Type A and type B personalities are two standard personality related behaviors. Type A behaviors include impatience, excessive time-consciousness and perfectionism. Type B behaviors include a more relaxed and flexible outlook, with less focus on time and deadlines.
LO 12-4 Describe the physical effects of stress. Stress occurs in three stages as your body sounds the alarm that a stressor is occurring, tries to cope with the stressor, and if coping fails, exhausts its resources and becomes vulnerable to illness due to a weakened immune system.
LO 12-5 Explain the cost of stress in the workplace. Stress-related prob- lems cost the American economy more than $300 million per year.
These costs include lost work, insurance claims and costs, stress management programs, and stress-related lawsuits.
1. What is meant by stress and stressors? Identify two sources of eustress, and two sources of distress, in your own life.
2. How are major life changes different from daily hassles? How can a major life change lead to daily hassles? Discuss examples of these in your own life.
review questions
catastrophize 292 chronic stressors 289 cognitive appraisal 291 daily hassles 288 distress 288 eustress 288
external stressors 290
key terms
frustration 290 hardy personality 296 inner conflict 290 internal stressors 291 irrational belief
system 292 job burnout 303
major life changes 288 stress 288 stressor 288 type A and type B
personalities 295
3. Suppose that you were really looking forward to going to work one day, but when you left for work you realized your tire was flat. Your stress level increased. Discuss how this situation leads to internal and/or external sources of stress.
4. Are there any chronic stressors in your own life, or the life of someone you know? Describe the stressor, and possible coping strategies.
5. Do you hold any of the irrational beliefs described by Ellis? How do they affect your perception of events?
6. According to Ellis, what is catastrophizing? Do you ever find yourself catastrophizing? In what situations? How can you minimize it?
7. What is the difference between meditation and biofeedback? How can each be used to reduce stress? What other specific suggestions for cop- ing with stress can you incorporate into your own life?
8. Suppose you are driving to work one day on your usual route past the City Zoo, when a giant grizzly bear escapes, runs out of the entrance, growling and roaring, and heads straight for your car. Describe the physical and chemical changes that you would experience, according to the general adaptation syndrome (GAS).
9. A life without stress seems like a pleasant and desirable goal. Do you agree with Selye that stress is necessary in order to motivate you and keep you alive? Why or why not? What do you think would happen if you didn’t have any stress in your life?
10. Some people say that since everyone is going to die anyway, it would be better to enjoy life without worrying about diet, exercise, and other behaviors that may prolong life while reducing the enjoyment of life.
Why do you think these people feel this way? What do you think?
critical thinking questions
TYPE A OR TYPE B PERSONALITY BEHAVIORS
School-to-Work Connection: Personal Qualities Skills
Are you more like a type A or B? Complete the questionnaire by checking
“yes” if the behavior pattern is typical of you and “no” if it is not. At a glance, more “no” responses suggest the type B behavior pattern.
working it out 12.1
Do You Yes No 1. Strongly accent keywords in your
everyday speech?
2. Eat and walk quickly?
3. Believe that children should be taught to be competitive?
4. Feel restless when watching a slow
worker?
5. Hurry other people to get on with what
they’re saying?
6. Find it highly frustrating to be stuck
in traffic or to wait for a seat at a restaurant?
7. Continue to think about your own problems and business even when listening to someone else?
8. Try to eat and read, or drive and jot down notes at the same time?
9. Catch up on your work during vacation?
10. Bring conversations around to topics of concern to you?
11. Feel guilty when you spend time just
relaxing?
12. Feel that you’re so wrapped up in your
work that you no longer notice office decorations or scenery when you commute?
13. Find yourself concerned with getting more things, rather than developing your creativity or social concerns?
14. Try to schedule more and more activities into less and less time?
15. Always appear for appointments on
time?
16. Clench or pound your fists, or use other
gestures to emphasize your views?
17. Credit your accomplishments to your
ability to work rapidly?
18. Feel that things must be done now and
quickly?
19. Constantly try to find more efficient
ways to get things done?
20. Insist on winning at games, rather than
just having fun?
21. Interrupt others often?
22. Feel irritated when others are late?
23. Leave the table immediately after eating?
24. Feel rushed?
25. Feel dissatisfied with your current level of performance?
Count up your “yes” checkmarks. “Yes” responses suggest the type A behavior pattern, which includes a sense of time urgency and constant struggle.
Source: Spencer Rathus, Psychology (Fort Worth, TX: Harcourt, Brace, Jovanovich, 1993). Reprinted by permission of the publisher.
STRESS SELF-TEST
School-to-Work Connection: Personal Qualities Skills
How much stress are you under? To measure the degree of stress you suffer, take this stress test. Circle the appropriate number for each question and tally your total score. A score of 12 or lower indicates a low degree of per- sonal stress reactions; between 13 and 24 reflects a moderate degree; higher than 24 indicates that you’re experiencing a high degree of stress. Although your score might not altogether surprise you, it would be wise to consult your doctor to determine whether you have a health problem that requires medi- cal attention, one that might be contributing to your stress level and your ability to withstand it.
