Syftet med denna uppsats var att få mer kunskap om hur chefer arbetar, tänker och reflekterarkring anställdas psykosociala arbetsmiljö. De frågeställningar som användes var: Hur arbetarcheferna i den studerade organisationen för att främja en god psykosocial arbetsmiljö för deanställda? Hur arbetar cheferna i den studerade organisationen för att förebygga de anställdasnegativa stress? Vilka förhållanden i arbetet ingår i den psykosociala arbetsmiljön enligtcheferna i den studerade organisationen?För att besvara dessa frågeställningar användes en kvalitativ metod i form av intervjueransikte mot ansikte med samtliga elva avdelningschefer, varav fem män och sex kvinnor. Denstuderade organisationen arbetar med finansiella tjänster.Resultatet visar att det finns en varierad bild av vad psykosocial arbetsmiljö är. Tydlighet ochdelaktighet var för samtliga chefer viktiga komponenter i arbetet med att främja en godpsykosocial arbetsmiljö. Den negativa stressen hanterade cheferna relativt likartat genom atttidigt avlasta och omfördela arbete. I diskussionen nämns att det bland cheferna fanns olikauppfattningar om vad psykosocial arbetsmiljö egentligen är, samt olikheter kring hur dearbetade med att främja en god psykosocial arbetsmiljö. Kring begreppet negativ stress fannsdock en mer konkret och samstämmig bild angående hur cheferna bäst förebygger ochminskar de anställdas negativa stress. / The purpose of this study is to gain an understanding of how managers work with theiremployee’s psychosocial work environment. The questions asked are: What are managers inthe studied organization doing actively to positively influence the psychosocial workingenvironment? What are managers in the studied organization doing actively to preventnegative stress? What conditions in the work included in the psychosocial work environmentaccording to the managers in the studied organization?To answer these question, we have applied a qualitative method consisting of face-to-faceinterviews with eleven subjects whereof five male and six female line managers in a FinancialServices company in the private sector.The study shows that there is some ambiguity as to what the definition of the psychosocialworking environment actually is. Clear communications and an inclusive workingenvironment were mentioned as key factors by all managers. In relation to preventingnegative stress, the consensus is that early detection to distribute workloads and tasks at anearly stage to be able to distribute work across the team when required. Our group showedvery differing views on the definition of the subject and applied differing methods andtheories on how to positively influence the psychosocial working environment. The definitionof negative stress is more clear and the opinions are more cohesive in relation to how toprevent and reduce negative stress.

abstract: A previously developed small time scale fatigue crack growth model is improved, modified and extended with an emphasis on creating the simplest models that maintain the desired level of accuracy for a variety of materials. The model provides a means of estimating load sequence effects by continuously updating the crack opening stress every cycle, in a simplified manner. One of the significant phenomena of the crack opening stress under negative stress ratio is the residual tensile stress induced by the applied compressive stress. A modified coefficient is introduced to determine the extent to which residual stress impact the crack closure and is observed to vary for different materials. Several other literature models for crack closure under constant loading are also reviewed and compared with the proposed model. The modified model is then shown to predict several sets of published test results under constant loading for a variety of materials. The crack opening stress is formalized as a function of the plastic zone sizes at the crack tip and the current crack length, which provided a means of approximation, accounting for both acceleration and retardation effects in a simplified manner. A sensitivity parameter is introduced to modify the enlarged plastic zone due to overload, to better fit the delay cycles with the test data and is observed to vary for different materials. Furthermore, the interaction effect induced by the combination of overload and underload sequence is modeled by depleting the compressive plastic zone due to an overload with the tensile plastic zone due to an underload. A qualitative analysis showed the simulation capacity of the small time scale model under different load types. A good agreement between prediction and test data for several irregular load types proved the applicability of the small time scale model under variable amplitude loading. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Mechanical Engineering 2016

The aim of the study was to explore the sources concerning musical perspectives about performance anxiety and their influence on musicians. Since this study is a review of the available literature on this topic, I used mainly books, articles and reported case studies. The problems encountered while writing this dissertation were the lack of material available on the subject of using music to deal with musicians who suffer from performance anxiety. Musicians listen to music differently from non-musicians, and therefore, when using music to deal with their performance anxiety, a different approach would have to be used. In this dissertation four main perspectives of music and their relationship to performance anxiety are discussed. My general conclusion is that, although each theory sees performance anxiety through a different light, they all have the same general thinking about performance anxiety. Performance anxiety has to be dealt with separately and differently with each musician. Unfortunately there is no set pattern or plan that can be set down to alleviate performance anxiety. However, common symptoms and useful ways to deal with them are discussed. One very important point that I realised early on in my dissertation, was that performance anxiety has to be dealt with at an early age. Young musicians often suffer severely from performance anxiety. If this can be recognised early in musicians’ careers, they will start to learn to cope with the symptoms; it will become part of their learning process as musicians. I feel that there could be a more open approach to performance anxiety. Performance anxiety is often seen as a sign of weakness and is therefore often not discussed openly. The music therapist Pixie Holland says that people with a lot of stress in their lives are often not willing to admit that they have a problem coping with stress. Therefore, the first step to dealing with performance anxiety is for musicians to admit that they suffer from it and cannot cope with it by themselves. I recommend to musicians to read as much as possible about the subject of performance anxiety. The more one knows what happens while suffering from performance anxiety, the easier it might be to deal with it. Even though there is much documentation and literature available on the subject of using music to relieve anxiety and stress, there was only a small amount available on the specific use of music to relieve musicians’ performance anxiety. I therefore recommend further study on the effects of music on performance anxiety that musicians suffer in a musical performance situation. Copyright / Dissertation (MMus)--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Music / unrestricted

