Question

Case Study on Stress Management [Industrial Psycholog]

The importance of using time efficiently is certainly not a new idea. In 1757 Benjamin Franklin wrote that “time is money.” In 1877 the English journalist W. R. Greg echoed the sentiment: “Beyond doubt, the most salient characteristic of life in this latter half of the 19th century is its speed.” Arthur Schopenhauer, a 19th-century German philosopher, noted that “buying books would be a good thing if one could also buy the time to read them in.” His quote suggests that people when they buy a book, maybe attempting to create an island of tranquility and control in a sea of stress. A more contemporary view of how many people think of time is given by comedian Stephen Wright, who boasts, “I have a microwave fireplace. You can lie in front of it all night in only eight minutes.” At the beginning of the 21st century, life revolves increasingly around the clock, particularly in Western cultures. In our culture, businesses cater to the time-conscious cravings of individuals. We have instant burgers, instant breakfasts, instant coffee, instant photos, and instant replays, to name a few (Gleick, 1999).

Time-saving devices such as computers and smartphones are increasingly becoming indispensable parts of our work and personal lives. Most of us probably know people who would love a microwave fireplace—people who are so obsessed with saving time that they rush through leisure activities that are supposed to be enjoyed at a relaxed pace. The popularity of instant products and time-saving devices indicates that people today, like Ben Franklin, view their time as a scarce and valuable commodity. Researchers have attempted to determine how people became so obsessed with time. For example, Wright (1988) identified critical experiences that were related to the obsession with time in his Type heart patients. These early experiences involved (1) a high need to achieve, (2) success and therefore reinforcement for such efforts, and (3) exposure to timed activities that provided a personal blueprint for achieving by the more efficient use of time and by being constantly active. According to Wright, these critical experiences result in people developing a “shotgun-like” effort to achieve as much as possible in as little time as possible. Many individuals use this approach in their jobs because they consider speed and efficiency to be signs of success. This approach is often carried over to personal activities as well.

Requirements

1. In which jobs or occupations is the rapid completion of work a particularly high priority?

2. Can you identify jobs in which there are no time pressures? Is identifying such jobs more or less difficult than it was 10 years ago? Why?

Answer 1

1. In the job relating to the information technology there is more value on the rapid completion of work. There are many jobs related to it.

Journalism is a challenging job and the journalists need to finish the work rapidly. They have to do the job as early as possible because there is great competition and the popularity and reputation of the concerned media depend how fast it can provide a news.

In the job of outsourcing in the field of information technology there is also great business and the employees are given time limit to finish the job.

2. In the case self employment we find that there is more freedom and people can work according to their own way and system.

The writers do not have any pressure of time. Some times they are asked to finish a work within a particular time. But in such case sufficient time is given where he can do the work according to his own choice.

In case of farming there is also no time pressure as it is done in some particular procedures.