Chapter 15
Stress and Counseling
1. Excessive smoking is classified as a physiological stress.
2. Resilience is the capacity to handle short-term tensions and bounce back from difficulties.
3. Absenteeism is an attitudinal clue of workplace trauma.
4. Almost any job condition can cause stress, depending on an employee’s reaction to it.
5. Stress always creates destructive consequences for both the organization and the employee.
6. Reactions to frustration are known as defense mechanisms.
7. Asking for a transfer or quitting the job because of frustration is known as regression.
Copyright © 2014 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior
written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
Ans: False
Feedback: Withdrawal involves asking for a transfer or quitting the job because of frustration.
Page: 414
Difficulty: Medium
8. Worker vulnerability to stress is always a result of internal stressors.
9. Type B people make excessive demands on themselves even in recreation and leisure.
10. Type A people accept situations and work within them rather than fight them competitively.
11. Only managers can play a crucial role in providing social support.
12. Most firms allow only four to eight weeks for sabbatical leaves.
13. Employees who go on sabbatical leaves often bring back new perspectives gained from
readings and workshops.
Copyright © 2014 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior
written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
Page: 419
Difficulty: Medium
14. Reassurance is an important aspect of employee counseling.
15. Managers from the lowest to highest level need training to help them understand problems
of employees and counsel them effectively.
16. Advice is seldom achieved in directive counseling.
17. Throughout the counseling relationship, it is important for the manager to accept feelings—
rather than judge them.
18. Nondirective counseling is less expensive than directive counseling.
19. Participative counseling starts by using the listening techniques of nondirective counseling,
but as the interview progresses, participative counselors may play a more active role than
nondirective counselors would.
20. A manager’s decision to use directive, participative, or nondirective counseling with an
employee should be made solely on the manager’s personal preferences or past experiences.
1. Which of the following is classified as a physiological stress?
A) Sleep disruption
B) Emotional instability
C) Burnout
D) Absenteeism
2. Which of the following is classified as a psychological stress?
A) Headaches
B) Aggression
C) Moodiness
D) High blood pressure
3. Which of the following is classified as a behavioral stress?
A) Sleep disruption
B) Aggression
C) Depression
D) Burnout
4. Which of the following is an example of resilience?
A) A manager stressed out with the productivity of his subordinates
B) A manager happy with the productivity of his subordinates
C) A manager taking a leave just after the death of a loved one
D) A manager resuming work a few days after the death of a close friend
5. Which of the following is an effect of burnout?
A) Decreased employee turnover
B) Decreased absenteeism
C) Increased productivity
D) Chronic fatigue
6. _____ occurs following a major threat to one’s security.
A) Dissociation
B) Trauma
C) Grief
D) Frustration
7. _____ is the disintegration of employees’ self-concepts and beliefs in their capabilities.
A) Workplace trauma
B) Layoff survivor’s sickness
C) Workplace violence
D) Post-traumatic stress disorder
8. People who have experienced _____ are simultaneously relieved and glad to have a job,
guilty that their workmates were displaced—sometimes without apparent reason, and even
envious.
A) the Asperger’s syndrome
B) layoff survivor’s sickness
C) obsessive compulsive disorder
D) post-traumatic stress disorder
Copyright © 2014 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior
written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
Difficulty: Easy
9. _____ refers to the conditions that tend to cause stress.
A) Hassles
B) Hygiene factors
C) Stressors
D) Eustress
10. An employee, who is already an integral part of a project, is assigned another demanding
project. The employee feels stressed because of the recent developments. Which of the following
is most likely to have caused this stress?
A) Insecure job climate
B) Inadequate training in technology
C) Difference between company and employee values
D) Work overload
11. Which of the following stresses is most likely to be experienced by executives?
A) Threat to job security by corporate downsizing
B) Pressure to increase the product quality
C) Pressure for short-term financial results
D) Pressure of maintaining the required attendance at meetings
12. Which of the following stresses is most likely to be experienced by middle level managers?
A) Threat to job security by corporate downsizing
B) Pressure for short-term financial results
C) Fear of a hostile takeover attempt
D) Pressure of maintaining the required attendance at meetings
13. Which of the following stresses is most likely to be experienced by supervisors?
A) Fear of a hostile takeover attempt
B) Threat to job security by corporate downsizing
C) Pressure for short-term financial results
D) Pressure to increase the product quality
14. _____ is a result of a motivation being blocked to prevent one from reaching a desired goal.
