There are many sources of stress in the work environment. “A great deal of worker stress is caused by stressors in the environment of the work organization” (Riggio, 2000, p.250). These stressors include job insecurity, excessive competition, difficulties in interpersonal relationships, unpleasant or uncomfortable working conditions, work overload, underutilization, job ambiguity, lack of control and support, long or unusual working hours, as well as income level. Physical sources including lack of sleep, health status, poor diet, as well as drug and alcohol use can contribute to the amount and

In class we discussed the four types of managers who head a workplace. They are the craftsman, the jungle fighter, the company man, and the gamesman. I would like to briefly describe the traits that go along with each of these individuals as stated in Michael Maccoby’s (1976) book entitled The Gamesman, and relate these traits to stress in the workplace.

The second individual source of work stress is known as susceptibility to stress and to stress effects. Meaning, some people are more susceptible to stress than others. The concept of hardiness can be applied in this source of work stress. “….hardy personality types are resistant to the harmful effects of stress because of their style of dealing with stressful events. Rather than viewing a stressful situation as a threat, they view it as a challenge. Moreover, they also believe that they can control and influence the course of their lives (recall that a sense of lack of control can contribute to stress) and are committed to their jobs” (Riggio, 2000, pp.256-257). Another characteristic that is identified with this type of person is self-efficacy, which is defined as “as individual’s beliefs in his or her abilities to engage in courses of action that will lead to desired outcomes” (Riggio, 2000, p.257).

· Learn to enjoy your work. By learning to enjoy your work, you are, in turn, finding ways to make your job more interesting and challenging which will bring you satisfaction.

· Translate your priorities into reasonable goals for yourself. By setting goals for yourself and pursuing them at a steady pace, you are striving to do your best at all times. This will most definitely result in confidence, enthusiasm, and optimism.

Some topics in this essay:
Michael Maccoby’s, College Dictionary, riggio 2000, stress workplace, maccoby 1976, behavior pattern, type behavior pattern, · improve, coping strategies, type behavior, types people, maccoby 1976 p44, stress stress effects, individual coping strategies, environment ·, physical psychological, susceptibility stress stress,