Decreasing Damaging Effects of Stress-Bound Situations: Toward a New Model of Leadership Under Stress

In the battlefield of the future, the number of stress reaction casualties is expected to outnumber all other types of casualties. In addition, in jobs or tasks where stress is unavoidable, repeated exposure is likely to produce relatively permanent damage in groups or individuals. Research by Perei...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Pereia, Orlindo G, Jesuino, Jorge C
Format: Report
Language:English
Subjects:
ADAPTATION
BATTLEFIELDS
BEHAVIOR
CASUALTIES
DAMAGE
DAMAGE ASSESSMENT
FIRE FIGHTING
INSTRUCTORS
LEADERSHIP
MARINE CORPS PERSONNEL
ORGANIZATIONS
PATTERNS
PE61102B
PERSONNEL
POPULATION
Psychology
QUESTIONNAIRES
RATES
RESPONSE
Stress Physiology
STRESS(PSYCHOLOGY)
STRESSES
TRAINEES
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Summary:In the battlefield of the future, the number of stress reaction casualties is expected to outnumber all other types of casualties. In addition, in jobs or tasks where stress is unavoidable, repeated exposure is likely to produce relatively permanent damage in groups or individuals. Research by Pereira (from 1964 to 1981) demonstrated such outcomes for marines involved in counterguerrilla activity and Pereira and Jesuino (1982) found that appropriate leadership may buffer unwanted stress consequences. To better understand this finding, the authors studied 239 marines in the present-day training setting. The results of direct observations, interviews, and questionnaires show that leadership behavior, namely the discretionary component, has a significant bearing on the stressors-strain interface. A longitudinal study on 28 Naval Reserve cadets during a 9-month course revealed that stress levels decrease with time and adaptation. For different populations like firemen and professionals of the service sector the importance of high organizational stress strongly contrasts with the marines data, hinting that a model of leadership under stress should be contingent upon the particular organizational pattern and culture. To test a possible model, a quasi-experimental study trained 18 instructors and observed 299 trainees in two courses. It was found that, when the instructors gave high or low support to their trainees, the trainees' stress levels, satisfaction, and performance varied accordingly, and that 1 year after, the instructors' behavior had an enduring influence in the adaptation of marines to their regular duties.