ABSTRACT
Stress is an unavoidable feature of modern living. Everyday events, such as crossing a street or an annoying draft, are sources of stress. An exciting event such as college graduation can also cause stress. This chapter describes the body’s natural responses to stressful events and the sources of stress in modern living. It discusses some stress response models. The chapter helps the readers to assess why stress is not always bad for people and why working in another country presents unique sources of stress. It identifies burnout as a special case of stress. The chapter compares individual and organizational strategies of stress management. It also helps the readers to debate the ethical issues raised by stress in organizations. The general adaptation syndrome is an early model of stress response. This model views the stress response as a natural human adaptation to a stressor in the individual’s physical or psychological environment.
