Since the fall of man, God in His grace has called specific persons and set them apart for a specific purpose. This calling can only be realised through the powerful working of the Spirit of God. However, this calling does not indemnify the called person against the stressful dispensation, where Satan still has influence and where people are still in a struggle with their own sin as well as the sin of others. The high stress levels which some ministers experience because of their calling can result in chronic stress, depression, bum-out and even early death. Research in this study made it clear that most ministers of the GKSA probably experience high levels of negative stress and show signs of burnout and depression. Ministers of the GKSA find themselves in a world where secularism reigns, among others because humanism, rationalism, individualism, pluralism and even relativism are emphasised and are gaining ground, as a result of the current popularity of the postmodem spiritual trend. The result is that people are inclined to elevate themselves and to question absolute spiritual truths, at the expense of the honest teachings of the gospels. An empirical study was conducted involving nine ministers of the GKSA in an in-depth study of stress by means of a qualitative research topic. A grounded phenomenological qualitative study method was chosen, since the study concerned people who were not a homogenous group and who could not be quantified. It is their perceptions of the world they are living in which are important here and which can give rise to high stress levels. The results indicate that ministers experience tremendous inner conflict to maintain a focus on God only in their ministry and not to succumb to the temptations and pressure of present-day worldly standards. In addition, they are in a constant conflict with secularism in their congregations, especially with regard to the tendency to compare, measure and manipulate the minister and his congregation according to worldly standards. Based upon the basis theory and the meta-theory, a practice theory was developed by outlining the contours of a model for pastoral guidance for ministers with high stress levels. On the one hand, factors giving rise to high stress levels among the ministers of the GKSA may be addressed by introspection regarding their relationship with their Creator, their own spiritual growth and the example they set for their congregations. On the other hand, they are also tasked with guiding the congregation in which God placed them to break away from their own sinful worldly nature and to direct them towards God and His promises. The ministers are important instruments in God's divine plan in which all of the chosen will be allowed to share in His salvation, when Christ will return and glorify God. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Pastoral))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007

Thesis (Ph.D. (Pastoral))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007.

Since the fall of man, God in His grace has called specific persons and set them apart for a specific purpose. This calling can only be realised through the powerful working of the Spirit of God. However, this calling does not indemnify the called person against the stressful dispensation, where Satan still has influence and where people are still in a struggle with their own sin as well as the sin of others. The high stress levels which some ministers experience because of their calling can result in chronic stress, depression, bum-out and even early death. Research in this study made it clear that most ministers of the GKSA probably experience high levels of negative stress and show signs of burnout and depression. Ministers of the GKSA find themselves in a world where secularism reigns, among others because humanism, rationalism, individualism, pluralism and even relativism are emphasised and are gaining ground, as a result of the current popularity of the postmodem spiritual trend. The result is that people are inclined to elevate themselves and to question absolute spiritual truths, at the expense of the honest teachings of the gospels. An empirical study was conducted involving nine ministers of the GKSA in an in-depth study of stress by means of a qualitative research topic. A grounded phenomenological qualitative study method was chosen, since the study concerned people who were not a homogenous group and who could not be quantified. It is their perceptions of the world they are living in which are important here and which can give rise to high stress levels. The results indicate that ministers experience tremendous inner conflict to maintain a focus on God only in their ministry and not to succumb to the temptations and pressure of present-day worldly standards. In addition, they are in a constant conflict with secularism in their congregations, especially with regard to the tendency to compare, measure and manipulate the minister and his congregation according to worldly standards. Based upon the basis theory and the meta-theory, a practice theory was developed by outlining the contours of a model for pastoral guidance for ministers with high stress levels. On the one hand, factors giving rise to high stress levels among the ministers of the GKSA may be addressed by introspection regarding their relationship with their Creator, their own spiritual growth and the example they set for their congregations. On the other hand, they are also tasked with guiding the congregation in which God placed them to break away from their own sinful worldly nature and to direct them towards God and His promises. The ministers are important instruments in God's divine plan in which all of the chosen will be allowed to share in His salvation, when Christ will return and glorify God. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Pastoral))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007

Studien undersökte sambandet mellan stress mindset (individens övertygelser om stress) och upplevd stress hos gymnasieungdomar. 122 deltagare i åldrarna 16-19 år deltog i studien genom att svara på ett elektroniskt formulär. Frågorna bestod av Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-14), som undersökte upplevd stress, och Stress Mindset Measure (SMM), som undersökte deltagarnas mindset om stress. Resultatet visade en signifikant negativ korrelation mellan stress mindset och upplevd stress. Detta gav stöd till forskningshypotesen att övertygelsen att stress är skadligt har ett signifikant samband med hög upplevd stress hos gymnasieungdomar. Praktiska implikationer och framtida forskning diskuteras.

