to a full life, regardless of whether the situation has been resolved or you have to live under its influence.

How to recover from stress?

After the stressful situation has been resolved, you need to restore your physical and mental strength. The principles of a healthy lifestyle can help with this.

A change of scenery. A trip out of town, to a dacha in another city. New experiences and walks in the fresh air create new foci of excitement in the cerebral cortex, blocking memories of the stress experienced.

Switching attention. The object can be books, films, performances. Positive emotions activate brain activity, encouraging activity. In this way they prevent the development of depression.

Full sleep. Devote as much time to sleep as your body requires. To do this, you need to go to bed at 10 pm for several days and not get up on the alarm clock.

Balanced diet. The diet should contain meat, fish and seafood, cottage cheese and eggs - these products contain protein to strengthen the immune system. Fresh vegetables and fruits are important sources of vitamins and fiber. A reasonable amount of sweets (up to 50 g per day) will help the brain restore energy resources. Nutrition should be complete, but not too plentiful.

Regular physical activity. Gymnastics, yoga, stretching, Pilates and other exercises aimed at stretching muscles help relieve muscle spasms caused by stress. They will also improve blood circulation, which has a positive effect on the nervous system.

Communication. Hang out with positive people who put you in a good mood. Personal meetings are preferable, but a phone call or online communication will also work. If there is no such opportunity or desire, then find a place where you can be among people in a calm atmosphere - a cafe or a library reading room. Communication with pets also helps restore lost balance.

Visiting a spa, bathhouse, sauna. Such procedures help relax muscles and relieve nervous tension. They can help you get rid of sad thoughts and get into a positive mood.

Massages, baths, sunbathing, swimming in ponds. These procedures have a calming and restorative effect, helping to restore lost strength. If desired, some procedures can be performed at home, such as baths with sea salt or pine extract, self-massage or aromatherapy.

Techniques for increasing stress resistance

Stress resistance is a set of personality qualities that allows you to endure stress with the least harm to health. Resistance to stress may be an innate characteristic of the nervous system, but it can also be developed.

Increased self-esteem. The dependence has been proven - the higher the level of self-esteem, the higher the resistance to stress. Psychologists advise: develop confident behavior, communicate, move, act like a confident person. Over time, the behavior will develop into inner self-confidence.

Meditation. Regular meditation several times a week for 10 minutes reduces anxiety levels and the degree of reaction to stressful situations. It also reduces aggression, which promotes constructive communication in stressful situations.

Responsibility. When a person moves away from the position of a victim and takes responsibility for what is happening, he becomes less vulnerable to external influences.

Interest in change. It is human nature to be afraid of change, so surprise and new circumstances often provoke stress. It is important to create a mindset that will help you perceive change as new opportunities. Ask yourself: “What good can a new situation or life change bring me?”

Striving for achievement. People who strive to achieve a goal experience less stress than those who try to avoid failure. Therefore, to increase stress resistance, it is important to plan your life by setting short-term and global goals. Focusing on results helps you not to pay attention to minor troubles that arise on the way to your goal.

Time management. Proper time management eliminates time pressure, one of the main stress factors. To combat time pressure, it is convenient to use the Eisenhower matrix. It is based on the division of all daily tasks into 4 categories: important and urgent, important non-urgent, not important urgent, not important and non-urgent.

Stress is an integral part of human life. They cannot be completely eliminated, but it is possible to reduce their impact on health. To do this, it is necessary to consciously increase stress resistance and prevent prolonged stress, starting the fight against negative emotions in a timely manner.

Introduction……………………………………………………………………………….2

1. Stress in organizational behavior……………………………………...3

1.1. The essence of stress……………………………………………………….3

1.2. Dynamics of stress……………………………………………………….6

2. Causes and factors of stress………………………………………………………..8

2.1. External stressors………………………………………………………9

2.2. Organization-related stressors……………………………………11

2.3. Group stressors………………………………………………………. 15

2.4. The role of personality character on the development of stress in a person……………….15

3. Methods of dealing with stress………………………………………………………18

Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………………22

List of used literature……………………………………………. 23

Introduction

The ability to self-regulate becomes extremely important in conditions of increased stress in our business and personal lives.

It is difficult to define what stress is, but it is even more difficult to qualify it. Stress is created by the environment, which requires adaptive behavior. The cause of their occurrence can be various factors, ranging from minor disturbances in the usual environment to serious circumstances, such as illness, bereavement, divorce, etc.

There are situations in an organization that provoke a state of mental tension, negatively affecting people, causing them stress. The formula for stress is: “activity – overexertion – negative emotions.”

Research on the effects of stress on humans is associated with medicine and the work of G. Selye, considered the discoverer of stress. Conducting research on the search for hormones, he discovered that damage to living tissue is caused by almost any negative impact, which he called general adaptation syndrome , and a decade later the term “stress” appeared.

Stress in the modern world has become a source of justifiable concern and one of the main themes in the theory of organizational behavior and the practice of human resource management. For example, in the USA alone, stress costs production a huge amount (about $70 billion per year). It reduces labor productivity, contributes to absenteeism, negative physical and psychological state and well-being of workers, and loss of up to 10% of company profits. Healthcare experts indicate that up to 90% of patient complaints are related to various functional and psychological disorders caused by stress.

1. Stress in organizational behavior

1.1. The essence of stress

Stress is a nonspecific response of the body to any demand presented to it. The requirement is understood as any irritation that exceeds the threshold of perception of the sensory systems of the body.

Stress is usually perceived as negative a phenomenon caused by some kind of trouble (illness of loved ones, a boss reprimanding a subordinate for some small detail at work, and perhaps not through his fault). However, there is also positive stress, called u-stress(from Greek - “good”), associated with joyful events (meeting a loved one, attractive or respected acquaintance, offer of a promotion, etc.).

notice, that stress:

· not just worry covering the emotional and psychological spheres of a person (stress additionally covers both the physiological and social spheres);

· not just nervous tension;

· not necessarily something harmful or bad that should be avoided.

After all, u-stress also exists. Therefore, the main thing is how a person reacts to stress. Stress is inevitable, but its negative effects can be avoided or at least managed effectively.

Today, stress is increasingly synonymous with the popular concept "exhaustion" which is a type of stress and is characterized by emotional exhaustion, loss of personal orientation, and low self-esteem. It is most often characteristic of employees

working in areas related to human communications, as well as in education, medicine, state and municipal management, social activities, etc.

Finding an individual in an organization, performing various kinds of tasks, and mastering innovations is quite often accompanied by an increase in a person’s stressful conditions.

Concept "stress" borrowed from technology, where it means the ability of various bodies and structures to withstand load. Any structure has a stress limit, exceeding which leads to its destruction.

Transferred to the field of social psychology, the concept "stress" includes a whole range of personality states caused by many events: from defeats or victories to creative experiences and doubts. It should be clarified that all extreme influences can unbalance both physiological and psychological functions.

The effects of stress are closely related to the needs of the individual, the inability to fulfill any need that is significant to him, as a result of which physiological capabilities are repeatedly strengthened and psychological defense mechanisms are activated.

