Psychology AS revision - Stress and Workplace theories

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Psychology AS revision

Stress

Who conducted the 1997 study to assess the relationship between control, stress and illness in the workplace?

Marmot et al (1997) the researches surveyed over 7,000 london-based civil servants and obtained information about their employment grades, level of responsibility, perceived level of control and support received etc. when the civil servants were followed up 5 years later and their medical histories checked, the researchers discovered that those individuals on a lower pay grade, who felt like they had less control over their work were more likely to suffer from cardiovascular disorders. In fact, individuals on the lowest pay grade were four times more likely to suffer from fatal heart attacks than those on the highest.

The researchers concluded that believing you have little control over your work induces stress and causes illness.

This study is based on correlational research, therefore we cannot confidently infer that a perceived lack of control at work is the cause of illness; instead we only know for sure that they are somehow linked. Indeed, smoking was found to be common along those who got sick, so perhaps there is a link between a perceived lack of control and smoking (and then an obvious and proven link between smoking and heart disease) that caused the above correlation. Furthermore, since this survey was conducted on office workers it cannot be reliably generalised to the wider population, as there are many different types of jobs. However, since office work is by no means a rare phenomenon, we can confidently assume that this study is relevant to many people.

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Outline cognitive behavioural therapy

There are many different therapies that are part of the psychological approach to stress management:

  1. Meichenbaums SIT – works like immunisation against disease: the individual trains with a therapist to identify fears and concerns and ways to combat them through positive thinking and relaxation techniques
  2. Hardiness training – teaches individuals to recognise the physical symptoms of stress, to analyse stressful situations, and to build confidence through meeting and overcoming challenges of increasing magnitude
  3. Cognitive behavioural therapy – changes the way individuals think during stressful situations and helps them cope with the stressor
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