Stress in Academe

Abstract

This study of the sources and patterns of occupational stress experienced by Israeli faculty members is a partial replication of a study of faculty stress in American universities reported by Gmelch, Lorvich, and Wilke (1983, 1984). A total of 100 faculty members drawn from all Israeli universities were sampled. They were asked to fill out a Hebrew version of the questionnaire developed by Gmelch et al. to measure the degree of stress resulting from various sources and the overall intensity of stress experienced on the job. Comparison of the responses to the questionnaire revealed a high degree of similarity between the two cultures in the patterns of the results. Both the Americans and the Israelis ranked the sources of stress similarly. The intensity of stress experienced by Israelis, however, was reportedly lower than that of their American colleagues. Possible explanations for this difference are offered.