Thus, personality stress- a state of general tension in the body that occurs as a result of various reasons. The physiological mechanism of stress is as follows. At the first sign of danger, signals from the brain put the body in a state of need to act. The adrenal glands produce adrenaline, norepinephrine and corticoids. These chemicals put the body into a state of increased activity for a short period of time, but if the glands produce them over a long period of time, negative consequences can occur. Blood flows from the skin to the brain (its activity increases), as well as to the muscles, preparing them for action. This chain reaction unfolds very quickly, and if it is started as a response to a single extreme situation, it does not entail any harmful consequences. If repeated many times, it can lead to harmful effects in the long term.

A person in a state of stress is capable of incredible (compared to a calm state) actions, all the body’s reserves are mobilized and a person’s capabilities increase sharply, but over a certain period of time.

For example, when a mother and child were crossing the street, an accident occurred and a car ran over a baby stroller. To get her child out, the fragile woman, in front of the crowded pedestrians, lifted the car and pulled out the stroller with the baby.

The duration of this interval and the consequences for the body are different for each person. Observations have revealed that heavy physical activity helps to neutralize the effect of the “stress hormone”: the harsher the living conditions, the more the body’s reserves are mobilized, but provided that the person is determined to survive.

As noted by the director of the Institute of Normal Physiology K. Sudakov, if stress continues for many months and has become the trigger for some disease, it is almost impossible to return the physiological functions of the body to normal.

Generally stress - The phenomenon is quite common and common. Minor stress is inevitable and harmless, but excessive stress creates problems for both the individual and the organization in performing assigned tasks. Psychologists believe that a person suffers more and more often from insults inflicted on him, a sense of his own insecurity, and the uncertainty of the future.

There are quite a large number of types of stress; they are summarized in Fig. 1.

Rice. 1. Types of personality stress

Chronic Stress presupposes the presence of a constant (or existing for a long time) significant load on a person, as a result of which his psychological or physiological state is under increased stress (long-term job search, constant rush, showdown).

Spicy stress is a state of a person after an event or phenomenon, as a result of which he loses his “psychological” balance (conflict with his boss, quarrel with loved ones).

Physiological stress occurs when the body is physically overloaded (too high or low temperature in the work area, strong odors, insufficient lighting, increased noise levels).

Psychological stress is a consequence of a violation of the psychological stability of the individual for a number of reasons: hurt pride, undeserved insult, unqualified work. In addition, stress can be the result of psychological overload personality: performing too much work, responsibility for the quality of complex and lengthy work. A variant of psychological stress is emotional stress, which appears in situations of threat, danger, resentment.

Informational stress occurs in situations of information overload or information vacuum.

1.2. Dynamics of stress

To determine the most rational ways to influence a person in a stressful situation, it is necessary to have an idea of ​​the dynamics of the development of the state of internal tension (Fig. 2).

There are three stages of stress development:

1) voltage increase or mobilization(segment AB);

2) adaptation(segment BC);

3) exhaustion, a decline in internal activity to the background level, and sometimes lower, or disorganization(segment CD).

Rice. 2. Dynamics of stress

Stage mobilization (anxiety) characterized by an increase in the intensity of reactions, an increase in the clarity of cognitive processes, their acceleration, and the readiness to quickly remember the necessary information. At this stage, the body functions under great stress, but it copes with the load using superficial or functional mobilization, without deep structural changes. For example, preparing urgent work for a given deadline, preparing students for a session.

Stage adaptation(segment BC) appears after the stage of mobilization, provided that stress continues for a long period of time. Optimal level - tolerated stress is perceived as a positive phenomenon, as a challenge from the situation, but at the same time control over the situation remains with the individual. This position allows you to achieve a high level of productivity. At this stage, there is a balance in the expenditure of the body’s adaptive reserves. All parameters taken out of balance at the first stage are fixed at a new level. But if this stage of stress drags on, then the transition to the third stage begins.

Stage disorganization(segment SV) occurs when the stress load remains stable. At this stage, a violation of the internal regulation of the individual’s behavior may occur, and a loss of control over the situation occurs.

Prolonged stress, even if the individual’s external condition remains unchanged, can lead to serious internal diseases. The watershed between optimal and excessive levels of stress, beyond which the third stage occurs, is very small and is individual for each person. It depends on personal characteristics and the individual’s ability to cope with the pressure of the situation.

Some studies have shown a relationship between the type of temperament of managers, the position held and the stress levels of these managers (Table 1).

The research was conducted at large enterprises of the Russian Federation in 1997. In Table 1, the sum of the answers is not equal to 100%, since during the survey the rest of the respondents did not recognize the fact of stress loads.

Table 1. The influence of temperament on stress levels among managers

2. Causes and factors of stress

Term stressor means a stimulus that occurs at work and has negative physical and mental consequences for the majority of people exposed to it.

Stressors affecting employees of an organization include many factors located both outside and inside organizations, firstly, and emanating both from the employees themselves and from some of their groups, which usually have a negative impact, secondly.

There are a number of reasons that cause personal stress in organizations (Fig. 3). These include organizational, extra-organizational, and personal factors.

Rice. 3. Factors causing personal stress in an organization

Based on what the organization is open system strongly influenced by the external environment (Figure 4), it becomes clear that stress in the workplace is not limited to those events that occur within the organization during the working day.

Fig.4. Structure of the organization's relationships

and various environmental interest groups

Let's consider main groups of stressors.

2.1. External stressors.

They include changes in society caused by scientific and technological progress, international and domestic political events, the situation and attitude in the family, economic, financial and social living conditions, race and class, and the environment in which the worker is located and lives. For example, the rapid pace of social and technological change has had a profound impact on the lifestyle of the modern worker. Although advances in medicine contribute to increasing life expectancy and minimizing the threat of many diseases, the modern pace of life has increased stress and internal tension, internal mental discomfort. The involvement of an individual in the hustle and bustle of a highly dynamic urbanized life, its constant movement and changes, crowds of people on the streets, in transport - significantly disrupted the mental well-being, harmony and productivity of the physical, mental and social components of a person, and led to a sharp increase in the potential for stress in the workplace.

The influence of family on the development and culture of a person’s personality is well known. The situation in the family, a short-term crisis, a quarrel or illness of relatives, protracted tense relationships between spouses or children, financial, social and domestic instability are serious stressors for the employee. In families where both spouses work, a person under stressful conditions can transfer his stress to the other. Dissatisfaction with work, low wages, family problems of Russians in conditions of all

rising costs of living and new cost-intensive “reforms” force people to look for any additional work, reduce leisure time and the time that families spend with each other, force the wife to give up raising a child and go to work to make ends meet. A direct connection has been found between the severity and suddenness of life changes and the subsequent state of health: the more serious the change, the worse the person’s health and well-being becomes.

Living conditions also have a direct impact on the success of professional activity. For example, psychologist F. Crosby (USA) showed that divorce, more than any other traumatic situation, negatively affects the quality of work: during the first three months, the abandoned spouse usually cannot concentrate on work. Social variables (race, gender, and class) can also be stressors.

Research has proven that women are more susceptible to psychological discomfort, and men are more prone to serious physical illnesses. Specific stressors for working women include: discrimination, stereotyping, difficulty balancing career and family life and social isolation, dual roles as family member and worker, personal and family stress, housing conditions, lack of infrastructure in the area of ​​residence, neighbors, noise or pollution levels air, etc. Even people belonging to the middle or upper classes are subject to both general and specific stress.

