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Stress and Pressures within Organisations

Management Decision

ISSN: 0025-1747

Article publication date: 1 May 1975

829

Abstract

Introduction Working in organisations not only provides a large section of the population with life‐sustaining income, but also exerts its own pressures and stresses on them, which can ultimately have negative consequences both for achieving the goals of organisations and meeting the needs of the individuals working within them. Before we examine the various sources of pressure and stress at work, it might be useful to define these two central concepts. “Pressure” is an external or internal force acting on an individual to perform in a particular way or achieve a particular end result. This can be a source of some discomfort and some anxiety, but it can be at the same time exciting, challenging, and growth‐producing. “Stress”, on the other hand, has only negative outcomes for the individual concerned because (1) the individual feels that he or she will not (in the long term) be able to cope, and therefore (2) will find it necessary to deal with it in a defensive and maladaptive way. Pressure is a tolerable, manageable condition, includes some positive attributes, and is characterised by activity and productive coping; stress is a regressive and counter‐productive condition, can produce extreme and usually undifferentiated anxiety, and is characterised by defensive coping.

Citation

Cooper, C.L. and Marshall, J. (1975), "Stress and Pressures within Organisations", Management Decision, Vol. 13 No. 5, pp. 292-303. https://doi.org/10.1108/eb001083

Publisher

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MCB UP Ltd

Copyright © 1975, MCB UP Limited

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