The Connectio Between Animal Cruelty And Human Violence Essay Example For Students

The Connectio Between Animal Cruelty And Human Violence Essay Word Count: 1452 Animal cruelty encompasses a range of different behaviors harmful to animals, from neglect to malicious, brutal killings. Studies show that animal cruelty may lead to more serious forms of crime, like heavy drug use, violent outbursts, and most common, cold blooded murder. Many studies in psychology, sociology, and criminology during the last twenty-five years have demonstrated that violent offenders frequently have childhood and adolescent histories of serious and repeated animal cruelty. A web page that goes by the name Animal Alliance says most cruelty investigated by humane officers, is unintentional neglect, and can be resolved through education. (3) I was slightly shocked when I saw this comment. We will write a custom essay on The Connectio Between Animal Cruelty And Human Violence specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now Anyone who puts an animals life in their hands, has a responsibility to it. You dont just forget to feed him/her, or forget to show them love unless it is intentional, it get so much worse, though. These people arent just forgetting to feed their pets, or give them attention, theyre kicking and beating them, poisoning and butchering these poor creatures, and what makes me sick to my stomach, is that some of these people do it for fun!! I recently ran across a link to a web page that contained a online petition to put a cats killers to justice with maximum sentence. This is the article I found on this brutal torture of an innocent creature. ***WARNING*** (graphic details) On October 10, 1999, a beautiful female cat came willingly to the four boys who stopped on the side of the road and called to her. Her trust was rewarded by unthinkable terror and cruelty being used as a tug-of-war toy until the boys heard something pop, having her legs broken, being jumped up and down on like a trampoline. Even when her pitiful battered body was mercifully dead, her suffering was not at an end. The boys then placed her ravaged body under the wheel of their car, braking over her, as they drove off to find other amusement. Once the Chesapeake Animal Control conducted their investigation and performed a necropsy, criminal charges were filed against 3 of the 4 boys involved. If these charges are found to be accurate, these boys are not only in violation of the laws of the State of Virginia, but are also in need of immediate psychiatric intervention. (1)*** Another horrific article I ran across was even worse. It was about a dog who to was also a victim of rancid brutality. Here is that story. ***WARNING*** (graphic details) Jose, Marcus, Richard and Lance are accused of obtaining a video camera, pressing the record button, luring Scruffy from his home, and then torturing and killing him in an unspeakably monstrous act of cruelty. In the videotape that the police and media have in their possession, four men are shown torturing and killing Scruffy in lurid detail. The quality of the tape is very good, and the police have been able to obtain photographs of the men in the tape. In this tape, one of the four men is shown to elevate Scruffy off the ground by the neck, and then begin this horrific abuse by choking him. This 6 pound little dog did not have a fighting chance against these men. Scruffy, still alive, was then placed in a trash bag. The four men shown in the tape then doused the trash bag with what appeared in the video to be lamp oil, took a cigarette lighter, and set Scruffy on fire. Scruffy, at this point in the video, began to run wildly in pain and agony around the trees while the four men watched and laughed. When the flames finally went out, Scruffy was still alive, but his torture was not over. Next, the men decided to try to decapitate Scruffy with a shovel. After slamming the shovel into Scruffys neck and not being able to attain their goal, they realized that Scruffy was more of a fighter than they had expected. .ude515a79b5a4d9e2bb34563b2ecd277e , .ude515a79b5a4d9e2bb34563b2ecd277e .postImageUrl , .ude515a79b5a4d9e2bb34563b2ecd277e .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .ude515a79b5a4d9e2bb34563b2ecd277e , .ude515a79b5a4d9e2bb34563b2ecd277e:hover , .ude515a79b5a4d9e2bb34563b2ecd277e:visited , .ude515a79b5a4d9e2bb34563b2ecd277e:active { border:0!important; } .ude515a79b5a4d9e2bb34563b2ecd277e .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .ude515a79b5a4d9e2bb34563b2ecd277e { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .ude515a79b5a4d9e2bb34563b2ecd277e:active , .ude515a79b5a4d9e2bb34563b2ecd277e:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .ude515a79b5a4d9e2bb34563b2ecd277e .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .ude515a79b5a4d9e2bb34563b2ecd277e .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .ude515a79b5a4d9e2bb34563b2ecd277e .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .ude515a79b5a4d9e2bb34563b2ecd277e .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .ude515a79b5a4d9e2bb34563b2ecd277e:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .ude515a79b5a4d9e2bb34563b2ecd277e .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .ude515a79b5a4d9e2bb34563b2ecd277e .ude515a79b5a4d9e2bb34563b2ecd277e-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .ude515a79b5a4d9e2bb34563b2ecd277e:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Common Themes In Short Stories Essay The men then opened Scruffys mouth and began to pull his jaws apart, as if trying to rip his face in two. Using the shovel in place of a club, the men then beat Scruffy until his tiny body gave out, and he died. Throughout the videotape the four men are all shown laughing and having a good time as they are carrying out these unspeakable tortures. (1) *** After I read these stories I was disgusted, revolted, down right sickened by the realization that these men needed to be

Chicano studies essays

Chicano studies essays The daily political and social struggles of the Chicano movement in the 60s and 70s greatly impacted the forms of politics, education and civil rights for Chicanos all over the United States. However due to the changes that happened after the Chicano movement no longer do young Chicanos have a need for a demonstration or a protest. Thanks to the actions of others the civil rights of Chicanos and other minorities are now being protected by the government. The simple act of speaking up about a problem that needed to be addressed was their first step to changing the status quo. The formation of political action groups was the first step in bringing a serious problem to public eye to gain support. This is needed today for many important issues in our border community. As other parties framed their issues in a different way government agencies like the FBI and local police tried to strong arm the students, which had an impact but not enough to disintegrate the movement. Today civil rights for many Chicanos are the same and laws like the Equal Opportunity for Employment, which regulates the discrimination of minorities from race religion, age, or ethnicity. Standards for minimum wage and education have changed all over the united states as a result of the civil rights movement of the 60s and 70s. Living in a border community the integration of a majority of Chicanos in the schools is clearly seen and we are now seeing an enormous amount of young Chicanos graduating from a four year institution. Educated Chicanos are now part of our daily lives that are still fighting for help for Chicanos on the border. There are, however some issues that still need to be addressed here on the border. Issues of high school drop out rates being at an all time high here in Las Cruces. Also the presence of the colonias through out the southwest, it is true that there are people living within our border that are living in third wo...

Childhood obesity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Childhood obesity - Essay Example Obesity as a consequence of reduced physical activities is becoming more and more frequent in the modern world and is increasing at an especially alarming rate in children. Globally 155 million children with ages ranging from 5-17 years are overweight. Lobstein et al. (2004) claimed that of these 155 million children approximately 30-45 million are obese (cited in World Heart Federation 2007). According to our own National Health Service (NHS, England , January 2008) statistics on obesity, physical activity and diet, 16% of children aged from 2-15 are classified as obese. In the under five year old group the figures for 2007 show that there were approximately 22 million overweight children and that roughly 75% of those live in the low-middle income bracket (WHO, 2008). We are creating an increasingly obesogenic environment where this rising trend in obesity may be associated with the increase in: Technologies and affordability of televisions, computers, etc. Fox (2004) suggested that the time spent being physically inactive by playing video-games, watching television and using computers has increased. Transportation has increased allowing little expenditure of calorie intake due to fewer or reduced physical activities (St-Onge et al., 2003). Children are driven to school or use public transport rather than walk as parents are worried by the apparent lack of safety in the communities in which they live (Fox, 2004). In a cross sectional study by Voss et al. (2005), within a cohort of 277 families in Britain 75% of parents with overweight children did not realise that their children were overweight; 33% of mothers and 57% of fathers thought that their children were at the correct weight when they were, in fact, obese. The current school curriculum allows for a minimum of two hours of physical activity per week. 86% of schools in Britain

Reflection paper on Nancy Andreasen's book, Brave New Brain Essay

Reflection paper on Nancy Andreasen's book, Brave New Brain - Essay Example A similar treatment has been appropriated by many experts with regards Nancy Andreasens book titled, Brave New Brain: Conquering Mental Illness in the Era of the Genome in which the author contends that the mapping of the brain and the human genome, occurring seemingly at the same time, has brought forward a new and effective understanding of the biological origins of mental illness. For many, this only implies that ‘biological understanding’ would refer to evolution, setting aside the teaching of Christianity which states that God intervenes on human affairs. For others, the Christian approach of ministering to individuals with mental illness will be considered inept and ineffective as this does not mesh with the ‘scientific procedure’ of administering to people with mental disabilities. In her book, Nancy Andreasens notes that the convergent research focusing on the genome and mental illness is a fascinating development as it transformed the way we think of mental illnesses and their implications. First, with the utilization of new technology in neurology and psychiatry, experts are able to link the illnesses of the mind to biology and all illnesses have biological basis, even schizophrenia (Andreasen 4). This of course, does not conform to some Christian notions that mental illness is a result of demon possessions or is something related to superstition. Thus, Nancy Andreasen asserts that the best treatment should be one which varies from one patient to another. Clearly, the holistic approach to the treatment of mental illnesses is no longer acceptable. Some of the methods which Andreasen are ones that are based on science such as genomics and neuroimaging as she states that ‘mental illnesses are diseases of the brain that can be understood and treated using established scientific tools’ (Andreasen 7). What is considerable to note here is that Andreasen’s contentions that the brain ‘teaches itself to learn’ pose a