Non-organizational (external) factors cause stress as a result of the following circumstances:

· lack of work or a long search for it;

· competition in the labor market;

· the crisis state of the economy of the country and, in particular, the region.

Personal factors that cause stressful conditions are formed under the influence of health status, family problems, emotional instability, low or high self-esteem.

As a result of the above reasons, the following consequences of stress are possible: subjective, behavioral, physiological.

Subjective the consequences suggest a person’s feelings of restlessness, anxiety, and increased fatigue. When stress manifests itself in an individual, negative feelings intensify. behavioral consequences in the organization in the form of absenteeism, job dissatisfaction, the spread of rumors, gossip. Physiological the consequences manifest themselves as increased blood pressure, cardiovascular diseases, sleep disturbances, and apathy.

2.2. Organization-related stressors .

In addition to potential stress factors outside the organization, the employee is affected by intra-organizational factors(Fig.5):

a) policy and strategy of the highest administration;

b) organizational structure;

c) organizational process;

d) working conditions.

Rice. 5. Organization-related stressors

Since today organizations are undergoing major changes aimed at adapting to phenomena in the surrounding business environment (globalization of the economy and education, the development of information and computer technologies, the desire for total quality management,

diversification of the workforce), stressors for personnel in their specific workplaces are also increasing. Permanent reduction of working personnel leads to a reduction in the number of employees and shifting the responsibilities of dismissed or resigned employees onto them.

As a result, the workload of workers and the number of absences from work due to illness caused by overwork have sharply increased. Survey of managers of leading US companies (from the list Fortune 500) showed that over 75% of respondents agreed that the demands placed on managers will increase if these firms are to cope with market competition from Japan and other rivals, which will inevitably lead to longer work hours and increased stress. A survey of ordinary personnel of these companies also showed that almost everyone works more than the standard norms of a 40-hour work week, and half of the respondents work from 6 to 20 additional hours a week, actually working an average of 10 hours a day, and sometimes up to 15 hours. At the same time, women, who earn less than men and are overloaded with work, experience even more stress.

Organizational factors causing stress are determined by the individual’s position in the organization. Let's look at examples.

· Labor activity of an individual - restrictions caused by the regime, shifts of work in the organization, implemented organizational changes, new technologies that the individual has to constantly master.

· Relationships in the organization - building and maintaining good relationships with your boss, colleagues, and subordinates. This reason is one of the most stressful for workers.

· Not enough a clear understanding by the employee of his role and place in the production process and team. This situation is caused by the lack of clearly established rights and responsibilities of a specialist, the ambiguity of the task, and the lack of growth prospects.

· The need for simultaneous execution heterogeneous tasks, unrelated and equally urgent. This reason is typical for middle managers in an organization in the absence of delineation of functions between departments and management levels.

· Non-participation of workers in management organization, making decisions on the further development of its activities, especially during a period of sharp changes in the directions of work. This situation is typical for large domestic enterprises, where the personnel management system is not established and ordinary employees are cut off from the decision-making process. Many Western companies have

programs for involving personnel in the affairs of the company and developing strategic decisions, especially when it is necessary to increase production volume or improve the quality of manufactured products.

· Career advancement- an individual reaching a career ceiling or excessively rapid career advancement.

· Physical working conditions - too high or low temperature in the workroom, strong odors, insufficient lighting, increased noise levels.

Recent studies have shown that the presence of mild stress can have a positive effect on people, revitalize their work, improve blood circulation, and increase activity in achieving new production successes. People whose work involves constant initiative (managers, announcers, reporters, entrepreneurs, etc.) only benefit from minor stress, but other people (teachers, doctors, police officers) only suffer from it. In general, there is evidence that The performance of many work tasks is significantly affected by stress, and increasing levels of stress usually sharply reduce the level of quality of work.

The harmful effects of high levels of stress affect physical, physiological, psychological And behavioral aspects of people's life. It should be carefully studied by specialists, taken into account by managers and leadership of organizations, in order to improve the effective performance of people. Statistics show large expenses of foreign companies on physical replacement workers suffering from cardiovascular diseases. Unproductive expenses for US companies with up to 4 thousand employees. (Table 3) show the importance of solving the problem of preserving the health of personnel, as well as of any nation, its growing and working population.

Table 3. US firms' personnel costs

due to cardiovascular diseases of workers

High levels of stress may be associated with: psychological properties personality traits such as anger, anxiety, depression, nervousness, irritability, tension and boredom. Research has found a direct relationship between stress and aggressive actions of people such as sabotage, interpersonal aggression, hostile behavior and complaints. Psychological problems as a result of stress lead to unsatisfactory performance of official duties, low self-esteem, resistance to management instructions, inability to concentrate and make decisions, dissatisfaction with one’s work, which leads to direct losses for the organization.

A very serious concern is the not always noticeable but real impact of stress on the productivity of managers occupying key positions in US companies. They are constantly exposed to stress, fall prey to sudden mood swings, and their subordinates soon acquire the habit of not bothering them even on serious aspects, for fear of dispersal. Sometimes managers become aware of shortcomings in their own behavior, feel that they are not living up to the expectations associated with holding a high-level position, and suffer a loss of self-esteem. They may hesitate and put off making decisions, become angry when management tries to get them back to work, and begin to hate their jobs. If such a manager suddenly has a heart attack or other relapse, they begin to feel sorry for him, they consider the incident to be a result of stress, and sharp mood swings, low self-esteem, inability to make decisions, dissatisfaction with work and management cause universal condemnation and give rise to the opinion that the manager is unsuitable and incompetent. get along with people. In general, both a heart attack and psychological problems are the result of excess stress, and psychological aspects have a great influence on the effectiveness of work.

Accounting is important behavioral aspects, caused by stress in the workplace. For example, the direct result of severe stress can be undernutrition or overeating, insomnia, smoking, alcohol and drug abuse. In the United States, for example, up to 6% of the population are alcoholics, and another 10% heavily abuse alcohol. About 6 billion tablets of amphetamines and barbiturates are consumed annually in the country. Many firms and banks spend huge sums on anti-drug programs and conduct mandatory drug testing of their employees. Research conducted in organizations has shown a direct correlation of stress with alcohol consumption, absenteeism and staff turnover. The economic and social damage caused by stress requires the use of individual and group methods of effective control and management of personnel both at the level of the individual, organization, and society as a whole.

2.3. Group stressors.

Factors influencing group behavior among workers are also potential sources of stress. All group stressors can be divided into three main categories:

1) lack of group cohesion(cohesion is very important for lower-level personnel; if an employee does not feel like a member of the team due to the specifics of the workplace, the instructions of the manager or the actions of the group, then this can be a serious source of stress for him);

3) the presence of intrapersonal, interpersonal and intragroup conflicts(conflict is usually caused by the presence of serious contradictions or incompatibility of individual personality traits, its goals, needs and values, relationships of people within the group and between them, which also has a stressful effect on employees).

2.4. The role of personality character on the development of stress in humans

All of the above stressors (extra- and intra-organizational, group) manifest themselves at the level of the individual, and the development of stress in him is influenced by both situational factors and personality character.

