Incest 0000i-xiv FM 1 - William L. White

Role Conditi0ns and the Worker Casualty Process 157
As an individual enters and works in a particular organization, there
exist numerous role conditions that affect his or her physical and emotional
health and productivity. The relationship between those conditions
and the worker can be summarized through the use of the
following terms.
Role stressors are the number and intensity of conditions in
the work environment that interfere with our ability to successfully
perform assigned responsibilities and simultaneously
decrease our self-esteem.
Role stressors escalate the demand for adaptational energy and place a
strain on the relationship between the worker and the organization.
Such conditions frustrate us, irritate us, and trigger thoughts of escape
or aggression. Examples of role stressors could include safety hazards,
excessive work demands, isolation from other workers, or confusion
over performance expectations.
Role supports are the number and intensity of conditions in
the work environment that increase our ability to successfully
perform assigned responsibilities and simultaneously increase
our self-esteem.
Role supports neutralize our experience of role stressors in the work environment.
Examples of role supports include compensation that is directly
linked to our productivity, the availability of high-quality
equipment and materials to perform our roles, and technical and personal
support from our supervisors. Numerous role supports are cataloged
in the last two chapters of this book.
The personal defense structure is each individual’s preferred
pattern of thinking, feeling, and behaving when confronted
with distress.
Our personal defense structures represent our degrees of personal vulnerability
to distress and own unique styles of managing personal and
professional distress.
All of us experience both role stressors and role supports regardless
of our occupation or type of organizational setting. Stressors and supports
alike are filtered through our personal defense structures—a fact
that makes each person’s experience of the work environment different.
This is why two people may respond so differently to a similar level of