Bakgrund: Arbetslivet förändras ständigt till följd av digitaliseringen och tillgången till information ökar kraftigt. Banksektorn är en av de sektorer som påverkats mest av dessa förändringar och studier har visat att arbetsrelaterad stress ökar till följd av detta. Det är lätt att utifrån studier och fackliga undersökningar förknippa stress i banksektorn med arbetsmiljöproblem eftersom fokus ligger på ohälsa och sjukskrivning. Samtidigt vill många människor arbeta i banksektorn och i andra yrkesgrupper med liknande karaktärsdrag. Det behövs en djupare förståelse för stress i banksektorn och hur den kan upplevas i moderna, föränderliga yrken med stor informationsbearbetning. Syfte: Syftet med studien är att förstå hur stress upplevs, med banksektorn som exempel, samt att utifrån detta belysa problematiken kring begreppet stress. Metod: Detta är en kvalitativ flerfallstudie med ett socialkonstruktivistiskt perspektiv. Det empiriska materialet har samlats in genom 10 semistrukturerade intervjuer från tre svenska banker. Studien har utgått från empirin och har således en induktiv ansats. Slutsats: Studien visar att ett arbete i banksektorn är intensivt och innebär höga krav i form av långa arbetsdagar, komplexa arbetsuppgifter, deadlines och ansvar. Dessa krav ger upphov till stress som upplevs både negativt och positivt. Negativ stress upplevs vid en förlorad kontrollkänsla och vid en konfliktkänsla mellan arbete och privatliv. Positiv stress upplevs genom en känsla av utmaning och, till viss del, adrenalinrus. Studien har visat att stress upplevs på olika sätt, både positivt och negativt. Till följd av detta kan begreppet stress behöva nyanseras och bli mindre förknippat med negativa värden. / Background: Work is constantly changing due to digitalization and access to information is rapidly increasing. These changes affect the banking sector and studies have shown that work related stress increases as a result. One can easily associate stress in the banking sector with problems in the work environment since that is what studies and surveys are focusing on. At the same time, many people find the banking sector attractive, as a workplace. This study is necessary, because we need a better understanding about how stress can be perceived in modern professions, characterized by the processing of information. Aim: The aim of this study is to increase the understanding of how stress is perceived, using the banking sector as an example. Further, we aim to illustrate the problem concerning the concept stress. Methodology: This is a qualitative case study using the perspective of social constructivism. The empirical data has been collected through semi-structured interviews with three Swedish banks. The study has an inductive approach. Conclusion: This study shows that the banking sector is an intensive workplace and involves high demands as long working hours, complex tasks, deadlines and responsibility. These demands contribute to a lot of stress. Negative stress is perceived when the sense of control is lost and when a conflict between work and personal life arises. Positive stress is perceived when a sense of challenge appears and, to some extent, with a feeling of adrenaline. The results have proven that stress in the banking sector is perceived in various ways, both negative and positive. The concept stress might therefore need to be altered and be less associated with a negative value.

Syftet med studien var att undersöka socialsekreterares upplevelser av arbetsrelaterad stress och hur socialsekreterarna i så fall upplever, hanterar och påverkas av arbetsrelaterad stress. För att försöka finna svar på syftet så formulerades tre frågeställningar: Vilka faktorer påverkar socialsekreterares upplevelse av stress? Hur hanterar socialsekreterarna stress relaterat till arbetet? Hur upplever socialsekreterare att eventuell arbetsplatsrelaterad stress påverkar kvaliteten på deras arbete? Fyra intervjuer genomfördes med yrkesverksamma socialsekreterare inom olika områden i olika kommuner i södra Sverige. För att tolka och förstå resultatet har jag tagit del av tidigare forskning och kunskap inom ämnet samt teorierna Karasek och Theorells krav-kontroll modell och coping. Resultatet visar på att alla socialsekreterare mer eller mindre upplever arbetsrelaterad stress i arbetet men att det beror på olika faktorer. Resultatet visar vidare att de medverkande socialsekreterarna använder sig av olika strategier för att hantera och motverka arbetsrelaterad stress. / The purpose of this study was to investigate the social workers´ experience of work-related stress and how, in that case, the social workers´ experience, manage and are affected by work-related stress. In order to try to find answers to the purpose, three questions were formulated: What factors influence the social workers´ experience of stress? How do social workers´ deal with work-related stress? How do social workers´ think that work-related stress affects the quality of their work? Four interviews were conducted with professional social workers with different tasks, in different areas in southern Sweden. In order of interpret and understand the results, I have taken advantage of previous research and knowledge of the subject as well the theories “Karasek and Theorell´s requirements-control model” and “coping”. The result shows that all social workers more or less experience work-related stress at work, but how they experience the stress depends on various factors. The result further shows that the participating social workers use different strategies to deal with, and counteract work-related stress.