Individual differences in people's personalities and traits have different effects on their susceptibility to stress. M. Friedman and R.N. Rosenman highlighted the polar characters of people of types A And IN and the characteristics of their behavioral reactions (Table 2), which correlate with frequent stressful conditions and negative consequences in the form of cardiovascular diseases.

Table 2. Behavior of people with polar characters of types A and B

Type A people were originally thought to be most susceptible to heart attacks. However, recent studies could not confirm the previously obtained data and showed:

· people like A can give vent to their stress and cope with it better than people like IN;

It is not so much impatience that leads to cardiac problems as anger and hostility which people do not hide when communicating with other people.

A thorough study of the causes of stress among workers and other personnel of companies in the United States, Japan and Germany found that the decisive factor determining the most likely occurrence of stress leading to heart attacks, high blood pressure and disease is the way people cope with their aggressiveness.

Comparing the success of people of this type A And IN showed that, as a rule, A it is easier to reach the heights of success. However, on they are inferior to type B people at the very pinnacle of success, since the latter are more patient and take a broader view of things. In this situation, people type A necessary switch to Type B behavior, but most of them cannot and do not want to change or curb their character.

Besides character, another important personality trait is individual perception of control situations. Research has shown that if workers feel they have little control over their environment and their own work, they experience stress, which in turn affects physiological factors such as blood pressure and

psychological factor, such as job satisfaction. If workers gain a sense of control over their work environment, they participate in accepting decisions that directly affect them, this reduces the stress they experience and their blood pressure does not increase. For example, workers who perceive a loss of control, especially those employed in unskilled labor, three times more often than others suffer from hypertension. As a rule, loss of control turns stress into organic disorders.

Relatively people's lack of control over the situation Note that people are more willing to perceive a feeling of helplessness if the reasons for the lack of control have the following characteristics:

· they are related to their personal qualities, and not to external factors;

· are stable and long-term, not temporary;

· turn out to be general and universal, inherent in many life situations, and not just one.

Further research is needed in the areas of perceived control and learned helplessness to better understand stress and how to cope with it.

Regarding another such important personal characteristic of a person as self-efficacy, there is convincing evidence that assessing your ability to act and change the situation - an important characteristic of a person that helps him withstand stress. Such people tolerate stressful situations more easily and calmly. Excessive arousal due to stress makes it difficult to solve complex problems because our motivation often exceeds the optimal level. People with high self-esteem have physiological and psychological reasons to remain calm.

People react differently to stressors:

· some cannot withstand even the slightest stress, while others successfully cope with it, outwardly remaining calm in extreme stressful situations;

· some people apparently have special psychological stability;

· managers with increased psychological stability are less susceptible to illness, are distinguished by their dedication to work, the desire to resolve complex problems and the ability to control the situation in dynamic market conditions;

· People endowed with psychological resilience can survive and even thrive in difficult stressful conditions, while others fall victim to the harmful effects of stress.

3. Methods for dealing with stress

The losses of organizations from stress are becoming increasingly significant in all industrialized countries.

In the United States, managers consider the causes of stress to be a lack of power, the incompetence of individual managers, and a conflict of trust within organizations. Japanese managers put stress associated with organizational changes and the need to master new technologies in first place among the causes of stress. German managers complain about pressure from the increasing pace of work and attribute the stress to insufficient staff training.

All these reasons, as well as the losses of employers caused by employee stress, force organizations to develop stress management programs, work out and implement ways to adapt the individual to the stress load.

Individual stress management represents ways of adapting the individual to a stressful situation. Exists several levels of stress management.

First - at the organizational level, as a result of changes in policy, production structure, development of clear requirements for employees, and assessment of their performance.

Some organizations, mainly foreign companies and some domestic banking structures, conduct relaxation training (after work, 2-3 times a week) under the guidance of a psychologist.

Trainings are also conducted to develop the communicative culture of employees, training in stress relief skills, and on-site game training to relieve tension in teams and strengthen connections between employees. They help a person feel better, relax, and restore strength. Similar programs exist and are used at the level of the entire organization, especially many of them have been developed at enterprises in Western Europe and the USA.

Second level stress management - for an individual. Designed to be able to cope with stress individually, using recommendations and special programs to neutralize stress. Such programs include meditation, training, exercise, diet and sometimes even prayer. They help a person feel better and relax.

· Learn how to properly manage your time.

· Know how to switch your activities.

· Make stress work for you.

· Look at the situation sides.

· Everything passes, this too will pass.

Let's look at detailed techniques for individual stress management.

1. Learn to manage your time correctly.

The ability to properly organize your time is an important means of relieving or preventing stress. Here are some simple rules:

· when compiling a list of necessary things, list in it, in addition to the necessary ones, those that you would like to do today. By regularly noting what you have accomplished, you get a pleasant feeling of satisfaction;

· categorize all tasks: the main ones and those that can be done later; it's important to be able to set goals and arrange priorities. This recommendation, despite its simplicity, is quite difficult to implement: it includes the ability to say “no,” limit oneself, plan one’s activities for each day, taking into account the goal set for a long period;

· avoid unnecessary promises; this leads to additional stress on the nervous system when you cannot fulfill what you promised;

· clarify for yourself the difference between activity and productivity: activity - manifestation of external great energy, which is not always beneficial to the cause; sometimes it’s fussiness, a lot of movements, but few results; productivity - fulfilling what was planned, gradually approaching the goal;

· analyze the reasons for wasting time: long conversations on the phone, waiting in line, doing unplanned things.

There are many technical tools for daily planning of affairs and analysis of time losses: diaries, organizers, office programs for personal computers, etc.

2. Know how to switch your activities.

To get away from stress, it is necessary to find a substitute for the work being performed that is adequate in intensity, another type of activity. This could be another job or physical exercise, sports.

3. Make stress work for you.

If troubles cannot be avoided, then it is advisable to try to derive benefit from them, if possible:

· try to accept a negative event as a positive one (loss of a job as an opportunity to find a better one);

· Treat stress as a source of energy.

4. Look at the situation from the outside.

In a calm state, you could not do so much; in an excited state, you managed to do much more:

· perceive the problem as a challenge;

· do not think of past events as failure;

· you cannot be responsible for the actions of other people, but you can only control your reaction to them. The main thing is victory over emotions.

5. Everything passes, this too will pass.

· Try to see the future in a positive light. At least for a moment, remember how you felt when everything was fine. 19

· Learn physical relaxation techniques, avoid tense postures that cause stress.

· If you need to solve a large and complex problem, the mere thought of which makes you give up, break it down into small components and begin to solve them gradually.

· Do not allow yourself to drown in the pity of others, but do not refuse the help of loved ones.

· Remember that you are not alone. What you are experiencing now, others have endured and survived. So will it be for you.

Special Methods for managing inevitable and prolonged stress:

· exercises(maintaining an active lifestyle - playing sports: walking, running, swimming, cycling, tennis, etc., in order to successfully cope with stressful situations);

· stress relief(communication, meditation, a good book, an entertaining show, etc.; studies, for example, show the positive physical and psychological effects of meditation on people);

· self-control of behavior(by consciously monitoring the causes and consequences of their behavior, people can learn self-control, manage the consequences, rewarding themselves, for example, with an extra break if they managed to remain calm and collected in communication with an exceptionally aggressive client; people must understand the limits of their capabilities and recognize the first signs of impending troubles, avoid situations that threaten to cause stress);

· cognitive therapy using Alice's emotional model and Maichenbaum's cognitive behavior modification to reduce anxiety and reduce stress in the workplace, which have shown some practical effectiveness;

· mutual aid network(support and communication with other people who provide social and psychological support using group dynamics methods).