How Often Do You Suffer From Never Hardly Ever Sometimes Often
1. Aches in back, head, or neck 0 1 2 3
2. Too many issues on your mind at once 0 1 2 3
3. Chest pains 0 1 2 3
4. Low interest in physical intimacy 0 1 2 3
5. An urge to drink a lot of alcohol 0 1 2 3
6. Feelings of anxiety and being uptight 0 1 2 3
7. Difficulty falling or staying asleep 0 1 2 3
8. A feeling of depression 0 1 2 3
9. A feeling of being overwhelmed 0 1 2 3
10. An inability to think clearly 0 1 2 3
Source: “Vital Signs,” Sales and Marketing Management, November 1992, p. 93. Reprinted with permission of Sales and Marketing Management.
working it out 12.2
case study 12.1
Bonnie the Bumblebee
J ames rested his head in his hand and mused as
he watched his supervisor, Bonnie, buzz around the office at high speed. He liked to think of her as a giant bumblebee: always moving and often sting- ing. Bonnie was always in a hurry because she felt she had to do her own work and then redo every- one else’s. The stinging came often in the form of criticizing her employees, upper management, her family, and everything else. James, in contrast, preferred a slower, more steady but thorough pace of work. He didn’t see any advantage to constantly being so critical and rushed all the time.
“James, you’re going to have to do this spread- sheet all over again. I just don’t have time to fix it for you, and the Finance Department will never accept it in this form.”
Suddenly, she stopped and looked thought- ful. “You know, James, I’m going to be eligible for early retirement in only eight years. I’ll probably be promoted to upper management soon. You’re a lot younger than I am, but you should be think- ing about your future with this company. I think you’re probably capable, yet you just don’t seem to
have the drive, the aggression, that I had at your age. You’re just too nice or something. Don’t you want to make anything of yourself?”
James only smiled and said, “Well, Bonnie, I’ll have to think about that.” In fact, James had thought quite a lot about the differences between the two of them. He was quite certain that of the two of them, he’d be more likely to be promoted to upper management.
Case Study Questions
1. Is James correct—will he more likely make it to upper management, or will Bonnie?
Why?
2. Thinking of the personality behaviors dis- cussed in this chapter, what characteristics would lead you to categorize Bonnie and James as either type A, type B, or hardy?
3. Does Bonnie seem stressed? If so, from what sources (major life changes, daily hassles, chronic stressors, internal stress, or external stress)? If not, why?
instructors never remind us when stuff is due or when exams are going to be. I’m always getting my work in late, and I never feel ready for tests when they come. At least in high school my mom or my teachers would pester me about getting things done. Here, it doesn’t seem like anybody cares! A lot of my teachers act like they don’t care whether I come to class or not.”
“Why are you blaming everybody else?” Art replied. “I saw you hanging out in the student lounge all morning yesterday, and you knew that we had a project due in English comp. You need to learn how to manage your time better. Why can’t you get it together?”
Case Study Questions
1. Do you think Rick will ever “get it together”?
What are the real causes of his frustration?
Why isn’t Arturo having the same kinds of problems?
2. Sketch out a rough time management plan for Rick, one that includes a 20-hours-per-week job and 12 credits of coursework, along with some personal time and study sessions.
3. What kinds of specific items would a long- term calendar for Rick need to include?
R ick Russell and Arturo Garcia were friends in
high school. Last year they both graduated with above-average grades. Now, both are attend- ing their local community college, studying busi- ness and hoping for successful lives. They have talked a lot about transferring to a four-year col- lege in the future, maybe before finishing the two years where they are. Although both did well in high school, Rick seems to be really struggling to keep up with both school and a part-time job.
“Art, how do you handle all the stuff you’re doing in your life and still stay so calm? How do you manage to get all those good grades? I can barely keep my C average and keep from getting on academic warning. All these instructors want way too much work from us. They act like we don’t have a life outside of school. In fact, they seem to think that their classes are the only things we’re doing at all!”
Art looked dubious. “You’re always exaggerat- ing, Rick. If you really look at it, we don’t have that many more assignments than we had last year, and you seemed to do fine then. What’s going on that’s so radically different from high school? You played baseball and ran track in high school and you still graduated with a B average. What’s changed, anyway?”
“This isn’t high school, Art, in case you haven’t noticed! The work is a lot harder here, and the
Overworked, or Just Overstressed?
case study 12.2
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13
L E A R N I N G O B J E C T I V E S
After studying this chapter, you will be able to:
LO 13-1 Explain how to determine what customers really want.
LO 13-2 Define customer service.
LO 13-3 Describe the internal customer.
LO 13-4 List the two simplest principles of customer service.
LO 13-5 Give examples of issues in customer service.
LO 13-6 Compare and contrast ways to handle a difficult customer.
LO 13-7 Explain the significance of going the extra mile.
LO 13-8 List ways to use strong ethics in customer service.
LO 13-9 Explain the moral of the Poor George story and how it relates to customer service.
S T R A T E G I E S F O R S U C C E S S
Strategy 13.1 Establish a Bond with the Customer Strategy 13.2 Support the Customer’s Self-Esteem
Strategy 13.3 Handle the Difficult Customer Professionally