Narrative agrument Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Narrative agrument - Essay Example Not only was he affected, our entire family unit was disturbed due to the strong mark that was left on him by the bullying activities. Bullying is an act which still persists in the educational institutions across the United States and this problem should be dealt with because of the negative effects associated with it. My brother was a very bright student in his class and he was an active participant in the activities of his class. He was slightly overweight as well as short which made him different from the other students in the class. He was a young child and his physical appearance did not make a difference to him and he concentrated greatly on his studies and thus he did extremely well in his academics. But things took a different turn when he came into the notice of a group of senior students who always looked for an opportunity to bully other students. It all started when we had to move to a different locality and thus we had to change my brother’s school van. The group of bullies travelled in the same van. Things were normal in the beginning but after a few days the bullies had found their new target who was my younger brother. The bullies gave my brother a very difficult time and by the time we found this out, my brother had already suffered a lot. Initially, they just called him with names and would pass derogatory remarks when they saw him. As they were all older than him, he was scared and did not retaliate. The verbal abuse was not limited to the van but they started doing the same during the school breaks. They would follow him around and pass comments on his physical appearance. Seeing that he could not answer back, they started annoying him even more. Following this, they would keep things on his seat so that he could not sit. They also snatched his lunch during the lunch break. One day, when my brother was angry and yelled back at them, the boys gathered and pushed him. This became a regular activity after this. They hit him with differe nt things and they called him with different names. Despite of this torture that my brother was going through, he never informed us regarding these things. The issue came to our notice when things became really worse and my brother had suffered a lot of physical and mental stress. He avoided going to school and did not eat. He told my mother that he did not want to eat as he was fat. Apart from this, his grades also started declining. He stayed quiet and did not talk much. It was then that my parents took him to a doctor and he was diagnosed with anorexia at such an early age. As I was very close to him, I started discussing his issues and he finally told me about what he was going through. We approached the school authorities and kept the matter in front of them. They took a strong notice against the bullies. My brother had to go through a lot and it took him years to recover from the mental torture. He lost weight and he was not interested in studying anymore. Our entire family wa s greatly disturbed because of him. It was with great efforts and care that we were able to bring him back after a period of two years. His sufferings could have been prevented if he had informed us before or if the school authorities had kept a strong check on such activities. Bullying is a widespread problem in the educational institutions in the United States and it has been seen that out of every four students in the schools in the United St

