SOC 2805 Lecture Notes - Lecture 10: Family Values, Nonverbal Communication, Assertiveness
The Drive for Success
• Western society is driven by ‘work’
• personal adequacy equates with professional success
• we crave status and abhor failure.
• Our culture demands monetary success / professional status.
Changing Work Factors
• Many people feel lucky to have a job.
• Unemployment, redundancy, shorter working weeks, new technology affect emotional
and physical security.
• No more jobs for life, more short - term contracts.
• Financial and emotional burnout is increasing among all levels.
• Changing a job with less pressure can greatly reduce stress
Working Conditions
• Physical and mental health is adversely affected by unpleasant working conditions, such
as high noise levels, lighting, temperature and unsocial or excessive hours.
• Overwork:
o Stress may occur through an inability to cope with the technical or intellectual
demands of a task.
o Circumstances such as uncontrolled events, long hours, unrealistic deadlines and
frequent interruptions will compound this.
• Uncertainty:
o About the individual’s work role
o Objectives
o Security
o Responsibilities
o Expectations
o Lack of communication
• Conflict:
o Stress can arise from work the individual does not want to do or that conflicts
with their personal, social and family values.
o Working Conditions
• Responsibility:
o The greater the level of responsibility the greater the potential level of stress
• Work Relationships:
o Good relationships with colleagues are crucial.
o Open discussion is essential to encourage positive relationships.
• Changes at Work:
o Changes that alter psychological, physiological and behavioral routines such as
promotion, retirement and redundancy are particularly stressful.
Part 3-
• Handling Stress
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