Each stressor should be identified within an organization to reduce or eliminate it in the workplace. For example, when determining a company's policy, attention should be paid to an objective assessment of employee performance, as well as to achieve the most equitable remuneration system. When developing an organizational structure, high formalization and specialization should be avoided. In terms of working conditions, it is necessary to eliminate the risk of injury, noise, improve lighting and temperature conditions, communication systems and information dissemination, clarify ambiguities or eliminate conflicting goals. Today in the United States, about 12,000 firms offer a variety of stress management programs, ranging from consulting services, lunchtime stress management seminars for managers, and publications.

dedicated to health, and ending with special wellness centers with

equipment that helps relieve stress through physical exercise. In addition, the following are offered recommendations to include them in the strategy of organizations:

· create an atmosphere of mutual support in the company;

· enrich the content of employee responsibilities;

· mitigate conflicts and clarify organizational roles;

· plan a career and expand opportunities for advancement of your employees up the career ladder, provide them with consulting assistance.

One way to avoid stress is escape from a stressful situation . This is achieved through rest - active activity that excludes the thought of the cause of stress, switching attention to other objects not related to stress. Therefore, fishing, swimming, walks in the forest, drawing, knitting, etc. are anti-stress activities.

All this together should help reduce or prevent stress both in each workplace and in the organization as a whole.

Conclusion

Stress in professional activities is not only a problem that workers often face. It is increasingly seen as part of the price of being able to work. The fact that stress management programs are not about trying to make working conditions less stressful, but about developing our ability to cope with stress, indicates that not many people believe that it is possible to completely or significantly eliminate stress from professional work.

One of the consequences of downsizing is that fewer people have to do jobs that were previously done by more workers. Organizations are expected to produce more with fewer resources. Technological advances (particularly computer technology) also increase the speed at which work can be completed. These changes can worsen workers' mental health, reducing their autonomy and therefore self-esteem.

In the evolution of the world of work, workers are increasingly subject to situational factors rather than having control over working conditions. Research on physical health and stress suggests that decreased self-regulation (i.e., feelings of helplessness) has a negative impact on mental well-being. Without denying the reality of work stress or taking responsibility for it, organizations are paying increasing attention to this problem. Our country's annual health care costs amount to $500 billion, with businesses bearing half the costs. The annual cost to the American economy due to stress-related illnesses is estimated at $150 billion. Thus, it is cheaper to promote healthy behavior than to pay for not promoting it.

List of used literature

1. Arsenyev Yu.N. Organizational behavior. – M.: UNITY-DANA, 2005.

2. Organizational behavior / Ed. G.R. Latfullina. – St. Petersburg: Peter, 2007.

3. Smirnova G.B. Management. – M.: Dashkov and K, 2004.

4. Spivak V.A. Organizational behavior and personnel management. – St. Petersburg: Peter, 2006.

Federal Agency for Education

State educational institution

higher professional education

Nizhny Novgorod State University named after. N.I. Lobachevsky

Fourth Faculty of Distance Learning.

Test

by discipline: " Organizational behavior"

topic: “Stress, its causes, methods of dealing with stress”

Completed by: 2nd year student

Groups 4-32 MT/13

Porkhacheva I.N.

Checked by: Paidemirova E.A.

In modern psychology, there are several concepts that offer an analysis of the influence of stress factors on a person. According to genetic-constitutional concept the body is able to resist stress to the extent that its protective strategies are developed, determined by the genotype, physical, psychophysical characteristics of a person (internal factors).

Psychodynamic model suggests the following: firstly, anxiety arises as a reaction to an upcoming danger, and secondly, a traumatic experience can develop under the influence of an unconscious source. One of the factors of traumatic experiences, scientists who adhere to this concept believe, is the inhibition of sexual impulses and aggressive instincts. Stress reactions are directly dependent on unconscious attitudes, motives of a person’s behavior and his attitude to the situation.

Socio-psychological concept examines the contradictions between the needs of the individual and external environmental conditions (external factors). In this case, factors of stability of social relations, distribution of economic services and benefits in society, and interpersonal interaction are considered as causes of stress.

Stressors are understood, first of all, as social factors in their essence, such as economic, social, family failures, etc., that is, events that threaten a person’s usual way of life. For example, recently studies of the conditions of prison isolation as a serious stress factor have begun to appear (E. Ermasov, L. A. Kitaev-Smyk, V. S. Mukhina, A. V. Pishchelko, D. V. Sochivko and others).

E. Ermasov identifies prison syndrome as a complex of specific psychological experiences among people in prison isolation. It manifests itself against the background of disturbances in the rhythm of sleep and wakefulness, monotony of existence, limited access to information, limited social circles, changes in spatio-temporal parameters, poor living conditions, and the presence of a criminal subculture. Stress factors in prison isolation include interpersonal conflicts and physical and psychological violence. As a result, prison stress has a negative impact on the prisoner’s psyche, contributing to the emergence of mental disorders and personal deviations, which become sustainable over time. It is believed that deprivation of liberty becomes distress, causing such strong negative mental states as frustration (hopelessness), conformity (submission, dependence), discomfort (destruction of the usual way of life), an increase in anxiety, the emergence of fears, and phobic disorders. Hence there are four specific syndromes in which these mental states of convicts manifest themselves:

• 1) frustration syndrome;
• 2) innocent victim syndrome;
• 3) waiting syndrome;
• 4) syndrome of melancholy and boredom.

The experience of prison stress has its own typology. Thus, E. Ermasov identifies aggressive, autistic, addictive, prosocial and autodestructive types of response to stress. Aggressive type response is aimed at actively removing the stress factor and is more often observed in individuals with criminal experience. Autistic type, accompanied by withdrawal from contacts and escape from stress factors, becomes an active defensive emotional and behavioral reaction. Addictive type, corresponding to a passive protective model of behavior for waiting out danger, is expressed in dependent behavior, passively dependent behavior strategies. As a rule, such a person becomes a victim of violence from other prisoners. Prosocial type, corresponding to the model of constructive overcoming the negative impacts of stress factors, focused on compliance with socially approved norms of behavior. Autodestructive type characterized by mental activity, a focus on self-harm, and suicidal behavior. Thus, the identified types of experiencing the stress of forced isolation differ in the forms of adaptive activity of the individual, the coping strategies used (coping strategies and psychological defense mechanisms), and the severity of negative consequences for the individual.

In the same difficult situations, a person’s behavior depends on the subject’s readiness for a certain activity, i.e. it is necessary to determine what the subject’s attitudes are in a given life period.

Many domestic and foreign scientists studied the installation (D. N. Uznadze, A. S. Prangishvili, V. A. Yadov, D. Droba, H. Smith, D. Krech, R. Crutchfield and others). According to D. N. Uznadze, an attitude is a holistic personal state of disposition (readiness) to behave in a given situation, disposition to satisfy a certain need.

