Occupational Stressors

Abstract

Most people spend the major part of their waking life at work. More often than not we are identified by the work we do: he is an architect, she is a professor of anthropology, he is an electrician. No wonder that we introduce ourselves by stating what we do for a living: work is a most valuable source of satisfaction, as well as of stress. What happens to us at work is important to our health and well-being. When we lose a job, it means far more than just losing a source of income. We lose essential contact with other people; there may be increased fatalism, low self-image, and a feeling of helplessness. Hans Selye suggested that work is a biological necessity (122). Another study found that job satisfaction was the most important determinant of recovery from a heart attack (147).