The Theory of Preventive Stress Management in Organizations

Abstract

Abstract The theory of preventive stress management in organizations begins with the translation and integration of concepts from public health and preventive medicine. These concepts are then overlaid on to an organizational stress process framework, from which the theory is derived. This chapter is organized into four major sections addressing specific aspects of the theory of preventive stress management in organizations. The first section describes the theory, beginning with the preventive medicine model. Concepts from this model are superimposed on to the stress process in organizations framework, thus effecting the preventive stress management model. This section also includes two sets of testable hypotheses, which form the core of the theory, and research related to each set of hypotheses. In the second section, diagnostic, prevention, and stress management implications of the theory are discussed, including surveillance indicators added to the original model. The third section presents idiographic research from two organizations: ICI-Zeneca Pharmaceuticals and the United States Air Force. The fourth section discusses the implications of the theory for future research. The conclusion discusses Sisyphus, dynamic self-reliance, and the relationship of theory, beliefs, and observations.