The main functions of the installation (attitude) have also been identified.

Selfish the function allows a person to resist the effects of negative information about himself or about objects that are significant to him. For example, to cope with intrapersonal conflicts, to preserve one’s self-concept or the image of another’s “I,” etc.

Adaptive function (utilitarian, instrumental) helps a person achieve desired results (goals) and avoid unwanted actions. Traditionally, ideas about goals and strategies for achieving them are laid down in childhood and acquire their final form in the process of acquiring life experience, as a result of which an attitude is formed. For example, if a person had a good example of how another or himself achieved popularity by demonstrating excellence in the arts, most likely, engaging in this type of activity will play a leading role in achieving recognition.

Function self-realization(the function of expressing values) helps a person determine what he is (the image of his “I”), his attitude towards phenomena or objects. This function promotes understanding of the image of one’s “I”, attitude towards other people and life processes (to the world as a whole). The attitude towards oneself, people, the world is built on the basis of established attitudes, on the basis of which a person can resort to criticism, indignation, acceptance or non-acceptance of certain phenomena and events.

Function knowledge helps a person explain events and phenomena. The knowledge delivered by attitude is subjective: different people’s knowledge about the same objects may differ. This function promotes the organization and interpretation of phenomena in the surrounding reality (about the world, oneself, other people). At the same time, due to the subjectivity of knowledge and understanding, a large number of problems arise that are resolved with difficulty or are not resolved at all. Hence the emergence of stressful conditions of varying levels and complexity.

The problem of personal determination of the level of psychological stress has been the subject of a number of studies. Let us consider the works of domestic and foreign authors, whose research contains ideas that make it possible to theoretically substantiate the significance of individual psychological and personal characteristics of a person in a stressful situation.

In Russian psychology, the issue of personality typology was considered depending on the nature, structure and dynamism of the internal regulation system. A certain form of regulation, called individual by A. R. Fonarev, is characterized by the desire to preserve learned forms of action, to maintain correspondence between a person and the requirements of the tasks he solves. There, “where once found... ways of life begin to turn into regular cliches - stereotypes,” wrote E.V. Ilyenkov, “into... dead canons, the personality dies alive: unbeknownst to itself, it also turns slowly or quickly into a set such patterns, only slightly varying in minor details." In our opinion, active movement towards qualitatively new tasks that require a new level of psychological regulation will enable a person to effectively overcome stressful situations. In the case when a person loses agreement with himself, he develops self-doubt, uncertainty about his life goals, and his life stability is destroyed. This process will intensify with the growing feeling of loss of meaning in life. If, with a progressive form of regulation, i.e. such, in which a new value system arises, a person strives to preserve the existing form of being, then various types of psychological defenses arise that create the illusion of internal integrity. As a result of the functioning of defense mechanisms, psychosomatic and neurotic disorders arise.

Analyzing a person as a subject of life, S. L. Rubinstein identified two main ways of existence. The first is characterized by a lack of reflection, when a person does not go beyond the immediate connections and requirements of the situation and external control. “The second way of existence is associated with the concept of reflection, which, as it were, raises a person above the usual course of events and allows him to analyze, evaluate, and realize. A philosophical understanding of life occurs, and it is this holistic awareness and value attitude that becomes the regulator and controller of specific human actions. A philosophical, generalized attitude to life determines both the nature of an individual’s behavior in a specific situation and the degree of dependence or freedom from this situation.”

Reflection by V. I. Slobodchikov and G. A. Tsukerman is also considered the central phenomenon of subjectivity, which is understood as “a specific human ability that allows him to make his thoughts, emotional states, his actions and relationships, in general his whole self, the subject of special consideration (analysis and assessment) and practical transformation..."

These provisions lead to the conclusion that the most important stress factor is value orientations, which are one of the significant psychological characteristics of the individual. Considering this problem in the context of the meaning of human existence, let us pay attention to the views of A. N. Leontyev. Approaching the meaning of life as the need for its psychological justification, the author writes: “... the leading motive-goal rises to a truly human level and does not isolate a person, but merges his life with the lives of people, their good... Such life motives are capable of creating an internal the psychological justification of his existence, which constitutes the meaning of life."

At the same time, if we turn to the research of B. G. Ananyev, who considers values ​​and value formations as basal, “primary” personality properties that determine the motives of behavior and form inclinations and character, then it becomes clear that there is a regulatory function of the subject’s value orientations in stressful situations. situations.

Value orientations, being one of the central personal formations, express a person’s conscious attitude to life and in this capacity determine broad motivation, having a significant impact on all aspects of life.

Each person may have his own value system, and in it, values ​​are arranged in hierarchical interdependence, representing a certain structure that changes with age and life circumstances.

Value orientations include not only value judgments regarding objects, but also a certain method of orientation, on the basis of which criteria for value choice are formed. These criteria form a system of internal preferences, which is characterized by the actualization of the object of value choice in a situation where value ideas would act as a motivator for human activity when overcoming stressful situations.

It is obvious that value orientations ensure the stability of the individual, the certainty and consistency of behavior, the constancy of a person’s relationship with the world, and therefore, to a large extent, determine the process of overcoming stress.

A significant personal stress factor is the process of self-actualization as a form of life path realization, which allows a person not to depend on circumstances, overcome stereotypes, and reveal their potential. Self-actualization as a form of life path realization is possible with a high level of development of the subject’s assertiveness. In order to gain a deeper understanding of the phenomenon of “assertiveness,” let us turn to the main provisions of philosophical and anthropological theories.

From the point of view of foreign psychologists, the concept of “self-confidence” comes from the Latin word confidere, which means trust. It is about self-confidence, the belief that one has good and sufficient potential to face various surprises and interact constructively with others.

In the history of philosophy, the problem of a person’s trust in himself has not been directly analyzed. In the ethical and philosophical essay of R. W. Emerson, the idea of ​​​​the infinity of human possibilities is stated, which to some extent reflects the problem of self-trust. A person strives to correspond to himself, to his value experiences. Without this, the creative nature of life and self-design of the future are impossible, since trust in oneself presupposes, first of all, treating oneself as a value.

An analysis of the works of K. Rogers and A. Maslow allows us to say that the personality theory they propose highlights the phenomenon of an individual’s trust in himself. K. Rogers understands self-confidence as trust in one’s life experience: if an inner feeling or intuition tells a person about the value of something, then one must believe in it. He calls this type of trust “a holistic, organismic feeling of the situation.”

Thus, K. Rogers highlighted a person’s trust in himself as an important condition for constructive self-actualizing human behavior. At the same time, he understood self-confidence as a condition for maintaining the integrity of the individual, which consists in the successful integration of organismic drives and needs with the experience of the “I”. The level of self-confidence is involved in the pricing process, since the choice of goal is determined subjectively by ways of achieving the goal, which do not contradict its internal personal meanings.

The optimal level of self-confidence presupposes mastering the ability to self-organize your life. Personal self-organization at the subjective level means, first of all, the formation of a person’s self-confidence, as the ability to independently set goals and act in accordance with them, maintaining an adequate critical position in relation to oneself; the ability to anticipate the results of actions; independently build a strategy for achieving goals; the ability to correlate emerging needs with the possibilities of their implementation in a specific situation and with the sociocultural guidelines assigned by the individual.