The Emergency Department (ED) as a workplace for the Registered Nurse (RN) is a stressful environment. Reasons are thought to include interactions with other members of the interdisciplinary team as well as the situations associated with the environment of the ED such as trauma, death, sadness, joy and the general unpredictability of each moment. Studies have documented general health care workplace stress and its influence on staff, but a very limited number of studies have concentrated on the ED. No widely published studies have identified stressors from the perspective of the ED RN. This dissertation is an interpretive phenomenological study that seeks to understand the experience of being an ED RN through the exploration of the perceptions of stress as lived by individuals who practice their art and science in this unique setting. Materials for evaluation and thematic identification were obtained through personal interviews of practicing nurses. The stories told by the participants communicated what each individual found to be negatively stressful as well as what each found to be positively stressful. Conclusions based on the findings of this work suggest a need for the ED RN to be able to depend on the presence of several factors in order to be able to function with as little distress as possible. The optimal ED environment for the RN is posited to be supportive of the individual goals of the RN, provide adequate resources and foster a communicative interdisciplinary environment. Recommendations are made to improve resource management and interdisciplinary relations

Change and transformation in higher education institutions worldwide are advancing at a rate that institutions and individual employees find hard to comprehend. During the past two decades, complex changes challenging institutions' mandates, traditional practices, authority and organisational structures have surfaced. It is widely acknowledged that stable and productive higher education institutions are vitally important to any country in order to ensure sustainable economic, social and political reconstruction and development. In the South African context, higher education institutions have an additional duty to contribute to the consolidation of democracy and social justice as well as the growth and development of the economy and redress the imbalances institutionalised by apartheid. The responsibility to execute the institutional strategies and plans to adapt to changes and to transform rests primarily with the staff of these institutions. However, the above-mentioned changes present major challenges for staff as it results in a multiplicity of roles, expectations to make paradigm shifts, implementation of new policies and practices as well as constant innovation. These challenges may be considered a healthy diversification leading to eustress and engagement, or a toll. which may well be an important cause of distress and burnout. Consequently. staffs' experience of distress/burnout and eustress/engagement, i.e. their work-related well-being, is crucially important to the success of the institution. The general objective of this research was to assess the work wellness of staff at a university of technology, and to understand the relationships between factors contributing to the experience of distress/burnout and eustress/engagement and how these relate to employees' levels of commitment and ill health. Furthermore, the study aimed to develop and test a comprehensive structural model of work related well-being to determine the effect of job demands and (lack of) job resources on distress. eustress. ill health and commitment of employees at a university of technology in South Africa. The findings are presented in three research articles, each consisting of a brief literature review and an empirical study. A cross-sectional survey design was used. The study included 353 participants (132 academic staff members and 221 support staff members). The questionnaire used in the empirical study comprised the Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey (MBI-GS), the Cognitive Weariness Scale (CWS). the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES). An Organizational Stress Screening Tool (ASSET), the Life Orientation Test- Revised (LOT-R), the Job Demands-Resources Scale (JDRS) and a biographical questionnaire. Structural equation modelling confirmed a four-factor structure of burnout, and a two-factor structure of work engagement. Principal component analysis indicated that work-related wellbeing consists of a dual bipolar structure namely Eustress/Engagement (vigour, dedication, professional efficacy) and Distress/Burnout (exhaustion. cynicism, cognitive weariness). It was found that language \vas the only reliable background variable to predict differences in levels of distress/burnout and eustress/engagement between subgroups. Different organisational stressors were found to contribute significantly to psychological and physical ill health and low organisational commitment. The comprehensive structural model that was tested showed that job demands lead to distress, which in turn leads to ill health. Furthermore. job resources contributed to work wellness and organisational commitment whilst dispositional optimism has a limited effect on staffs distress. Recommendations for the institution and future research are made. / Thesis (Ph.D. Thesis (Ph.D. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2006.

This study demonstrates the complex place stress has in the workplace by investigating both positive (eustress) and negative (distress) stress responses. An international sample of 140 individuals was recruited from various industries and organisational levels and these individuals participated in a confidential online survey. A moderated mediation model was proposed in which organisational stressors (person-job fit and role overload) influenced employee affective wellbeing directly and indirectly through stress responses, moderated by individual factors (work-family conflict and self-efficacy). Person-job fit influenced eustress which had positive effects on employee affective wellbeing. Role overload influenced distress which negatively impacted affective wellbeing. Self-efficacy moderated these relationships, with high levels increasing stress responses both negative and positive. Work-family conflict moderated relationships by reducing the positive effect of eustress and increasing the negative effect of distress. The findings not only advance current knowledge but have implications for organisational stress management practices.

