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UNDERSTANDING STRESSThe term ‘stress’ can actually be quite unhelpful as there are so many interpretationsof it – what lies at the heart of this is the negative reaction that individuals experiencewhen the pressure they are under exceeds their coping abilities.Slide 4 – What is pressure?It is critically important to distinguish stress from pressure. The two terms are relatedand often used interchangeably, but are very different concepts.Pressure is: faced with a difficult or challenging situation, we experience some tension orarousal us the motivation and drive that we need to perform, to overcome challengingsituations and achieve objectives. For example, athletes often report thatthey do better when they are competing because they are under pressure toperform pressure can lead to stress if it exceeds coping capacity and this will invariably impacton performance and cause a variety of short- and long-term illnesses with damagingeffects on psychological and physical well-being.Slide 5 – Pressure and performanceThis inverted ‘U’-shaped diagram (based on the Yerkes-Dodson curve) shows therelationship between pressure and performance. It also further reinforces the differencebetween pressure and stress.The diagram indicates that:1 there is a certain amount of pressure that is motivating but has not reached a levelthat threatens coping capacity and are not likely to feel motivated to perform or be inclined to strive towards ourgoals. This is referred to as being in the ‘rust-out’ zone2A free sample chapter from Stress by Robertson Cooper. Published by the CIPD. © 2008 CIPD.All rights reserved; no part of this excerpt may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in anyform or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior writtenpermission of the publishers or a licence permitting restricted copying in the United Kingdom issued by theCopyright Licensing Agency.If you would like to purchase this product please go to www.cipd.co.uk/bookstore