Thus, self-confidence allows a person to take a certain value position in relation to himself, to the world and, based on this position, build his own strategy of behavior in various difficult, including stressful, life situations. The ability to gain insight into the concept of “who you are” is the most valuable means of realizing a sense of self-confidence. Firstly, because this ability helps to realize how uniquely individual each of the people is. Second, awareness of role characteristics helps identify ways in which self-confidence may be inhibited by placing too many or too few demands on oneself.

Currently, specialists in the field of applied psychology pay special attention to the study of personal characteristics that determine individual behavioral reactions, mental states, and, ultimately, the characteristics of a subject’s life. A number of studies are searching for psychological correlates of a person’s predisposition to experience adverse mental states. For example, V. A. Bodrov substantiated the psychological mechanism of personal regulation of specific activities. The essence of this mechanism is that the regulatory influence of the personal sphere is manifested through the patterns of formation and dynamics of a person’s attitude to the situation. The patterns of this process can be revealed on the basis of an analysis of complex personal-semantic formations that characterize the inextricable connection of certain stable individual psychological properties of a person with subjective evaluative judgments on various elements of the situation.

In their monograph, M. A. Kotik and A. M. Emelyanov note the importance in the formation of a subject’s predisposition to more or less reliable behavior of such relatively stable characteristics as characteristics of temperament, cognitive style, locus of control, level of emotional stability.

It is impossible not to take into account the importance of the typological characteristics of a person in a stressful situation. In this case, the conclusions of E.P. Ilyin are important for us, who experimentally showed that a certain combination of typological features of the properties of the nervous system determines a number of points related to the reliability of human activity: the occurrence of unfavorable emotional states, the manifestation of volitional qualities and psychomotor abilities. It was revealed that “resistance to unfavorable conditions is determined by a complex of features in the manifestation of various properties of the nervous system.”

As we see, some combinations of the basic properties of the nervous system, their relationship with personal characteristics contribute to a more pronounced manifestation of a number of mental functions that can be considered significant in a stressful situation.

In general, psychogenic stress factors can be divided into the following groups.

• 1.Material factors, which are objective, acting directly on the senses. This is an uncomfortable or dangerous situation, uncontrollability of the situation and lack or lack of control, unknown or threatening phenomena to human life and health, non-standard situation, unexpectedness and speed of the event.
• 2. Social factors, which were to a certain extent the cause of the threatening situation. These are possible conflicts, attacks, unfounded rumors; mental states, aggressive behavior of other people (threats, persecution, etc.; social isolation; changes in norms of behavior, traditions, relationships in the team).
• 3. K socio-psychological factors may also include characteristics of relationships between people (feelings of love and hatred, the presence or absence of reliable information, ill will, envy, etc.). Suffering and death, calls for help, suffering of loved ones, etc. can be considered here; change of social values.
• 4. Personal factors: personal characteristics, individual psychological characteristics of a person that complicate the adaptation process, reduce activity, and a person’s resistance to stressful life situations.

• Ermasov E. Typology of experiencing stress in conditions of isolation // Personal Development. 2011. No. 1.S. 92-118.
• Kryukova T. L., Saaorovskaya M. VKuftyak E. V. Family psychology: life difficulties and coping with them. St. Petersburg: Rech, 2005.
Fonarev A. R. Psychology of personal development of a professional. M., 1998. P. 347.
• Bodrov V.V. Psychology of professional suitability: textbook, manual for universities. M.:PER SE, 2001.
• Kotik M. A., Emelyanov A. M. The nature of human operator errors. M., 1993.
• Ilyin E.P. Activity style: new approaches // Questions of psychology. 1988. No. 6.S. 85-93.

Introduction……………………………………………………………………………….2

1. Stress in organizational behavior……………………………………...3

1.1. The essence of stress……………………………………………………….3

1.2. Dynamics of stress……………………………………………………….6

2. Causes and factors of stress………………………………………………………..8

2.1. External stressors………………………………………………………9

2.2. Organization-related stressors……………………………………11

2.3. Group stressors………………………………………………………. 15

2.4. The role of personality character on the development of stress in a person……………….15

3. Methods of dealing with stress………………………………………………………18

Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………………22

List of used literature……………………………………………. 23

Introduction

The ability to self-regulate becomes extremely important in conditions of increased stress in our business and personal lives.

It is difficult to define what stress is, but it is even more difficult to qualify it. Stress is created by the environment, which requires adaptive behavior. The cause of their occurrence can be various factors, ranging from minor disturbances in the usual environment to serious circumstances, such as illness, bereavement, divorce, etc.

There are situations in an organization that provoke a state of mental tension, negatively affecting people, causing them stress. The formula for stress is: “activity – overexertion – negative emotions.”

Research on the effects of stress on humans is associated with medicine and the work of G. Selye, considered the discoverer of stress. Conducting research on the search for hormones, he discovered that damage to living tissue is caused by almost any negative impact, which he called general adaptation syndrome, and a decade later the term “stress” appeared.

Stress in the modern world has become a source of justifiable concern and one of the main themes in the theory of organizational behavior and the practice of human resource management. For example, in the USA alone, stress costs production a huge amount (about $70 billion per year). It reduces labor productivity, contributes to absenteeism, negative physical and psychological state and well-being of workers, and loss of up to 10% of company profits. Healthcare experts indicate that up to 90% of patient complaints are related to various functional and psychological disorders caused by stress.

1. Stress in organizational behavior

1.1. The essence of stress

Stress is a nonspecific response of the body to any demand presented to it. The requirement is understood as any irritation that exceeds the threshold of perception of the sensory systems of the body.

Stress is usually perceived as negative a phenomenon caused by some kind of trouble (illness of loved ones, a boss reprimanding a subordinate for some small detail at work, and perhaps not through his fault). However, there is also positive stress, called u-stress(from Greek - “good”), associated with joyful events (meeting a loved one, attractive or respected acquaintance, offer of a promotion, etc.).

notice, that stress:

· not just worry covering the emotional and psychological spheres of a person (stress additionally covers both the physiological and social spheres);

· not just nervous tension;

· not necessarily something harmful or bad that should be avoided.

After all, u-stress also exists. Therefore, the main thing is how a person reacts to stress. Stress is inevitable, but its negative effects can be avoided or at least managed effectively.

Today, stress is increasingly synonymous with the popular concept "exhaustion" which is a type of stress and is characterized by emotional exhaustion, loss of personal orientation, and low self-esteem. It is most often characteristic of employees

working in areas related to human communications, as well as in education, medicine, state and municipal management, social activities, etc.

Finding an individual in an organization, performing various kinds of tasks, and mastering innovations is quite often accompanied by an increase in a person’s stressful conditions.

Concept "stress" borrowed from technology, where it means the ability of various bodies and structures to withstand load. Any structure has a stress limit, exceeding which leads to its destruction.

Transferred to the field of social psychology, the concept "stress" includes a whole range of personality states caused by many events: from defeats or victories to creative experiences and doubts. It should be clarified that all extreme influences can unbalance both physiological and psychological functions.

The effects of stress are closely related to the needs of the individual, the inability to fulfill any need that is significant to him, as a result of which physiological capabilities are repeatedly strengthened and psychological defense mechanisms are activated.

