Study on the Sources of Stress in the School Organization

Very often called “disease of the century”, stress, whose consequences upon individual life are serious, chiefly affects the professional categories in which interpersonal relations are important, teachers being included herein. The studies show that stress affects not only the physical body, generating professional diseases, but also job satisfaction and the individual well-being within the organization.Undoubtedly, in the school organization, stress represents a complex theme to be analysed and investigated in order to identify the generating causes/sources and the possible directions of intervention in order to ameliorate /diminish their effects upon the individual.Occupational stress is both the cause and effect of professional diseases. Among the factors which affect teacher’s health, we can mention overstress of the nervous system, disappointment, frustration, job insecurity, economic and political decisions, poor status, etc. The impact of professional diseases upon teachers determines routine, lack of initiative, absenteeism, depression, stress and eventually abandon. (Report CE, 2000). The present study proposes to identify the sources of stress perceived by teachers in the school organization. The study has been performed on a sample of 54 teachers, having a didactic experience between 5 and 40 years. The results obtained had been analysed through personal variables such as sex, age, levels of education, didactic experience and types of school, which play an important role in the perception of the different stress sources connected to the didactic profession.