INDIVIDUAL STRESSORS:Role Ambiguity/ Role Conflict, Personal Control

<< JOB STRESS:Distress and Eustress, Burnout, General Adaptation Syndrome

EFFECTS OF STRESS:Physical Effects, Behavioural Effects, Individual Strategies >>

Organizational Psychology (PSY510)

LESSON 32

INDIVIDUAL STRESSORS

Personality Type: Type A and Type B

Type A and Type B profiles were first observed by two cardiologists, Meyer Friedman and Ray Rosenman.

They first got the idea when a worker repairing the upholstery on their waiting-room chairs noted that many

of the chairs were worn only on the from This suggested to the two cardiologists that many heart patients

were anxious and had a hard time sitting still---they were literally sitting on the edges of their seats!

Using this observation as a starting point, Friedman and Rosenman began to study the phenomenon more

closely. They eventually concluded that their patients were exhibiting one of the two very different types of

behaviour patterns. Their research also led them to conclude that the differences were personality based.

The labelled these two behaviour patterns as Type A and Type B.

The extreme Type A individual is extremely competitive, very devoted to work, and has a strong sense of

time urgency. Moreover, this person is likely to be aggressive, impatient, and highly work oriented. He or

she has a lot of drive and motivation and wants to accomplish as much as possible in as short a time as

possible.

The extreme Type B person, in contrast, is less competitive, is less devoted to work, and has a weaker sense

of time urgency. This person feels less conflict with either people or time and has a more balanced, relaxed

approach to life. She or he has more confidence and is able to work at a constant pace.

A common-sense expectation might be that Type A people are more successful that Type B people. In

reality, however, this is not necessarily true---the Type B person is not necessarily any more or less

successful that the Type A. There are several possible explanation for this for example, Type A people may

alienate others because of their drive and may miss out on important learning opportunities in their quest to

get ahead. Type B's, on the other hand, may have better interpersonal reputations and may learn a wider

array of skills.

Friedman and Rosenman pointed out that people are not purely Type A or Type B; instead, people ten

toward one or the other type. For example, an individual might exhibit marked Type A characteristics much

of the time but still be able to relax once in a while and even occasionally forget about time.

Firedman and Rosenman's initial research on the Type A and Type profile differences yielded some

alarming findings. In particular, they suggested that Type A's were much more likely to get coronary heart

disease that were Type B's. In recent years, however, follow-up research by other scientists has suggested

that the relationship between Type A behaviour and the risk of coronary heart disease is not all

straightforward.

Although the reasons are unclear, recent findings suggest that Type A's are much more complex than

originally believed. For example, in addition to the characteristics already noted, they are likely to be

depressed and hostile. Anyone of these characteristics or a combination of them can lead to heart problems.

Moreover, different approaches to measuring Type A tendencies have yielded different results.

Finally, in one study that found Type A's to actually be less susceptible to heart problems that Type B's, the

researchers offered and explanation consistent with earlier thinking: Because Type A's are compulsive, they

seek treatment earlier and are more likely to follow their doctor's orders.

Role Ambiguity/ Role Conflict

Role ambiguity arises when a role is unclear. If your instructor tells you to write a term paper but refuses to

provide more information, you will probably experience ambiguity. You do not know what the topic is, how

long the paper should be, what format to use, or when the paper is due. In work settings, role ambiguity can

stem from poor job descriptions, vague instructions from a supervisor, or unclear cues from co-workers.

The result is likely to be a subordinate who does not know what to do. Role ambiguity can thus be a

significant sour of stress.

Role conflict occurs when the messages and cues form others about the role are clear but contradictory or

mutually exclusive. One common form is inter-role conflict---conflict between roles. For example, if a

person's boss says that to get ahead one must work overtime and on weekends, and the same person's

spouse says that more time is needed at home with the family, conflict may result. Intra-role conflict may

occur when the person gets conflicting demands from different sources within the context of the same role.

A manager's boss may tell her that he needs to put more pressure on the subordinates to follow new work

112

Organizational Psychology (PSY510)

rules. At the same time, his subordinates may indicate that they expect him to get the rules changed. Thus,

the cues are in conflict, and the manager may be unsure about which course to follow.

Intra-sender conflict occurs when a single source sends clear but contradictory messages. This might occur

if the boss says one morning that there can be no more overtime for the next month but after lunch tells

someone to work late that same evening.

Person-role conflict results from a discrepancy between the role requirements and the individual's personal

values, attitudes, and needs. If a person is told to do something unethical or illegal, or if the work is

distasteful, person-role conflict is likely.