Thus, personality stress- a state of general tension in the body that occurs as a result of various reasons. The physiological mechanism of stress is as follows. At the first sign of danger, signals from the brain put the body in a state of need to act. The adrenal glands produce adrenaline, norepinephrine and corticoids. These chemicals put the body into a state of increased activity for a short period of time, but if the glands produce them over a long period of time, negative consequences can occur. Blood flows from the skin to the brain (its activity increases), as well as to the muscles, preparing them for action. This chain reaction unfolds very quickly, and if it is started as a response to a single extreme situation, it does not entail any harmful consequences. If repeated many times, it can lead to harmful effects in the long term.

A person in a state of stress is capable of incredible (compared to a calm state) actions, all the body’s reserves are mobilized and a person’s capabilities increase sharply, but over a certain period of time.

For example, when a mother and child were crossing the street, an accident occurred and a car ran over a baby stroller. To get her child out, the fragile woman, in front of the crowded pedestrians, lifted the car and pulled out the stroller with the baby.

The duration of this interval and the consequences for the body are different for each person. Observations have revealed that heavy physical activity helps to neutralize the effect of the “stress hormone”: the harsher the living conditions, the more the body’s reserves are mobilized, but provided that the person is determined to survive.

As noted by the director of the Institute of Normal Physiology K. Sudakov, if stress continues for many months and has become the trigger for some disease, it is almost impossible to return the physiological functions of the body to normal.

Generally stress - The phenomenon is quite common and common. Minor stress is inevitable and harmless, but excessive stress creates problems for both the individual and the organization in performing assigned tasks. Psychologists believe that a person suffers more and more often from insults inflicted on him, a sense of his own insecurity, and the uncertainty of the future.

There are quite a large number of types of stress; they are summarized in Fig. 1.

Rice. 1. Types of personality stress

Chronic Stress presupposes the presence of a constant (or existing for a long time) significant load on a person, as a result of which his psychological or physiological state is under increased stress (long-term job search, constant rush, showdown).

Spicy stress is a state of a person after an event or phenomenon, as a result of which he loses his “psychological” balance (conflict with his boss, quarrel with loved ones).

Physiological stress occurs when the body is physically overloaded (too high or low temperature in the work area, strong odors, insufficient lighting, increased noise levels).

Psychological stress is a consequence of a violation of the psychological stability of the individual for a number of reasons: hurt pride, undeserved insult, unqualified work. In addition, stress can be the result of psychological overload personality: performing too much work, responsibility for the quality of complex and lengthy work. A variant of psychological stress is emotional stress, which appears in situations of threat, danger, resentment.

Informational stress occurs in situations of information overload or information vacuum.

1.2. Dynamics of stress

To determine the most rational ways to influence a person in a stressful situation, it is necessary to have an idea of ​​the dynamics of the development of the state of internal tension (Fig. 2).

Organizational stress is mental stress associated with overcoming the imperfection of organizational working conditions, with high loads when performing professional duties in the workplace in a specific organizational structure (in an organization or in its division, firm, corporation), as well as with the search for new innovative solutions under force - major circumstances. Organizational stress is caused by intra-organizational factors at three levels: individual characteristics of personnel, organizational environment, as well as external stress factors. In other words, organizational stress manifests itself in the tension of an individual’s adaptation to a certain organizational and production situation. Organizational stress also includes conflicts, high professional demands, extreme operating conditions for certain professions (pilots, astronauts, nuclear power plant controllers, etc.). A common feature and main cause of organizational stress is the presence of an internal conflict between the requirements of the organization, the attractiveness of working in it, the expectations and real capabilities of the employee. The causes of organizational stress are weaknesses in leadership and an unsatisfactory psychological climate. In the latter case, professional mutual support of colleagues is disrupted. As a result, the opportunity to discuss professional problems, receive approval, support and reassurance from the knowledge that colleagues are going through the same difficulties is limited.

Organizational stress factors also include exclusion from active participation in decision making. If employees do not have the opportunity to influence important events related to their work, then they experience a feeling of helplessness and loss of control over situations. This leads to the development of dissatisfaction with self-realization and quality of life and, as a consequence, to a decrease in confidence in one’s own professional effectiveness.

Negative consequences of organizational stress: decreased work motivation and volitional control, staff turnover, increased number of accidents at work, increased conflict in the team, decreased productivity, experiences of depression and overwork, experiences of loneliness and dissatisfaction with life and many other complex experiences called stress syndromes . The consequence of prolonged organizational stress can be professional burnout.

The higher the attractiveness of working in a given particular organization, the greater the confidence in career growth or stability and the satisfaction with professional self-realization and the quality of life that work provides, the less likely it is to experience organizational stress. An optimal level of work tension, stimulating employees to professional and personal growth, contributes to their loyalty to their organization.

By reducing individual performance and well-being, excessive stress comes at a cost to organizations. Many employee problems that affect both their earnings and performance, as well as the health and well-being of employees, are rooted in psychological stress. Stress directly and indirectly increases the costs of achieving organizational goals and reduces the quality of life for large numbers of workers. Stress can be caused by factors related to work and organizational activities or events in a person's personal life. Let's look at some factors within an organization that cause stress:

1. Overload or too little workload, i.e. a task that must be completed within a specific period of time. The employee has simply been assigned an unreasonable number of tasks or an unreasonable level of output for a given period of time. In this case, there is usually anxiety, frustration (a feeling of collapse), as well as a feeling of hopelessness and material loss. However, underutilization can cause exactly the same feelings. A worker who does not receive work commensurate with his capabilities usually feels uneasy about his worth and position in the social structure of the organization and feels distinctly unrewarded.

2. Role conflict. It occurs when conflicting demands are placed on an employee. For example, a salesperson may be tasked with immediately responding to customer requests, but when he is seen talking to a customer, he is told to remember to stock the shelves with merchandise. Role conflict can also occur as a result of a violation of the principle of unity of command. Two managers may give conflicting instructions to an employee. For example, a plant director may require a shop manager to maximize production output, while a technical control department manager may require compliance with quality standards. Role conflict may also arise as a result of differences between the norms of the informal group and the requirements of the formal organization. In this situation, the individual may feel tension and anxiety because he wants to be accepted by the group, on the one hand, and comply with the requirements of management, on the other.

3. Uncertainty about lei. Role ambiguity occurs when an employee is unsure of what is expected of him. Unlike role conflict, here the requirements will not be contradictory, but also evasive and vague. People need to have a correct understanding of management's expectations - what they should do, how they should do it and how they will then be evaluated.

4. Uninteresting work. Some studies show that individuals who have more interesting jobs show less anxiety and are less susceptible to physical ailments than those who work in uninteresting jobs. However, people have different views on the concept of “interesting” work: what seems interesting or boring to one person will not necessarily be interesting to others.

5. There are other factors too. Stress can result from poor physical conditions, such as variations in room temperature, poor lighting or excessive noise. Poor balances of authority and responsibility, poor communication channels within an organization, and unreasonable demands from employees on each other can also cause stress. The ideal situation would be when productivity is at the highest possible level and stress is at the lowest possible level. To achieve this, managers and other employees of the organization must learn to manage stress within themselves.