Effect of Stress on Job Performance

Effect of Stress on Job Performance STRESS AND JOB PERFORMANCE People react to stress in different ways. Some copy much better than others and suffering fewer of the harmful effects of stress. Just as stress differs as a function of the individual, it also differs as a function of ones type of occupation. Some occupations are, of course, inherently more stressful than others. All of the stress-strain-health relationships have an obvious impact on the organization and industry. Both physical and mental illness renders the employee unlit for work, and combine both to lessen the satisfaction obtained from work and reduce job performance and productivity levels. There are various ways that stress symptoms or outcomes are reflected in the workplace. Evidence from a growing body of research suggests that certain individuals, in a variety of occupations, are increasingly exposed to unacceptable levels of job-related stress (Schultz Schultz, 2002). Occupational stress is any discomfort which is felt and perceived at a personal level and triggered by in stances, events or situations that are too intense and frequent in nature so as to exceed a persons coping capabilities and resources to handle them adequately (Malta, 2004) Occupational stress can be defined as the harmful physical and emotional responses that occur when the requirements of the job do not match the capabilities, resources or need of the worker (Sauter and Murphy. 1999). Performance is defined as the outcomes and accomplishments valued by the organization or system that one works in. Each individual is exposed to a range of stressors both at work and in their personal lives which ultimately affect his or her performance. Pressure at work can be positive leading to increased productivity. However, when this pressure becomes excessive it has a negative impact. The individual perceive themselves as being unable to cope and not to possess the necessary skills to combat their stress. Stress is acknowledged to be one of the main causes of absence from work (Mead, 2000). The occupational stressors can be categorized into four major groups. Firstly, the working conditions, including shift and week-end work, inadequate remuneration, hours of work, discrimination and safety at the work environment. Secondly, relationship at work including quality of relationships with peers, subordinates and supervisors. Thirdly, role conflicts and ambiguity including ill-defined role, functions, expectations, and duties. Fourthly, organization structure and climate which includes communication policy and practice, major changes in the workplace, culture of the organization, and lack of participation in decision-making. Another cause is career development including under utilization of skills or failing to reach full potential. Another contributing factor is the nature of the job which might amount to an immense amount of physical and emotional exhaustion (Parikh Taukari, 2004) The main objective of this study is to identify role of different contributing factors of job stress and to investigate level of stress on those factors in the organization. And also to find that how job performance is affected by job stress. There are different factors of job stress i.e. work overload, work under load, supervision role conflicts, career development, physical environment repetitive work, work family conflict and coworkers. RESEARCH HYPOTHESES There is difference in level of occupational stress among the employees of different departments of the organization. High level of stress adversely affects the performance of the employees. STRESS AT WORLKPLACE (OCCUPATIONAL STRESS) In todays changing and competitive work environment stress level is increasing both in WORKERS as well as MANAGERS .As a result of this work stress, more and more managers are showing signs of chronic fatigue and burnout. Research has concluded that stressed out managers are not good for organization and shareholders also .In most case stress reduced efficiency among individuals as well as reduced productivity also. Stress is the problem in amongst all the countries of the world ,irrespective of whether the economy is strong or weak .To know about the actual work stress we should have to know about the behavior of the individuals ,causes of the stress, its consequences and then how it can be reduce . â€Å"Considered from an individual`s points of view stress is our body`s physical, mental and chemical reaction to circumstance that frighten, confuse, endanger or irritate to any person†. If controlled stress, is a friend that strengthens us for the next encounter .if handled poorly, it becomes an enemy which can cause diseases like high blood pressure, ulcer, asthma, and over reactive thyroid. As per the medical explanation of the term â€Å"Stress is the body`s general response to environment situations.† it can lead to Physiological discomfort. Some kind of emotional unhappiness. Strained relationship with other people. In very simple words stress refers to an individual`s reaction to a disturbing factor in the environment. Different discipline and different professional have viewed it differently. Agarwala at 1979 believed that the confusion in definition is primarily due to the fact that the same term is used variously by scholars of different disciplines .Thus, in physic, stress is a force which acts on a body to produce strain. According to Beehr and Newman â€Å"Job stress is a condition arising from the interaction of the people and their jobs, and characterized by changes within people and force them to deviate from their normal functioning.† Stress can be defined as â€Å"Bodys non specific response to any demand made on it. Stress is not by definition synonymous with nervous system tension or anxiety. On one side Stress provides the means to express talents and energies and pursue happiness, on the other side it can also cause exhaustion and illness, either physical or psychological† One of the common accepted views of stress is provided by Selye through THREE STAGE MODEL OF STRESS. He called it General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS). Selye defines stress as â€Å"an adoptive response to the external situation that results in physical, physiological, and behavioural deviation for organizational participant.† He has suggested a three stage model and states that when an organism is confronted with a threat the general physiological response occurs in the three stages . Selye said that †¦There can be up to three phases that our resistance levels go through when we are exposed to a stressor. The first is the alarm phase. The bodys resistance to physical damage drops for a short-time. This is so our bodies can prepare to cope with the stressor by using up available energy and normally protective stress hormones. Temporarily some of our defenses against physical damage drop so that our blood pressure increases, blood-sugar rises, muscle tension increases, we breathe faster and deeper and we get a surge of adrenaline-like substances to give us extra physical capabilities should we need them. If the stressor no longer exists the body returns to its normal level of resistance. However if the stressor persists, (we cant fight or flee from it or and this goes beyond his original thinking we are unable to apply counteracting psychosocial resources) our level of resistance increases beyond normal, relaxed levels When our bodies start to run in higher gear. High levels of stress hormones continue to help us cope with the stressor. This is appropriately called the resistance phase. If there is no relief the body can continue for days, weeks, even years until either the stressor is suddenly removed or because it is very energy-consuming our body collapses often with more dangerous and extreme physical reactions. They are the same as in the alarm phase only more intense and more relentless. It is here in this third or exhaustion phase that our health suffers or even death can occur. Our level of resistance to physical disorder, disease and psychological pressure is at its lowest. It is characterized by feelings of lethargy an absence of energy and bodily resources to cope. MEASUREMENT OF ROLE STRESS: In the context of India two measures have been developed by Indian researchers and have been extensively used in research in India. They are given below: ORGANIZATIONAL ROLE STRESS: This instrument developed by Pareek (1983) this instrument based on the key concept t understand the integration of the organization .It is through this role that the individual interacts and gets integrated with the system. An n organization can be defined as system of roles, where role has been defined by the expectations various significant persons, including himself / herself, have from that position. The concept of role and the related concepts of ‘role space and ‘role set have a built- in potential for conflict and stress (Pareek 1999). From the point of view of an individual, two role systems are important: Role Space and Role Set. ROLE SPACE:- Each individual occupies and plays several roles simultaneously. A person can be a son a father a member of a club and so on at the same time. All these roles constitute role space time. All these roles constitute role space. In the center of the role space is the self. Role space is the self. Role space thus can be defending as â€Å"the dynamic inter-relationship between the self various roles an individual occupies.† ROLE SET;- The individual`s role in the organization is defined by the expectations of other significant roles and those of the individual himself .thus the role set is â€Å"the pattern of relationship between the role being considered and other roles. The organization role stress scale consists of 50 items measuring ten different types of organizational role stresses. These roles stress are Following: Inter role distance (IRD):-it is expected when there is a conflict between organizational and non organizational roles. Role stagnation (RS):- it is the feeling of being stuck in same role. Role expectation conflict (REC):- Stress is generated by expectation of different significant persons such as superior , subordinate, and peers ,about the same role and the role occupant`s ambivalence as to whom to please. Role Erosion (RE); Here stress is the function of the role occupant`s feeling that some function which should properly belong to her role are transferred to some other role. Role Overload (RO) ; when the role occupant feels that there are too many expectations from her. Role Isolation (RI); Stress refer to the psychological distance between the occupant role and other roles in the same role set. Personal Inadequacy; It arises when the role occupant feels that he does not have the necessary skills and training for effectively performing the function expected from his role. Self Role Distance (SRD):- When the role the person occupies goes against his self concept. Role Ambiguity (RA):- It refers to the lack of clarity about the expectation of the role. Resource Inadequacy (RIN):- Stress is evident when the role occupant feels that he is not provided with the adequate resources for performing the function expected from his role. SOURCES OF STRESS It has been said that stress result form a misfits between environmental demands and personal adequacies to meet these demands .However, management of stress is not possible unless the individual is aware of the specific source of stress. Stress can be emanating from variety of sources. Pestonjee (1983) has identified three important sectors of life in which stress originates .These are (a) Job and organization (b) Social Factors (c) Inter Psychic sector .The first namely , job and organization, refers to totality of the work environment (task ,atmosphere, colleagues , compensations, policies ,etc.)The social factors refer to the social / culture context of life .It may include religion, caste, language, dress and other factors. The intra psychic sector encompasses those things which are intimate and personal like temperament, values, abilities, and health. It is contended that stresses can originate in any of these sectors or in combinations thereof. Factor intrinsic to the Job: These are related to poor working conditions shift work, long hours, poor technology, travel, risk and danger, work over load. Role in the organization: When a persons role in an organization is clearly defined and understood, and when expectation place upon the individual are also clear and non- conflicting, stress can be kept to a minimum. Ivancevich and Matteson (1980) have identified three critical factors- role ambiguity ,role conflict , and degree of responsibility for others are major source of stress. Relation -ship at work: The working relationship which one has with people working in the same organization can also be a major source of stress. Career Development : A host of issue such as job security , fear of job loss, obsolescence or retirement and numerous performance appraisals can create pressure and strain. Organizational structure climate: just being part of an organization can present threats to a persons sense of freedom and autonomy. It seems that the position in the organization has something to do with stress. However the research evidence its inclusive .some studies have found that position in the organization does make a difference in job stress. Nature of Profession: The research evidence suggests that certain kind of occupations cause greater stress. Than others in a study of comparative degree of stress amongst professionals Mishra(2001)collected data from 144 doctors and 82 nurses drawn from various hospitals , their result show that nurses experience greater stress in their job as compared to doctors. Predispositional stress: The degree of stress seems vary with the personality and predispositional factor. Some individuals experience greater stress than others. Doctors with internal locus of control reported higher organizational stress than the internal . (Kumar 1988) The below chart shows one example of the structure of a department in an organization, indicating typical causes of stress that may effect stress at certain levels in the structure, and particular. Causes that are affecting individuals. Stress is contagious; anyone who is not performing well due to increases the amount of pressure on their colleagues, superiors, and subordinates. SYMPTOMS OF STRESS As stated earlier Stress is caused by or reaction to the external events and bring about changes in our response and our general behavior. The presence of Stress can be estimated by the analysis of certain symptoms an individual shows. These symptoms can be divided into three different categories. They are Feelings ,Behavoiur and pshysological . When the individual experience Stress, one or more of the following symptoms can be exhibited: Feelings The individual becomes anxious about the outcomes and is scared. The person feels that he has got something to loose or something wrong will take place. In an anxious state the person does not want to be corrected or interrupted. He looks out for other areas where he can forget about the stress-causing event for a while. The person becomes irritable and moody. During high level of Stress the individual develops a negative frame of mind and suffers from low self-esteem. The person loses faith in his capabilities and is afraid of the failures. The individual does not have a focused approach and is not able to concentrate and is involved in his own plans and thoughts. Physiological and Behavioral Changes Speech problems. Impulsive Behavior Crying for no apparent reason. Laughing in a high pitch and nervous tone of voice. Grinding of teeth Increasing smoking and use of drugs and alcohol. Being accident-prone Perspiration /sweaty hands Increased heart beat Trembling/Sleeping problems Diarrhea / indigestion / vomiting/ nausea Butterflies in stomach Headaches Premenstrual tension Pain in the neck and or lower back Susceptibility to illness Loss of appetite Nervous ticks Dryness of throat and mouth. Tiring easily or over eating CONSEQUENCES OF STRESS The effect of stress is closely linked to individual personality. The same level of stress affects different people in different ways each person has different ways of coping. Recognizing these personality types means that more focused help can be given. Stress shows itself number of ways. For instance, individual who is experiencing high level of stress may develop high blood pressure, ulcers, irritability, difficulty in making routine decisions, loss of appetite, accident proneness, and the like. These can be subsumed under three categories: Individual consequences Organizational consequence Burnout Individual consequences: Individual consequences of stress are those, which affect the individual directly. Due to this the organization may suffer directly or indirectly, but it is the individual who has to pays for it. Individual consequences of stress are broadly divided into behavioral, psychological and medical. v Behavioral consequences of stress are responses that may harm the person under stress or others. Behaviorally related stress symptoms include changes in productivity, turnover, as well as changes in eating habits, increased smoking or consumption of alcohol, paid speech, and sleep disorders. v Psychological consequences of stress replace to an individual mental health and well-being from or felling depressed. Job related stress could cause dissatisfaction, infact it has most psychological effect on the individual and lead to tension, anxiety irritability, and boredom. v Medical consequences of stress affect a persons well being. According to a research conducted, it revealed that stress could create changes in metabolism, increase heart and breathing rates, increases blood pressure bring out headaches and induce heart attacks. Organizational consequences: Organizational consequences of stress have direct affect on the organizations. These include decline in performance, withdrawal and negative changes in attitude.  ¯ Decline in performance can translate into poor quality work or a drop in productivity. Promotions and other organizational benefits get affected due to this.  ¯ Withdrawal behavior also can result from stress. Significant form of withdrawal behavior is absenteeism.  ¯ One main affect of employee stress is directly related to attitudes. Job satisfaction, morale and organizational commitment can all suffer, along with motivation to perform at higher levels. Burnout:- A final consequence of stress has implementation for both people and organizations. Burnout is a general feeling of exhaustion that develops when an individual simultaneously experiences too much pressure and few sources of satisfaction. STRESS AND YOUR PERFORMANCE So far, we have seen that stress is a negative experience. We have seen the short-term burnout. The Positive Effects of Pressure Sometimes, however, the pressures and demands that may cause stress can be positive in their effect. One example of this is where sportsmen and women flood their bodies with fight-or-flight adrenaline to power an explosive performance. Another example is where deadlines are used to motivate people who seem bored or unmotivated. We will discuss this briefly here, but throughout the rest of this site we see stress as a problem that needs to be solved. The Negative effect of pressure In most work situations jobs, our stress responses cause our performance to suffer. A calm, rational, controlled and sensitive approach is usually called for in dealing with most difficult problems at work: Our social inter-relationships are just too complex not to be damaged by an aggressive approach, while a passive and withdrawn response to stress means that we can fail to assert our rights when we should. Before we look further at how to manage stress and our performance, it is important to look at the relationship between pressure and performance in a little more detail, first by looking at the idea of the â€Å"Inverted-U†, and second by looking at Flow. This is the ideal state of concentration and focus that brings excellent performance. Pressure Performance – the Inverted U The relationship between pressure and performance is explained in one of the oldest and most important ideas in stress management, the â€Å"Inverted-U† relationship between pressure and performance. The Inverted-U relationship focuses on peoples performance of a task. The left hand side of the graph is easy to explain for pragmatic reasons. When there is very little pressure on us to carry out an important task, there is little incentive for us to focus energy and attention on it. This is particularly the case when there may be other, more urgent, or more interesting, tasks competing for attention. As pressure on us increases, we enter the â€Å"area of best performance†. Here, we are able to focus on the task and perform well – there is enough pressure on us to focus our attention but not so much that it disrupts our performance. The right hand side of the graph is more complex to explain. Negative Thoughts Crowd Our Minds We are all aware that we have a limited short-term memory: If you try to memorize a long list of items, you will not be able to remember more than six or eight items unless you use formal memory techniques. Similarly, although we have huge processing power in our brains, we cannot be conscious of more than a few thoughts at any one time. In fact, in a very real way, we have a limited â€Å"attention capacity†. As we become uncomfortably stressed, distractions, difficulties, anxieties and negative thinking begin to crowd our minds. This is particularly the case where we look at our definition of stress, i.e. that it occurs when a person perceives that â€Å"demands exceed the personal and social resources the individual is able to mobilize.