DOI:10.6129/CJP.201906_61(2).0001
Chinese Journal of Psychology 2019, Vol.61, No.2, 73-96

Interpersonal Stressors in the Chinese Organizations: Etic and Emic Concepts Comparison

Feng-Hsia Kao（Department of Health Care Management, National Taipei University of Nursing and Health Sciences）；Bor-Shiuan Cheng（Department of Psychology, National Taiwan University）

Abstract

The problem of job stress has always been explored and examined by behavior researchers. It is an important issue in the field of occupational health psychology. In the Chinese context, workers have to view interpersonal issues as the primary task. If they cannot properly deal with an interpersonal problem, it will be difficult for them to complete their job tasks. Understanding the meaning and influence of interpersonal stressors is more important than job stressors for Chinese workers. Although some researchers have conducted studies about interpersonal stressors in the Western context, the results cannot be generalized to non-Western societies. Researchers have suggested that considering cultural values in interpersonal stressor research is a critical factor to solve this dilemma. Thus, this study adopts an inductive approach to offer a comprehensive definition of interpersonal stressors in Confucius-based societies. This study collects the interpersonal stressful incidents within the organiztions by Critical Incident Technique. 84 workers responded 272 descriptive interpersonal incidents. Interpersonal stressors include nine dimensions are found in this study. Four dimensions are etic dimesions and five dimension are emic dimensions. Finally, contributions and limiations are discussed. Overall, this study clarifies the concepts of interpersonal stressors in Chinese organizations. Cultural value should be considered in the interpersonal stressors research. Based on this study, suggestions are provided for furture studies and managerial implications.

Keywords: Chinese managemet, collectivism, harmony value, interpersonal stress, stressor