s t r e s s :

A Brief History

Blackwell Brief Histories of Psychology

The Blackwell Brief Histories of Psychology offer concise, accessible, and lively accounts of key topics within psychology, such as emotion, intelligence, and stress, that have had a profound effect on psychological and cultural life. The books in this series provide a rich sense of historical context while remaining grounded in contemporary issues and research that will be of interest to both academic and general readers.

Stress: A Brief History

Cary Cooper and Philip Dewe

Evolutionary Thought in Psychology: A Brief History

Henry Plotkin

Emotions: A Brief History

Keith Oatley

Intelligence: A Brief History

Robert J. Sternberg and Anna T. Cianciolo

s t r e s s

A Brief History

CARY L. COOPER

AND PHILIP DEWE

2004 by Cary L. Cooper and Philip Dewe

350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148-5020, USA

108 Cowley Road, Oxford OX4 1JF, UK

550 Swanston Street, Carlton, Victoria 3053, Australia

The right of Cary L. Cooper and Philip Dewe to be identified as the Authors of this Work has been asserted in accordance with the UK Copyright, Designs, and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, except as permitted by the UK Copyright, Designs, and Patents Act 1988, without the prior permission of the publisher.

First published 2004 by Blackwell Publishing Ltd

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Cooper, Cary L.

A brief history of stress / Cary L. Cooper and Philip Dewe.—1st ed. p. cm.—(Blackwell brief histories of psychology; 1)

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 1–4051–0744–8 (alk. paper)—ISBN 1–4051–0745–6 (pbk : alk. paper) 1. Stress (Psychology)—Research—Methodology—History. I. Dewe, Philip. II Title. III. Series.

BF575.S75C646 2004 155.90 0420 09—dc22 2003023501

A catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library.

Set in 10/12pt Book Antique

by Kolam Information Services Pvt. Ltd, Pondicherry, India Printed and bound in the United Kingdom

by TJ International, Padstow, Cornwall

For further information on

Blackwell Publishing, visit our website:

http://www.blackwellpublishing.com

To Rachel Davies Cooper and Linda Trenberth

Contents

Acknowledgments

When we began this brief history of stress we had a plan. What we should have guessed, as ‘‘lay historians,’’ is that history doesn’t always work to a plan. We were soon being led by events and personalities as the history of stress, as we saw it, began to unfold. What we have written reflects our view of the history of stress. That is why the book is tilted ‘‘A Brief History of Stress.’’ It should not be regarded as the history of stress as we, like others before us, were continually faced with the dilemma of what to include, what events were significant, how to capture shifts in focus, and how to order things so that they illustrated the debates, discussion, and controversy that accompanies a topic like stress. We also wanted to avoid sequencing events and issues in a way that made it seem as if there was some orderly pattern, a natural progression from one theme to another as ideas were developed, debated, matured, and incorporated into different approaches.

Whether we have succeeded will rest with those who read this text. It has, for us, been a learning experience as we have searched for source material, ‘‘got to know’’ different authors and approaches, and tried to understand the different influences of the time. We may well, at times, have been influenced by those we quote and refer to as we read and thought about their views on stress. In the end though, there is, running through this volume, and those of other author’s, a remarkable consistency that reflects the passion with which points of view are argued and the desire that writers have to provide insights into what is going on. It is to all those who have contributed to the field that we are indebted.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS xi

A book like this could not be written without help. While we take responsibility for the views and ideas expressed we would like to thank a number of people who gave us access to their copies of original material. Our thanks go to Dr Rob Briner, Department of Organizational Psychology at Birkbeck College, Professor Tom Cox, CBE, Institute of Work – Health and Organizations, University of Nottingham, Professor David Guest at Kings College, University of London, and Professor Roger Williams, Erasmus University, Rotterdam. Our thanks and acknowledgment also goes to Associate Professor Clemens Weikert and Professor Sten-Olaf Brenner at the Centre for Work, Health, and Organizational Learning at Kristianstad University who provided us with the material on the history of stress in Sweden.