† These thoughts compete with performance of the task for our attention capacity. Concentration suffers, and focus narrows as our brain becomes overloaded. As shown in the figure, this is something of a slippery slope: the more our brain is overloaded, the more our performance can suffer. The more our performance suffers, the more new distractions, difficulties, anxieties and negative thoughts crowd our minds. Other research has shown that stress reduces peoples ability to deal with large amounts of information. Both decision-making and creativity are impaired because people are unable to take account of all the information available. This inability accounts for the common observation that highly stressed people will persist in a course of action even when better alternatives are available. It also explains why anxious people perform best when they are put under little additional stress, while calm people may need additional pressure to produce a good performance. Notes on the research behind the Inverted-U: While this is an important and useful idea, peoples evaluations of stress and performance are by necessity subjective. This has made it difficult to prove the ‘Inverted-U idea formally. Also, for ease of explanation, we show a smooth curve here. In reality, different people have different shaped and positioned inverted-Us at different times and in different circumstances. This is all part of â€Å"lifes rich tapestry†. Entering a State of Flow When you are operating in your â€Å"area of best performance†, you are normally able to concentrate, and focus all of your attention on the important task at hand. When you do this without distraction, you often enter what Professor Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi of Chicago University describes as a state of ‘flow. This involves â€Å"being completely involved in an activity for its own sake. The ego falls away. Time flies. Every action, movement, and thought follows inevitably from the previous one, like playing jazz. Your whole being is involved, and youre using your skills to the utmost. You perform at your best in this state because you are able to focus all of your efforts, resources and abilities on the tasks at hand. While you are sufficiently motivated to resist competing temptations, you are not so stressed that anxieties and distractions interfere with clear thought. This is an intensely creative, efficient and satisfying state of mind. It is the state of mind in which, for example, the most persuasive speeches are made, the best software is developed, and the most impressive athletic or artistic performances are delivered. Helping Yourself to Get Into Flow One of the frustrations of management is that managers can feel that they lose the ‘right to these periods of deep concentration when they must be readily available to others, and be able to deal with the constantly changing information, decisions and activities around them. Studies of good managers show that they rarely get more than a few minutes alone without distraction. This alone can be frustrating, and can contribute strongly to managerial stress. In jobs where concentration is a rare commodity, there are various solutions to creating the periods of flow that sustain good performance. Solutions include working from home, or setting aside parts of the day as quiet periods. Another solution might be to delegate the activities that require the greatest levels of concentration, allowing the manager to concentrate on problems as they arise, serving to create a flow of its own. One of the key aims of this site is to help you manage stress so that you can enter this state of flow, and deliver truly excellent performance in your career. MANAGING STRESS IN THE WORK PLACE Every responds to stress in a different way, it is only by understanding the nature of individual responses that you can start fighting stress yourself and others. Reduction or elimination of stress is necessary for psychological and physical well being of an individual. Efficiency in stress management enables the individual to deal or cope with the stressful situations instead of avoidance. Strategies like tie management, body-mind and mind-body relaxation exercise, seeking social support help individual improve their physical and mental resources to deal with stress successfully. Apart from helping employees adopt certain coping strategies to deal with stress providing them with the service of counselor is also useful. Many strategies have been developed to help manage stress in the work place. Some are strategies for individuals, and other is geared toward organizations. Individual coping strategies: Many strategies for helping individuals manage stress have been proposed. Individual coping strategies are used when an employee under stress exhibits undesirable behavior on the jobs such as performance, strained relationship with co-workers, absenteeism alcoholism and the like. Employees under stress require help in overcoming its negative effects. The strategies used are: Exercise: One method by which individual can manage their stress is through exercise. People who exercise regularly are known to less likely to have heart attacks than inactive people are. Research also has suggested that people who exercise regularly feel less tension and stress are more conflict and slow greater optimism. Relaxation: A related method individual can manage stress is relaxation. Copying with stress require adaptation. Proper relaxation is an effective way to adopt. Relaxation can take many forms. One way to relax is to take regular vacations; people can also relax while on the job (i.e. take regular breaks during their normal workday). A popular way of resting is to sit quietly with closed eyes for ten minutes every afternoon. Time management: Time management is an often recommended method for managing stress, the idea is that many daily pressures can be eased or eliminated if a person does a better job of managing time. One popular approach to time management is to make a list, every morning or the thins to be done that day. Then you group the items on the list into three categories: critical activities that must be performed, important activities that should be performed, and optimal or trivial things that can be delegated or postponed, then of more of the important things done every day. ROLE MANAGEMENT: Some what related to time management in which the individual actively works to avoid overload, ambiguity and conflict. SUPPORT GROUPS: This method of managing stress is to develop and maintain support group. A support group is simply a group of family member or friends with whom a person can spend time. Supportive family and friends can help people deal with normal stress on an ongoing basis. Support groups can be particularly useful during times of crisis. BEHAVIORAL SELF-CONTROL: In ultimate analysis, effective management if stress presupposes exercise of self-control on the part of an employee. By consciously analyzing the cause and consequences of their own behavior, the employees can achieve self-control. They can further develop awareness of their own limits of tolerance and learn to anticipate their own responses to various stressful situations. The strategy involves increasing an individuals control over the situations rather than being solely controlled by them. COGNITIVE THERAPY: The cognitive therapy techniques such as Ellis rational emotive model and Meichenbaums cognitive strategy fir modification have been used as an individual strategy for reducing job stress. COUNSELING: Personal counseling help employees understand and appreciate a diverse workforce, the holistic approach adopted by the counselor gives him a comprehensive view of the employee as client and enable him to deal the issues of work related problems in a larger context with his awareness of the inter-relationship among problems in adjustment with self, other and environment and that a work concern will effect personal life and vice-versa, the employee would receive help regarding the problem in all life. One of the advantage of the individual interventions is the individual can use these skills to improve the quality of life in offer domains like family, social support and self, thus reducing the negative carry of experiences in these domains into the work life which might effect his occupation mental health. ORGANIZATIONAL STRATEGIES: The most effective way of managing stress calls for adopting stressors and prevent occurrence of potential stressors. Two basic organizational strategies for helping employees manage stress are institutional programs and collateral programs. Work Design Stress Management programs Work schedules Health promotions programs Culture Other programs Supervision Institutional programs: Institutional programs for managing stress are undertaken to established organizational mechanism Effect of Stress on Job Performance Effect of Stress on Job Performance STRESS AND JOB PERFORMANCE People react to stress in different ways. Some copy much better than others and suffering fewer of the harmful effects of stress. Just as stress differs as a function of the individual, it also differs as a function of ones type of occupation. Some occupations are, of course, inherently more stressful than others. All of the stress-strain-health relationships have an obvious impact on the organization and industry. Both physical and mental illness renders the employee unlit for work, and combine both to lessen the satisfaction obtained from work and reduce job performance and productivity levels. There are various ways that stress symptoms or outcomes are reflected in the workplace. Evidence from a growing body of research suggests that certain individuals, in a variety of occupations, are increasingly exposed to unacceptable levels of job-related stress (Schultz Schultz, 2002). Occupational stress is any discomfort which is felt and perceived at a personal level and triggered by in stances, events or situations that are too intense and frequent in nature so as to exceed a persons coping capabilities and resources to handle them adequately (Malta, 2004) Occupational stress can be defined as the harmful physical and emotional responses that occur when the requirements of the job do not match the capabilities, resources or need of the worker (Sauter and Murphy. 1999). Performance is defined as the outcomes and accomplishments valued by the organization or system that one works in. Each individual is exposed to a range of stressors both at work and in their personal lives which ultimately affect his or her performance. Pressure at work can be positive leading to increased productivity. However, when this pressure becomes excessive it has a negative impact. The individual perceive themselves as being unable to cope and not to possess the necessary skills to combat their stress. Stress is acknowledged to be one of the main causes of absence from work (Mead, 2000). The occupational stressors can be categorized into four major groups. Firstly, the working conditions, including shift and week-end work, inadequate remuneration, hours of work, discrimination and safety at the work environment. Secondly, relationship at work including quality of relationships with peers, subordinates and supervisors. Thirdly, role conflicts and ambiguity including ill-defined role, functions, expectations, and duties. Fourthly, organization structure and climate which includes communication policy and practice, major changes in the workplace, culture of the organization, and lack of participation in decision-making. Another cause is career development including under utilization of skills or failing to reach full potential. Another contributing factor is the nature of the job which might amount to an immense amount of physical and emotional exhaustion (Parikh Taukari, 2004) The main objective of this study is to identify role of different contributing factors of job stress and to investigate level of stress on those factors in the organization. And also to find that how job performance is affected by job stress. There are different factors of job stress i.e. work overload, work under load, supervision role conflicts, career development, physical environment repetitive work, work family conflict and coworkers. RESEARCH HYPOTHESES There is difference in level of occupational stress among the employees of different departments of the organization. High level of stress adversely affects the performance of the employees. STRESS AT WORLKPLACE (OCCUPATIONAL STRESS) In todays changing and competitive work environment stress level is increasing both in WORKERS as well as MANAGERS .As a result of this work stress, more and more managers are showing signs of chronic fatigue and burnout. Research has concluded that stressed out managers are not good for organization and shareholders also .In most case stress reduced efficiency among individuals as well as reduced productivity also. Stress is the problem in amongst all the countries of the world ,irrespective of whether the economy is strong or weak .To know about the actual work stress we should have to know about the behavior of the individuals ,causes of the stress, its consequences and then how it can be reduce . â€Å"Considered from an individual`s points of view stress is our body`s physical, mental and chemical reaction to circumstance that frighten, confuse, endanger or irritate to any person†. If controlled stress, is a friend that strengthens us for the next encounter .if handled poorly, it becomes an enemy which can cause diseases like high blood pressure, ulcer, asthma, and over reactive thyroid. As per the medical explanation of the term â€Å"Stress is the body`s general response to environment situations.† it can lead to Physiological discomfort. Some kind of emotional unhappiness. Strained relationship with other people. In very simple words stress refers to an individual`s reaction to a disturbing factor in the environment. Different discipline and different professional have viewed it differently. Agarwala at 1979 believed that the confusion in definition is primarily due to the fact that the same term is used variously by scholars of different disciplines .Thus, in physic, stress is a force which acts on a body to produce strain. According to Beehr and Newman â€Å"Job stress is a condition arising from the interaction of the people and their jobs, and characterized by changes within people and force them to deviate from their normal functioning.† Stress can be defined as â€Å"Bodys non specific response to any demand made on it. Stress is not by definition synonymous with nervous system tension or anxiety. On one side Stress provides the means to express talents and energies and pursue happiness, on the other side it can also cause exhaustion and illness, either physical or psychological† One of the common accepted views of stress is provided by Selye through THREE STAGE MODEL OF STRESS. He called it General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS). Selye defines stress as â€Å"an adoptive response to the external situation that results in physical, physiological, and behavioural deviation for organizational participant.† He has suggested a three stage model and states that when an organism is confronted with a threat the general physiological response occurs in the three stages . Selye said that †¦There can be up to three phases that our resistance levels go through when we are exposed to a stressor. The first is the alarm phase. The bodys resistance to physical damage drops for a short-time. This is so our bodies can prepare to cope with the stressor by using up available energy and normally protective stress hormones. Temporarily some of our defenses against physical damage drop so that our blood pressure increases, blood-sugar rises, muscle tension increases, we breathe faster and deeper and we get a surge of adrenaline-like substances to give us extra physical capabilities should we need them. If the stressor no longer exists the body returns to its normal level of resistance. However if the stressor persists, (we cant fight or flee from it or and this goes beyond his original thinking we are unable to apply counteracting psychosocial resources) our level of resistance increases beyond normal, relaxed levels When our bodies start to run in higher gear. High levels of stress hormones continue to help us cope with the stressor. This is appropriately called the resistance phase. If there is no relief the body can continue for days, weeks, even years until either the stressor is suddenly removed or because it is very energy-consuming our body collapses often with more dangerous and extreme physical reactions. They are the same as in the alarm phase only more intense and more relentless. It is here in this third or exhaustion phase that our health suffers or even death can occur. Our level of resistance to physical disorder, disease and psychological pressure is at its lowest. It is characterized by feelings of lethargy an absence of energy and bodily resources to cope. MEASUREMENT OF ROLE STRESS: In the context of India two measures have been developed by Indian researchers and have been extensively used in research in India. They are given below: ORGANIZATIONAL ROLE STRESS: This instrument developed by Pareek (1983) this instrument based on the key concept t understand the integration of the organization .It is through this role that the individual interacts and gets integrated with the system. An n organization can be defined as system of roles, where role has been defined by the expectations various significant persons, including himself / herself, have from that position. The concept of role and the related concepts of ‘role space and ‘role set have a built- in potential for conflict and stress (Pareek 1999). From the point of view of an individual, two role systems are important: Role Space and Role Set. ROLE SPACE:- Each individual occupies and plays several roles simultaneously. A person can be a son a father a member of a club and so on at the same time. All these roles constitute role space time. All these roles constitute role space. In the center of the role space is the self. Role space is the self. Role space thus can be defending as â€Å"the dynamic inter-relationship between the self various roles an individual occupies.