Change and transformation in higher education institutions worldwide are advancing at a rate that institutions and individual employees find hard to comprehend. During the past two decades, complex changes challenging institutions' mandates, traditional practices, authority and organisational structures have surfaced. It is widely acknowledged that stable and productive higher education institutions are vitally important to any country in order to ensure sustainable economic, social and political reconstruction and development. In the South African context, higher education institutions have an additional duty to contribute to the consolidation of democracy and social justice as well as the growth and development of the economy and redress the imbalances institutionalised by apartheid. The responsibility to execute the institutional strategies and plans to adapt to changes and to transform rests primarily with the staff of these institutions. However, the above-mentioned changes present major challenges for staff as it results in a multiplicity of roles, expectations to make paradigm shifts, implementation of new policies and practices as well as constant innovation. These challenges may be considered a healthy diversification leading to eustress and engagement, or a toll. which may well be an important cause of distress and burnout. Consequently. staffs' experience of distress/burnout and eustress/engagement, i.e. their work-related well-being, is crucially important to the success of the institution. The general objective of this research was to assess the work wellness of staff at a university of technology, and to understand the relationships between factors contributing to the experience of distress/burnout and eustress/engagement and how these relate to employees' levels of commitment and ill health. Furthermore, the study aimed to develop and test a comprehensive structural model of work related well-being to determine the effect of job demands and (lack of) job resources on distress. eustress. ill health and commitment of employees at a university of technology in South Africa. The findings are presented in three research articles, each consisting of a brief literature review and an empirical study. A cross-sectional survey design was used. The study included 353 participants (132 academic staff members and 221 support staff members). The questionnaire used in the empirical study comprised the Maslach Burnout Inventory-General Survey (MBI-GS), the Cognitive Weariness Scale (CWS). the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES). An Organizational Stress Screening Tool (ASSET), the Life Orientation Test- Revised (LOT-R), the Job Demands-Resources Scale (JDRS) and a biographical questionnaire. Structural equation modelling confirmed a four-factor structure of burnout, and a two-factor structure of work engagement. Principal component analysis indicated that work-related wellbeing consists of a dual bipolar structure namely Eustress/Engagement (vigour, dedication, professional efficacy) and Distress/Burnout (exhaustion. cynicism, cognitive weariness). It was found that language \vas the only reliable background variable to predict differences in levels of distress/burnout and eustress/engagement between subgroups. Different organisational stressors were found to contribute significantly to psychological and physical ill health and low organisational commitment. The comprehensive structural model that was tested showed that job demands lead to distress, which in turn leads to ill health. Furthermore. job resources contributed to work wellness and organisational commitment whilst dispositional optimism has a limited effect on staffs distress. Recommendations for the institution and future research are made. / Thesis (Ph.D. Thesis (Ph.D. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2006.

不知從什麼時候起，壓力已成為大家關懷的話題之一。在繁忙的都會生活中，壓力就像空氣一般，無所不在。研究壓力最有權威的賽利(Hans Selye)醫師，稱健康的或愉快的壓力為優壓(eustress)，而不健康或不愉快的壓力為劣壓(distress)，此亦說明了有的壓力可以提昇人的鬥志，激發人的無限潛能，但也有的壓力處理不好時，足以使人斃命。 壓力這回事，對於即將邁入廿一世紀的人類而言，只會是個有增無減的難題，亦是現代人必嘗的生活苦味。尤其有一種因「身分」而來的壓力––「工作壓力」，更是一種處在特定情境時所無法避免的負擔！基於上述理由，引發筆者研究本文的動機，希能在這股探討壓力的洪流之中，一方面著眼於如百花齊放的各種壓力理論，另一方面佐以實驗，以期在面對這種「必要之惡」時，更能夠適應及跨越這道障礙。 本研究共分為五章，採問卷調查法，研究對象為台北市九家報社的文字記者。研究工具為改編及部分自編的「A 型人格量表」、「壓力源量表」及「壓力症狀量表」。統計方法採用次數分配、皮爾森積差相關、變異數分析、多元逐步迴歸。 本文因採問卷設計方式來調查研究，故凡問卷調查之所囿，亦為本研究之限制，加上筆者本身學識、能力皆十分有限，本研究疏失必多，此在本文中都會有詳實的說明。

The Master´s thesis “Stress evaluation, coping and reduction” is dealing with a topic of work-related stress, which is very common at working places of many companies nowadays. The theoretical part is focused on definition of basic concepts of stress and common techniques of coping and reduction of stress. The practical part provides a measurement of certain level of work-related stress in Henkel Slovensko, spol. s r.o. company based on questionnaire survey. The conclusion of the thesis contains the recommendations focused on reduction of certain stress factors´ impact and precaution of formation of work-related stress.