A) Trauma
B) Dissociation
C) Frustration
D) Grief
15. According to the stress-performance model, as stress increases, performance tends to _____.
A) decrease
B) increase
C) stagnate
D) nullify
16. In the context of stress vulnerability, Type A people are typically _____.
A) competitive
B) relaxed
C) easy going
D) passive
17. In the context of stress vulnerability, Type B people are typically _____.
A) impatient
B) aggressive
C) relaxed
D) dishonest
Copyright © 2014 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior
written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
Difficulty: Easy
18. All of the following are approaches to stress management EXCEPT _____.
A) preventing
B) escaping
C) coping
D) revolting
19. _____ is the complex set of emotional, physical, and social responses to a substantial loss in
one’s life.
A) Trauma
B) Grief
C) Frustration
D) Dissociation
20. Which of the following statements is true of sabbatical leaves?
A) Employees who return after sabbatical leaves feel emotionally refreshed.
B) Sabbatical leaves increase the employee turnover in the organization.
C) Employees who return after sabbatical leaves experience workplace trauma at their jobs.
D) Sabbatical leaves encourage absenteeism in employees.
21. Which of the following is the general objective of counseling?
A) To encourage fierce competition among employees
B) To improve the self-confidence of employees
C) To avoid potential future conflicts
D) To avoid managerial confrontation
22. Jack recently joined LindLabs Inc. as an executive. He has trouble adjusting with his new
work environment and hence opens up to the HR about the issues he is facing. In return, the HR
coaches him about what he should do to make things easier. Which of the following functions of
counseling is most likely to be at work in this scenario?
A) Reorientation
B) Reassurance
C) Advice
D) Release of emotional tension
23. Peter works as a sales manager at Zurin Labs, Inc. He is stressed about the problems that he
faces, on a daily basis, with his customers. At the counseling session, his counselor gives him
courage and confidence to handle his customers better. Which of the following functions of
counseling is most likely to be at work in this scenario?
A) Reassurance
B) Reorientation
C) Clarified thinking
D) Advice
24. Luke works as a manager at Fun Land, Inc. He is stressed with his job and hence talks to his
supervisor about the issues he is facing. His supervisor encourages a change in his goals and
values. Which of the following functions of counseling is most likely being exemplified in this
scenario?
A) Advice
B) Reassurance
C) Clarified thinking
D) Reorientation
25. _____ counseling is the process of listening to an employee’s problem, deciding with the
employee what should be done, and then telling and motivating the employee to do it.
A) Nondirective
B) Participatory
C) Directive
D) Virtual
26. _____ is seldom achieved in directive counseling.
A) Reassurance
B) Reorientation
C) Advice
D) Emotional release
27. _____ counseling is the process of skillfully listening to and encouraging an employee to
explain troublesome problems, understand them, and determine appropriate solutions.
A) Nondirective
B) Virtual
C) Participatory
D) Directive
28. Nondirective counseling is _____ centric.
A) management
B) organization
C) employer
D) employee
29. Which of the following statements best describes the difference between directive and
nondirective counseling?
A) Solutions to current problems are emphasized in nondirective counseling; psychological
adjustment is paramount in directive counseling.
B) In nondirective counseling, the employee is psychologically independent, whereas in
directive counseling, the employee is psychologically dependent.
C) The manager controls the direction of the conversation in nondirective counseling; the
employee controls the direction of the conversation in directive counseling.
D) In nondirective counseling, the responsibility for the solution lies with the manager, whereas
in directive counseling, the responsibility for the solution lies with the employee.
30. _____ counseling is a mutual relationship that establishes a cooperative exchange of ideas to
help solve an employee’s problems.
A) Directive
B) Nondirective
C) Participatory
D) Virtual
1. List a few common physiological, psychological, or behavioral symptoms of unmanaged
stress.
2. What are the symptoms and effects of burnout?
3. Describe workplace trauma. How does it arise?
Copyright © 2014 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior
written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
Page: 409
Difficulty: Medium
4. What are the causes of trauma? What are the different types of trauma?
5. List five typical causes of stress on the job.
6. Define frustration. What are the most common reactions to frustration?
7. Is a Type A or Type B person more prone to stress?
8. How do emotions impact counseling?
Copyright © 2014 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior
written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
trifling conflicts that seem large to them, or they may undermine morale in their departments.
Managers want their employees to maintain good mental health and to channel their emotions
along constructive lines so they will work together effectively.
Page: 421
Difficulty: Medium
9. Describe the five functions of counseling.
10. Define the three types of counseling.