ABSTRACT
This chapter begins by reflecting on the alternative approaches and movements that have, since the beginning of this millennium, shaped organizational psychology. These developments set a context that shapes our discipline and sets researchers with a responsibility and a powerful reminder to question where our theories are leading us but also how well they express the realities of the workplace. These developments also point researchers to the moral responsibilities we have to those whose working lives we research. To capture these issues, we draw attention to three themes that run throughout this book. These themes point to the importance and explanatory potential of understanding the context within which our research is embedded, the need to consider the role of relevance in our research and more particularly its dimension that emphasizes the responsibilities we have to those whose working lives we research and the importance of concepts like refinement when considering how our measures reflect the realities of the work experience. These three themes set a platform and a foundation for building and developing our research into workplace stress, giving it meaning and balance. This chapter ends by setting out a plan of the book that expresses these aims.