Role conflict of all varieties is of particular concern to managers. Research has shown that conflict may

occur in a variety of situations and lead to a variety of adverse consequences, including stress, poor

performance, and rapid turnover.

Personal Control

Personal control refers to the control over the environment. Research has shown that if people are given

more control over their environment, for instance if employees are involved in decision making, they tend

to have lesser stress and vice versa.

Learned Helplessness

Learned helplessness is a psychological condition in which an animal has learned to believe that it is

helpless. It has come to believe that it has no control over its situation and that whatever it does is futile. As

a result, the animal will stay passive in the face of an unpleasant, harmful or damaging situation, even when

it does actually have the power to change its circumstances. Learned helplessness theory is the view that

depression results from a perceived lack of control over the events in one's life, which may result from prior

exposure to (actually or apparently) uncontrollable negative events. It is also a source of potential stress.

Self Efficacy

Research has shown that people high in self-efficacy are less prone to stress while those low in self-efficacy

are more prone to stress.

Hardiness

Research suggests that some people have what are termed hardier personalities that others. Hardiness is a

person's ability to cope with stress. People with hardy personalities have an internal locus on control, are

strongly committed to the activities in their lives, and view change as an opportunity form advancement and

growth. Such people are seen as relatively unlikely to suffer illness if they experience high levels of pressure

and stress. On the other hand, people with low hardiness may have more difficulties in coping with pressure

and stress.

Stress Due To Conflict

Interpersonal Conflict

Research shows that people attribute others' behaviour to personal factors such as intelligence, ability,

motivation, attitudes, or personalities. This causes interpersonal conflicts. Whetton and Cameron have

identified four major sources of interpersonal conflict:

· Personal Differences

Every individual comes from a different background and has experienced different patterns of

socialization, etc. Therefore, conflicts arise, based on these individual differences.

· Information Deficiency

Information deficiency means either lack of information or misinformation. This also results in

development of conflicts. However, such conflicts are easily resolved once the information is corrected.

· Role Incompatibility

Role incompatibility is a situation when people performing different roles in an organization find the

requirements of their jobs opposing to each other. It also leads to conflicts but can be corrected using

advanced technology.

· Environmental Stress

Conflicts arise due to harsh environment; often in organizations, the environment is highly competitive,

tough etc. This is a cause of stress which may lead to conflict.

Inter-Group Conflicts

These are conflicts between groups. Following are the reasons identified by researchers for inter-group

conflicts:

113

Organizational Psychology (PSY510)

Competition for Resources

Groups in organizations tend to maximize their share of limited resources available in the organization.

This causes conflicts between them.

· Task Interdependence

Research shows that if performance of groups depends on the tasks performed by each other, there

tends to be more conflict between groups.

· Jurisdictional Ambiguity

These are ambiguities regarding the area of control of groups. Groups in organizations make take credit

for performance for another group which causes conflicts or this sort.

· Status Struggle

Status struggle is the struggle among groups in organizations to be ranked higher than others. It is also a

source of conflict between groups.

Group conflicts create stress and give rise to "in group" versus "out group" feeling. Group conflict/rivalry

may be good for the organization as well.

REFERENCES

· Luthans, Fred. (2005). Organizational Behaviour (Tenth Edition). United States: McGraw Hill Irwin.

· Mejia, Gomez. Balkin, David & Cardy, Robert. (2006). Managing Human Resources (Fourth Edition).

India: Dorling Kidersley Pvt. Ltd., licensee of Pearson Education in South Asia.

· Robbins, P., Stephen. (1996). Organizational Behaviour (Seventh Edition). India: Prentice Hall, Delhi.

· Huczynski, Andrzej & Buchanan, David. (1991). Organizational Behaviour: An Introductory Text

(Second Edition). Prentice Hall. New York.

· Moorhead, Gregory & Griffin, Ricky. (2001). Organizational Behaviour (First Edition). A.I.T.B.S.

Publishers & Distributors. Delhi.

· Learned helplessness - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: Retrieved from:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Learned_helplessness

FURTHER READING

· Learned Helplessness: http://www.noogenesis.com/malama/discouragement/helplessness.html

· Conflict Management Plus: http://www.conflictmanagementplus.com/t_shooter_UK/stress.htm -

· Stressful (conflict) situations and increased blood pressure:

http://www.kardiologija.net/kardiologija/Da_li_znate/odgovori/English/conclift%20situation.htm

· Measure the Financial Cost of Organizational Conflict:

http://www.mediationworks.com/mti/costs2.htm

114

Table of Contents: