CONFLICT AND

STRESS
MANAGEMENT
 CONFLICT
In many instances stress results from the
necessity of choosing between two needs,
goals etc. As people with different
backgrounds, points of view, values,
needs and personality interact, a variety of
conflicts often develop.
Organizational change also contributes to
conflict, because it realigns relationships
among people. The result is that conflict is
an inevitable part of organizational life.
ADVANTAGES OF CONFLICT
• People are stimulated to search
for improved approaches that
lead to better results.

• Hidden problems are brought to

the surface where they may be
solved.
DISADVANTAGES OF CONFLICT
• Disadvantage of conflict is that co-
operation and team work may
deteriorate.

• Distrust grows among people who

need to co-operate.

• Some people may feel defeated, have

a poorer self-image and lose their
motivation.
 TYPES OF CONFLICT
• Interpersonal Conflict.

• Intergroup Conflict.

• Organizational Conflict:
 Hierarchical Conflict
 Functional Conflict
 Line Staff Conflict
 Formal Informal Conflict
 SOURCES OF INTERPERSONAL
CONFLICT
• Personal Differences.

• Information Deficiency.

• Role Incompatibility.

• Environmental Stress.
 ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT
CONFLICT
• Conflict is inevitable.
• Conflict is determine by structural
factors- Physical shape of a building,
design of career structure, nature of
class system.
• Conflict is integral to the nature of
change.
• A minimum level of conflict is
optional.
 STRESS

It is a condition on one’s emotions,

thought processes and physical
condition.
When it is excessive, it can threaten
one’s ability to cope with
environment.
“Stress” is the general term applied to
the pressures people feel in life.
 TYPICAL CAUSES OF STRESS
ON THE JOB
 Work overload.
 Time pressures.
 Poor quality of supervision.
 Insecure political climate.
 Inadequate authority to match responsibilities.
 Role ambiguity.
 Differences between company and employee
values.
 Change of any type, especially when it is major
or unusual, such as temporary lay off.
 Frustration.
 TYPES OF STRESS

• Frustration.

• Conflict.

• Pressure
 A MODEL OF FRUSTRATION

NEED DRIVE BARRIER GOALS-

INCENTIVE
1) Overt
(Reduction of
2) Covert the drives and
FRUSTRATION fulfillment of
deficiency
Defense Mechanisms
1) Aggression
2)Withdrawal
3) Fixation
4) Compromise
 TYPICAL SYMPTOMS OF STRESS

High Blood Nervousness & Chronic Inability to

Pressures Tension Worry Relax

Excessive use
Digestive Symptoms
of alcohol and/or
problems Of
Stress smoking

Emotional Feelings of Uncooperative Problems with

instability Inability to cope Attitudes sleep

 SEVERITY OF STRESS
The severity of stress is gauged by the
degree of disruption in the human system
that will occur if the individual fails to cope
with the adjustive demand.
For e.g., lack of food over a sustained period
is regarded as a severe stress because it
causes serious disruption of both
physiological and psychological
functioning.
FACTORS INFLUENCING SEVERITY
OF STRESS

Characteristics of the adjustive demand

• Importance, duration and multiplicity of

demands.
• Strength and equality of conflicting
forces.
• Imminence of anticipated stress.
• Unfamiliarity or suddenness of the
problem.
FACTORS INFLUENCING SEVERITY
OF STRESS

Characteristics of the individual

• Perception of the problem.

• Degree of threat.
• Stress tolerance of the individual.
“BUILT-IN” Psychological Coping and
Damage-Repair Mechanisms
There appear to be a number of coping and
damage-repair mechanisms built into the
human system which operate on a
psychological level. Among the more common
and important of these mechanisms are the
following:
• Crying.
• Talk it out.
• Laughing it off.
• Seeking Support.
• Dreaming and nightmares.
 These “Built-In” reaction
patterns may be used in
varying degrees and
combinations depending on the
individual, the social setting,
and the nature of the traumatic
event which resulted in the
psychological hurt or damage.
Adapted in part from
Coleman and Hammen
(1974)
Measuring and relating life stress
to physical and mental disorders
Holmes and his colleagues (1967,
1970) have developed the Social
Readjustment Rating Scale (SRRS)
an objective method for measuring
the cumulative stress to which an
individuals been exposed over a
period of time his scale measures life
stress in terms of “life change units”
(LCU) involving the following events:
 Events Scale of Impact
Death of spouse 100
Divorce 73
Marital separation 65
Jail term 63
Death of close family member 63
Personal injury or illness 53
Marriage 50
Fired at work 47
Marital reconciliation 45
Retirement 45
Change in health of family member 44
Pregnancy 40
Sex difficulties 39
Gain of new family member 39
Business readjustment 39
Change in financial state 38
Death of close friend 37
Change to different line of work 36
Change in number of arguments with spouse 35
Mortgage over $ 10,000 31
Foreclosure of mortgage or loan 30
Change in responsibilities at work 29
Son or daughter leaving home 29
 Events Scale of Impact

Trouble with in-laws 29

Outstanding personal achievement 28
Wife begins or stops work 26
Begin or end school 26
Change in living conditions 25
Revision of personal habits 24
Trouble with boss 23
Change in work hours or conditions 20
Change in church activities 19
Change in social activities 18
Change in residence 20
Change in schools 20
Change in recreation 19
Mortgage or loan less than $10,000 17
Change in sleeping habits 16
Change in number of family get-together 15
Change in eating habits 15
Vacation 13
Christmas 12
Minor violations of the law 11
 For persons who had been
exposed in recent months to
stressful events that added up to
an LCU score of 300 or above,
these investigators found the risk
of developing a major illness
within the next two years to be
very high, approximating 80
percent.
THANK YOU !!!