A Control Theory of the Job Stress Process

Abstract

Abstract Control has served a central role in many theories of job stress, as well as other areas of organizational research (Ganster and Fusilier, 1989). It has been implicated as a potential cause of both physical health and psychological well-being (e.g., Evans and Carrere, 1991; Ganster and Fusilier, 1989). A more complex moderator role has also been suggested in the control/ demands model (Karasek, 1979), whereby control buffers the negative effects of job stressors. Although the relation of control with health and well-being has been well established (see Ganster and Fusilier, 1989; Spector, 1986), the moderator role has not received consistent support. Furthermore, in much of the job stress literature, the exact mechanisms by which control affects people has not been completely delineated. It is the purpose of this chapter to help clarify these issues by presenting a model of the job stress process that includes control as a central variable.