† ROLE SET;- The individual`s role in the organization is defined by the expectations of other significant roles and those of the individual himself .thus the role set is â€Å"the pattern of relationship between the role being considered and other roles. The organization role stress scale consists of 50 items measuring ten different types of organizational role stresses. These roles stress are Following: Inter role distance (IRD):-it is expected when there is a conflict between organizational and non organizational roles. Role stagnation (RS):- it is the feeling of being stuck in same role. Role expectation conflict (REC):- Stress is generated by expectation of different significant persons such as superior , subordinate, and peers ,about the same role and the role occupant`s ambivalence as to whom to please. Role Erosion (RE); Here stress is the function of the role occupant`s feeling that some function which should properly belong to her role are transferred to some other role. Role Overload (RO) ; when the role occupant feels that there are too many expectations from her. Role Isolation (RI); Stress refer to the psychological distance between the occupant role and other roles in the same role set. Personal Inadequacy; It arises when the role occupant feels that he does not have the necessary skills and training for effectively performing the function expected from his role. Self Role Distance (SRD):- When the role the person occupies goes against his self concept. Role Ambiguity (RA):- It refers to the lack of clarity about the expectation of the role. Resource Inadequacy (RIN):- Stress is evident when the role occupant feels that he is not provided with the adequate resources for performing the function expected from his role. SOURCES OF STRESS It has been said that stress result form a misfits between environmental demands and personal adequacies to meet these demands .However, management of stress is not possible unless the individual is aware of the specific source of stress. Stress can be emanating from variety of sources. Pestonjee (1983) has identified three important sectors of life in which stress originates .These are (a) Job and organization (b) Social Factors (c) Inter Psychic sector .The first namely , job and organization, refers to totality of the work environment (task ,atmosphere, colleagues , compensations, policies ,etc.)The social factors refer to the social / culture context of life .It may include religion, caste, language, dress and other factors. The intra psychic sector encompasses those things which are intimate and personal like temperament, values, abilities, and health. It is contended that stresses can originate in any of these sectors or in combinations thereof. Factor intrinsic to the Job: These are related to poor working conditions shift work, long hours, poor technology, travel, risk and danger, work over load. Role in the organization: When a persons role in an organization is clearly defined and understood, and when expectation place upon the individual are also clear and non- conflicting, stress can be kept to a minimum. Ivancevich and Matteson (1980) have identified three critical factors- role ambiguity ,role conflict , and degree of responsibility for others are major source of stress. Relation -ship at work: The working relationship which one has with people working in the same organization can also be a major source of stress. Career Development : A host of issue such as job security , fear of job loss, obsolescence or retirement and numerous performance appraisals can create pressure and strain. Organizational structure climate: just being part of an organization can present threats to a persons sense of freedom and autonomy. It seems that the position in the organization has something to do with stress. However the research evidence its inclusive .some studies have found that position in the organization does make a difference in job stress. Nature of Profession: The research evidence suggests that certain kind of occupations cause greater stress. Than others in a study of comparative degree of stress amongst professionals Mishra(2001)collected data from 144 doctors and 82 nurses drawn from various hospitals , their result show that nurses experience greater stress in their job as compared to doctors. Predispositional stress: The degree of stress seems vary with the personality and predispositional factor. Some individuals experience greater stress than others. Doctors with internal locus of control reported higher organizational stress than the internal . (Kumar 1988) The below chart shows one example of the structure of a department in an organization, indicating typical causes of stress that may effect stress at certain levels in the structure, and particular. Causes that are affecting individuals. Stress is contagious; anyone who is not performing well due to increases the amount of pressure on their colleagues, superiors, and subordinates. SYMPTOMS OF STRESS As stated earlier Stress is caused by or reaction to the external events and bring about changes in our response and our general behavior. The presence of Stress can be estimated by the analysis of certain symptoms an individual shows. These symptoms can be divided into three different categories. They are Feelings ,Behavoiur and pshysological . When the individual experience Stress, one or more of the following symptoms can be exhibited: Feelings The individual becomes anxious about the outcomes and is scared. The person feels that he has got something to loose or something wrong will take place. In an anxious state the person does not want to be corrected or interrupted. He looks out for other areas where he can forget about the stress-causing event for a while. The person becomes irritable and moody. During high level of Stress the individual develops a negative frame of mind and suffers from low self-esteem. The person loses faith in his capabilities and is afraid of the failures. The individual does not have a focused approach and is not able to concentrate and is involved in his own plans and thoughts. Physiological and Behavioral Changes Speech problems. Impulsive Behavior Crying for no apparent reason. Laughing in a high pitch and nervous tone of voice. Grinding of teeth Increasing smoking and use of drugs and alcohol. Being accident-prone Perspiration /sweaty hands Increased heart beat Trembling/Sleeping problems Diarrhea / indigestion / vomiting/ nausea Butterflies in stomach Headaches Premenstrual tension Pain in the neck and or lower back Susceptibility to illness Loss of appetite Nervous ticks Dryness of throat and mouth. Tiring easily or over eating CONSEQUENCES OF STRESS The effect of stress is closely linked to individual personality. The same level of stress affects different people in different ways each person has different ways of coping. Recognizing these personality types means that more focused help can be given. Stress shows itself number of ways. For instance, individual who is experiencing high level of stress may develop high blood pressure, ulcers, irritability, difficulty in making routine decisions, loss of appetite, accident proneness, and the like. These can be subsumed under three categories: Individual consequences Organizational consequence Burnout Individual consequences: Individual consequences of stress are those, which affect the individual directly. Due to this the organization may suffer directly or indirectly, but it is the individual who has to pays for it. Individual consequences of stress are broadly divided into behavioral, psychological and medical. v Behavioral consequences of stress are responses that may harm the person under stress or others. Behaviorally related stress symptoms include changes in productivity, turnover, as well as changes in eating habits, increased smoking or consumption of alcohol, paid speech, and sleep disorders. v Psychological consequences of stress replace to an individual mental health and well-being from or felling depressed. Job related stress could cause dissatisfaction, infact it has most psychological effect on the individual and lead to tension, anxiety irritability, and boredom. v Medical consequences of stress affect a persons well being. According to a research conducted, it revealed that stress could create changes in metabolism, increase heart and breathing rates, increases blood pressure bring out headaches and induce heart attacks. Organizational consequences: Organizational consequences of stress have direct affect on the organizations. These include decline in performance, withdrawal and negative changes in attitude.  ¯ Decline in performance can translate into poor quality work or a drop in productivity. Promotions and other organizational benefits get affected due to this.  ¯ Withdrawal behavior also can result from stress. Significant form of withdrawal behavior is absenteeism.  ¯ One main affect of employee stress is directly related to attitudes. Job satisfaction, morale and organizational commitment can all suffer, along with motivation to perform at higher levels. Burnout:- A final consequence of stress has implementation for both people and organizations. Burnout is a general feeling of exhaustion that develops when an individual simultaneously experiences too much pressure and few sources of satisfaction. STRESS AND YOUR PERFORMANCE So far, we have seen that stress is a negative experience. We have seen the short-term burnout. The Positive Effects of Pressure Sometimes, however, the pressures and demands that may cause stress can be positive in their effect. One example of this is where sportsmen and women flood their bodies with fight-or-flight adrenaline to power an explosive performance. Another example is where deadlines are used to motivate people who seem bored or unmotivated. We will discuss this briefly here, but throughout the rest of this site we see stress as a problem that needs to be solved. The Negative effect of pressure In most work situations jobs, our stress responses cause our performance to suffer. A calm, rational, controlled and sensitive approach is usually called for in dealing with most difficult problems at work: Our social inter-relationships are just too complex not to be damaged by an aggressive approach, while a passive and withdrawn response to stress means that we can fail to assert our rights when we should. Before we look further at how to manage stress and our performance, it is important to look at the relationship between pressure and performance in a little more detail, first by looking at the idea of the â€Å"Inverted-U†, and second by looking at Flow. This is the ideal state of concentration and focus that brings excellent performance. Pressure Performance – the Inverted U The relationship between pressure and performance is explained in one of the oldest and most important ideas in stress management, the â€Å"Inverted-U† relationship between pressure and performance. The Inverted-U relationship focuses on peoples performance of a task. The left hand side of the graph is easy to explain for pragmatic reasons. When there is very little pressure on us to carry out an important task, there is little incentive for us to focus energy and attention on it. This is particularly the case when there may be other, more urgent, or more interesting, tasks competing for attention. As pressure on us increases, we enter the â€Å"area of best performance†. Here, we are able to focus on the task and perform well – there is enough pressure on us to focus our attention but not so much that it disrupts our performance. The right hand side of the graph is more complex to explain. Negative Thoughts Crowd Our Minds We are all aware that we have a limited short-term memory: If you try to memorize a long list of items, you will not be able to remember more than six or eight items unless you use formal memory techniques. Similarly, although we have huge processing power in our brains, we cannot be conscious of more than a few thoughts at any one time. In fact, in a very real way, we have a limited â€Å"attention capacity†. As we become uncomfortably stressed, distractions, difficulties, anxieties and negative thinking begin to crowd our minds. This is particularly the case where we look at our definition of stress, i.e. that it occurs when a person perceives that â€Å"demands exceed the personal and social resources the individual is able to mobilize.† These thoughts compete with performance of the task for our attention capacity. Concentration suffers, and focus narrows as our brain becomes overloaded. As shown in the figure, this is something of a slippery slope: the more our brain is overloaded, the more our performance can suffer. The more our performance suffers, the more new distractions, difficulties, anxieties and negative thoughts crowd our minds. Other research has shown that stress reduces peoples ability to deal with large amounts of information. Both decision-making and creativity are impaired because people are unable to take account of all the information available. This inability accounts for the common observation that highly stressed people will persist in a course of action even when better alternatives are available. It also explains why anxious people perform best when they are put under little additional stress, while calm people may need additional pressure to produce a good performance. Notes on the research behind the Inverted-U: While this is an important and useful idea, peoples evaluations of stress and performance are by necessity subjective. This has made it difficult to prove the ‘Inverted-U idea formally. Also, for ease of explanation, we show a smooth curve here. In reality, different people have different shaped and positioned inverted-Us at different times and in different circumstances. This is all part of â€Å"lifes rich tapestry†. Entering a State of Flow When you are operating in your â€Å"area of best performance†, you are normally able to concentrate, and focus all of your attention on the important task at hand. When you do this without distraction, you often enter what Professor Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi of Chicago University describes as a state of ‘flow. This involves â€Å"being completely involved in an activity for its own sake. The ego falls away. Time flies. Every action, movement, and thought follows inevitably from the previous one, like playing jazz. Your whole being is involved, and youre using your skills to the utmost. You perform at your best in this state because you are able to focus all of your efforts, resources and abilities on the tasks at hand. While you are sufficiently motivated to resist competing temptations, you are not so stressed that anxieties and distractions interfere with clear thought. This is an intensely creative, efficient and satisfying state of mind. It is the state of mind in which, for example, the most persuasive speeches are made, the best software is developed, and the most impressive athletic or artistic performances are delivered. Helping Yourself to Get Into Flow One of the frustrations of management is that managers can feel that they lose the ‘right to these periods of deep concentration when they must be readily available to others, and be able to deal with the constantly changing information, decisions and activities around them. Studies of good managers show that they rarely get more than a few minutes alone without distraction. This alone can be frustrating, and can contribute strongly to managerial stress. In jobs where concentration is a rare commodity, there are various solutions to creating the periods of flow that sustain good performance. Solutions include working from home, or setting aside parts of the day as quiet periods. Another solution might be to delegate the activities that require the greatest levels of concentration, allowing the manager to concentrate on problems as they arise, serving to create a flow of its own. One of the key aims of this site is to help you manage stress so that you can enter this state of flow, and deliver truly excellent performance in your career. MANAGING STRESS IN THE WORK PLACE Every responds to stress in a different way, it is only by understanding the nature of individual responses that you can start fighting stress yourself and others. Reduction or elimination of stress is necessary for psychological and physical well being of an individual. Efficiency in stress management enables the individual to deal or cope with the stressful situations instead of avoidance. Strategies like tie management, body-mind and mind-body relaxation exercise, seeking social support help individual improve their physical and mental resources to deal with stress successfully. Apart from helping employees adopt certain coping strategies to deal with stress providing them with the service of counselor is also useful. Many strategies have been developed to help manage stress in the work place. Some are strategies for individuals, and other is geared toward organizations. Individual coping strategies: Many strategies for helping individuals manage stress have been proposed. Individual coping strategies are used when an employee under stress exhibits undesirable behavior on the jobs such as performance, strained relationship with co-workers, absenteeism alcoholism and the like. Employees under stress require help in overcoming its negative effects. The strategies used are: Exercise: One method by which individual can manage their stress is through exercise. People who exercise regularly are known to less likely to have heart attacks than inactive people are. Research also has suggested that people who exercise regularly feel less tension and stress are more conflict and slow greater optimism. Relaxation: A related method individual can manage stress is relaxation. Copying with stress require adaptation. Proper relaxation is an effective way to adopt. Relaxation can take many forms. One way to relax is to take regular vacations; people can also relax while on the job (i.e. take regular breaks during their normal workday). A popular way of resting is to sit quietly with closed eyes for ten minutes every afternoon. Time management: Time management is an often recommended method for managing stress, the idea is that many daily pressures can be eased or eliminated if a person does a better job of managing time. One popular approach to time management is to make a list, every morning or the thins to be done that day. Then you group the items on the list into three categories: critical activities that must be performed, important activities that should be performed, and optimal or trivial things that can be delegated or postponed, then of more of the important things done every day. ROLE MANAGEMENT: Some what related to time management in which the individual actively works to avoid overload, ambiguity and conflict. SUPPORT GROUPS: This method of managing stress is to develop and maintain support group. A support group is simply a group of family member or friends with whom a person can spend time. Supportive family and friends can help people deal with normal stress on an ongoing basis. Support groups can be particularly useful during times of crisis. BEHAVIORAL SELF-CONTROL: In ultimate analysis, effective management if stress presupposes exercise of self-control on the part of an employee. By consciously analyzing the cause and consequences of their own behavior, the employees can achieve self-control. They can further develop awareness of their own limits of tolerance and learn to anticipate their own responses to various stressful situations. The strategy involves increasing an individuals control over the situations rather than being solely controlled by them. COGNITIVE THERAPY: The cognitive therapy techniques such as Ellis rational emotive model and Meichenbaums cognitive strategy fir modification have been used as an individual strategy for reducing job stress. COUNSELING: Personal counseling help employees understand and appreciate a diverse workforce, the holistic approach adopted by the counselor gives him a comprehensive view of the employee as client and enable him to deal the issues of work related problems in a larger context with his awareness of the inter-relationship among problems in adjustment with self, other and environment and that a work concern will effect personal life and vice-versa, the employee would receive help regarding the problem in all life. One of the advantage of the individual interventions is the individual can use these skills to improve the quality of life in offer domains like family, social support and self, thus reducing the negative carry of experiences in these domains into the work life which might effect his occupation mental health. ORGANIZATIONAL STRATEGIES: The most effective way of managing stress calls for adopting stressors and prevent occurrence of potential stressors. Two basic organizational strategies for helping employees manage stress are institutional programs and collateral programs. Work Design Stress Management programs Work schedules Health promotions programs Culture Other programs Supervision Institutional programs: Institutional programs for managing stress are undertaken to established organizational mechanism

Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck Essay -- literary analysis, Steinbec

Introduction To some extent, writers are the most powerful people in the world as they can use words to change people’s perceptions and ideas. Around the world, there are numerous writers who choose to convey their thoughts within their works, no matter fictions or poems. However, there are also some other representatives who prefer to be objective as a writer, and from my perspective, John Steinbeck should be one of them. Hence, I agree with the given quotation. In this essay, I will try to prove the quotation in three aspects. Firstly, I will discuss some characteristic of Of Mice and Men as well as John Steinbeck’s writing approach. Then, I will explore the fascinating and bewildering aspects of life in his fiction to demonstrate my statement. Finally, a conclusion will be given. During 1930s, the relationship between the suffered labors and the government is very tense as a type of remarkable social contradictions. Of Mice and Men, the book that Steinbeck wrote that period, is n either about the resistance of California’s newcomers nor their economic threat to the landed elite. (Shillinglaw, 1994) This book is about common people, their dreams, their ordinary life and their misfortune. The story teller- John Steinbeck To begin with, I will select some important elements in Of Mice and Men to support my argument which states John Steinbeck is not a demonstrator but a story-teller. The title of this fiction is the first thing I would like to point out. The original title of this literary work is called â€Å"Something That Happened† which can be regarded as non-judgmental. (Shillinglaw, 1994). Later on, he changed his title after reading a poem. However, the new title still stands in an objective way. Steinbeck’s stylistic techniq... ...Meyer, Michael J.. (2009). Essential Criticism of John Steinbeck's of Mice and Men, The. Scarecrow Press. Retrieved 3 December 2013, from Millichap, J. (1978). Realistic style in steinbeck's and milestone's of mice and men. Literature/Film Quarterly, 6(3), 241-252. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/226984779?accountid=11440 Sale, R. (1980, Mar 20). Stubborn steinbeck. The New York Review of Books (Pre-1986), 27, 10. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/201312410?accountid=11440 John Steinbeck: Naturalism's Priest Woodburn O. Ross College English , Vol. 10, No. 8 (May, 1949), pp. 432-438 Published by: National Council of Teachers of English Article Stable URL: http://0-www.jstor.org.hkbulib.hkbu.edu.hk/stable/372552 Twentieth-century American Literary Naturalism: An Interpretation Donald Pizer

