Work Stress

While many popular press books deal with issues of stress in the workplace, their target audience has typically been managers and administrators, not work psychologists or psychologists-in-training. This text is written by working psychologists focused at the level of the individual worker. It critically reviews the literature across the broad domain of work stress in a fairly non-technical manner, while retaining scientific integrity. Because of rapid changes in work environments from technological advances and a myriad of economic, social and other factors, this ongoing transformation of work stress creates a "moving target" for this subject. Giving structure to this fluid topic, the text outlines a conceptual model in chapter one that approaches work stress as a process. This model serves as an organizing framework for the book, and as a way to integrate a variety of research streams within a unified "conceptual umbrella." Instead of approaching work stress as a problem, the authors use their experience as active psychologists to help readers understand work stress as a process, and to help them cope with stress in the modern workplace.

Sulsky (Wilfrid Laurier University) and Smith, formerly of Bowling Green University, define stress, look at its physiology and psychology, and describe biological, medical, and behavioral stress models and methods of measurement. They examine the nature of job- related stress, looking at macro- and micro-level stressors, and summarize research on personal and organizational stress, coping with stress, and stress management. Several real-life examples of stress- reduction programs in major corporations are provided. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Dr. Lorne Sulsky received his Ph.D. in Industrial-Organizational Psychology in 1988. He has held faculty positions at Bowling Green State in the Faculty of Business, as well as positions in psychology departments at Louisiana State University, The University of Calgary, and The Wilfrid Laurier University, where he currently teaches.