Puppet or Puppeteer? The Role of Resource Control in the Occupational Stress Process

Abstract

This chapter discusses how the control and strategic management of resources plays a role in the occupational stress process. Building upon prior resource theories of stress, the idea is developed that control of external and internal resources, and not resource acquisition or maintenance, is a vital element that contributes to a strain response to workplace demands. This can occur at the level of objective resources (resources needed to cope with demands), and it can occur at the level of perceived resources (the individual’s perception of resource control). The chapter also discusses the importance of resource management strategies that individuals engage in, as well as both internal and external resource management resources. Several common stressors are discussed in resource control terms, and the role of power and politics in strategic resource management is discussed.

Citation

Spector, P.E. (2017), "Puppet or Puppeteer? The Role of Resource Control in the Occupational Stress Process", Power, Politics, and Political Skill in Job Stress (Research in Occupational Stress and Well Being, Vol. 15), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 137-158. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1479-355520170000015006