Lights and Sounds Museum Essay

When I first heard of the Lights and Sounds Museum, I thought I was just going to watch an ordinary show about the making of Intramuros. But when I entered a big room, standing, and with lights all turned off, I felt I was up for something more exciting that day. The Lights and Sounds Museum wasn’t just a museum, it was an experience center! A diorama of one of the battles fought between the Filipinos and the Spaniards. The museum was divided into different rooms. Each one of them is depicting some of the highlights of the Philippine history. It has dioramas- moving replicas of people and objects placed in scenes that tell the remarkable stories of the Philippines’ past. Statues of the different Filipino heroes were placed inside the Lights and Sounds Museum. Each scene is to be â€Å"experienced† one by one. It is dramatically narrated by a voice over with some background music. The lights are also in place to direct the attention of the audience to the main characters. A tour facilitator is also present to lead the audience from one room to another. We were brought to Europe inside the Lights and Sounds Museum and experienced the life of Jose Rizal and his fellow Filipinos when they were there. The life of Jose Rizal was one of the highlights in the Lights and Sound Museum. It was an instant trip to Europe when we were brought by the tour facilitator to Jose Rizal’s life in Spain and Germany. The publishing of La Solidaridad. We were able to â€Å"experience† the national hero’s life through the images being depicted in the dioramas. The dioramas were not anymore at their best conditions today but I still enjoyed the entire show, nonetheless. The different characters from Noli Me Tangere. There was even a room showcasing the characters of Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo. It was nice to go back once again to the novels written by Jose Rizal. This time, with life-size dioramas and dramatic narrations. The friars warned the Filipinos about reading Rizal’s novels. The Lights and Sounds Museum was a project of the former Tourism Secretary, Richard Gordon. The aim of the museum is to retell the history of the Philippines to local and foreign visitors in an interactive and fun setting. The building of Intramuros. Another highlight of the show is the story of how Intramuros, the Walled City, was built. This topic wasn’t discussed that much during my classes in history in high school and college. The Filipinos weren’t allowed to enter inside Intramuros- except the slaves. Because of the Lights and Sounds Museum, I have learned that ordinary Filipinos- except the special guests and the slaves- weren’t allowed to enter the walls of Intramuros back then. It was exclusive to the Spaniards- the government officials, the friars and their guests. It was also said that the Spaniards made it a very happy place. Spaniards held feasts inside it every now and then, leaving the Filipinos outside hungry and oppressed. A diorama of Jose Rizal when he was imprisoned in Fort Santiago. Lights and Sounds Museum is located at Sta. Lucia cor. Victoria Sts. The tour requires a minimum fee of PhP 1,000 per tour. The first show starts at 10:00 AM and the last show at 6:00 PM. For reservations or inquiries, you may contact (02) 524 2827.

The Ogood Samaritan Essay

The Ogood Samaritan Essay The Ogood Samaritan Essay The Good Samaritan Jesus Christ was a teacher and he often told parables, embedding within them messages and lessons. One of the many important parables Jesus taught was the parable of the Good Samaritan of the Gospel of Luke. He was asked by a lawyer, an expert on the Law of Moses; how one could inherit eternal life. Jesus replied by asking him what the law said and the lawyer replied with the first commandment: â€Å"Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with your entire mind, and with all your strength; and, Love your neighbour as yourself† (Luke 10:27). Jesus said to do so and he will live. The lawyer wanted to justify himself and asked Jesus who his neighbour was. Jesus replied with the parable of The Good Samaritan. (Luke 10: 25-37) We can apply the covenants to our everyday life to be like the Good Samaritan. The parable begins between the city of Jerusalem and the city of Jericho. The roads between the cities were rough and deserted, with very few inhabitants and where many robbers spent their time. A man travelling to Jericho was unfortunate and fell into the hands of the robbers. The robbers stripped him, beat him and then went away, leaving his body on the side of the road half dead. By chance, a priest was going down the same road and when he saw the beaten body, he passed onto the other side. Next a Levite came to the place and when he saw the man’s body, he too passed onto the other side. But a Samaritan, a person despised by the Jews was travelling when he saw the man. He approached the injured man, cleaned and bandaged his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them. The Samaritan put the man onto his animal and brought him to an inn to take care of him. The next day, he returns and repay the innkeeper whatever more he spent. The priest and the Levite are two characters in the parable. They are Jewish religious leaders who have good knowledge of God’s law. There are a number of possibilities which may explain why the priest and the Levite could not stop and help the injured man. It would have been bad for the priest and the Levite to touch a dead body, which may explain why they did not check to see if the man was dead. To touch a dead body would have made the Levite and the priest unclean (Numbers 19:11). In Leviticus 21:1, it states: ‘The Lord said to Moses, â€Å"Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say to them: A priest must not make himself ceremonially unclean for any of his people who die.† But in accordance to Leviticus 25:35, they were still required to help his brother in need: â€Å"If any of your fellow Israelites become poor and are unable to support themselves among you, help them as you would a foreigner and stranger, so they can continue to live among you.† They may have had to be someplace else and therefore, it would have been an inconvenience to help the man, their neighbour while the Samaritan did. The third person in the parable is a Samaritan, a person from the province of Samaria. Samaritan and Jews did not associate with one another (John 4:9). Jews called Samaritans unclean and looked down on them. To Jews, Samaritans were considered as social outcasts, untouchables and racially inferior people who practised a false religion. Any physical contact with a Samaritan would make a Jew ceremonially unclean. The Samaritans responded with a strong dislike for the Jews. The bible does not say whether the injured man was a Jew but either way the charitable Samaritan was moved with pity when he saw the half-dead man on the side of the road, â€Å"The first question which the priest and the Levite asked was, â€Å"If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?† But the Good Samaritan reversed the question, â€Å"If I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him?† (Martin Luther King Jr, 1968). It was the Samaritan who showed Mercy to the injured man, not the Levite or the priest and this is the point that Jesus was trying to get across to the lawyer. Jesus flipped

Free Essays on Silver Mine, Cobalt

Silver Mine, Cobalt Well-chosen colors, definitive style, the theme represented in this painting is both the glorification of the â€Å"machine age†, yet also represents the infringement of industry upon humans and the natural world; the painting has two completely different sides, depending on how you look at the piece. In an analysis of a painting, the viewer must consider several features: style, color, composition and content. This piece displays very powerful ideas, and is an excellent representation of the author’s opinions and views. The style of the painting is incredibly important when contemplating the meaning of the piece. In this case, the style reflects the conflict between the angularity of machines and the flow of the natural world, because McKague Housser has juxtaposed the soft sky and rocks with smooth lines to the stark severity of the manmade parts of the painting. The artist has used the contrast to convey both themes: the theme of industrial praise and the theme of violation. The harsh lines of the synthetic materials give the viewer the impression of more importance, or more significance, and also create separation between each unnatural element. This produces the appearance of each unnatural element being unique and important, separating each one, including the logs, buildings, and poles. On the other hand, the gentle and organic elements, such as the stone and clouds, create the perspective of blending and intermingling, fading into the background and becoming seemingly unimportant in comparison to the industrial parts. In addition to the style, the color also plays a role in the overall effect of the piece. The colors of the natural components are mostly pastels: dove-grey, mauve, rose and cream. This creates the softer, more delicate feel to these elements. However, in the unnatural factors of the painting, colors such as bronze, navy, iron grey and steel blue are strong and... Free Essays on Silver Mine, Cobalt Free Essays on Silver Mine, Cobalt Silver Mine, Cobalt Well-chosen colors, definitive style, the theme represented in this painting is both the glorification of the â€Å"machine age†, yet also represents the infringement of industry upon humans and the natural world; the painting has two completely different sides, depending on how you look at the piece. In an analysis of a painting, the viewer must consider several features: style, color, composition and content. This piece displays very powerful ideas, and is an excellent representation of the author’s opinions and views. The style of the painting is incredibly important when contemplating the meaning of the piece. In this case, the style reflects the conflict between the angularity of machines and the flow of the natural world, because McKague Housser has juxtaposed the soft sky and rocks with smooth lines to the stark severity of the manmade parts of the painting. The artist has used the contrast to convey both themes: the theme of industrial praise and the theme of violation. The harsh lines of the synthetic materials give the viewer the impression of more importance, or more significance, and also create separation between each unnatural element. This produces the appearance of each unnatural element being unique and important, separating each one, including the logs, buildings, and poles. On the other hand, the gentle and organic elements, such as the stone and clouds, create the perspective of blending and intermingling, fading into the background and becoming seemingly unimportant in comparison to the industrial parts. In addition to the style, the color also plays a role in the overall effect of the piece. The colors of the natural components are mostly pastels: dove-grey, mauve, rose and cream. This creates the softer, more delicate feel to these elements. However, in the unnatural factors of the painting, colors such as bronze, navy, iron grey and steel blue are strong and...

Federalist and Antifederalist Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Federalist and Antifederalist - Essay Example The rationale that underpins his argument is that the present Federal Government has proved to be â€Å"inefficient† and hence it is time for the people to decide upon a new Constitution. Hamilton also argues though the arguments for a new Constitution are obvious and to repeat them would be â€Å"superfluous†, nonetheless he exhorts the people of New York to guard against malicious rumors against the same. The following quote from the Federalist Paper underlines this aspect of Hamilton’s appeal to the people: â€Å"But the fact is, that we already hear it whispered in the private circles of those who oppose the new Constitution, that the thirteen States are of too great extent for any general system, and that we must of necessity resort to separate confederacies of distinct portions of the whole† (Hamilton, 1787). This is the same argument which was also built upon by the Anti-Federalists who pointed out on more than one occasion about the new Federal system being unwieldy and hence there is no need for a Federation per se. The point here is both sides of the debate were arguing about the necessity or otherwise of the proposed Federation and they were motivated by a strong desire not to accept the new Federation (Anti-Federalists) and an equally strong desire to have the new Federation as a route to all around prosperity (Federalists). While the anti-Federalists warned about the concentration of power in the hands of a few, the Federalists proposed the formation of a new system that would be powerful enough to achieve their objectives of true Republican government. The motivation of the Federalists is quite clear. They wanted a strong Federation that would balance the needs of the strong as well as the weak and protect the latter from excesses by the majority. However, the Anti-Federalists were quite adamant that such concentration of power would lead

The Future of Healthcare Information Systems Coursework

The Future of Healthcare Information Systems - Coursework Example Some of the required skills include the web and computer technology. Additionally, they need the managerial and organizational leadership and competencies needed for the changes in the operational roles and methods. It had become important to comprehend the functional capabilities of technologies that are associated with e-health, health records, and also telecare (Bashshur, 2013). In standardization the automation process and services will not be feasible in the absence of data standards that enables communication through the internet oriented programs and languages. Some of the core limitation in setting up the standards concern the substandard definition of deliverables. The health sector will fail in determining the objective and the functionalities that are desired for the health application and their conflicts to define the minimum sets of data for clinical and operational management of e-health. The implementations and standard development is a slow process and tends to need a lot of regulatory actions (Bashshur,