A. Stress-Disequilibrium Theory (Demand/Control Model Underpinnings)

It may well be true that a broadened statement of the Demand/Control model - such as that provided by the Stress-Disequilibrium Model - will be needed to encompass the breadth and dynamism of changes in working life in the global economic context. What would be the theoretically valid supports for model testing with the new dimensions (and even some of the old ones) in a clearly "broadened" demand/control analytic framework?" The question arises: what extensions beyond task-level measurement are supported by this new framework (which underlies the D/C model, but is only now being articulated)?

The demand control model has always been a far more general model that the task level measurements in the JCQ scales, however, the precise operation of the mechanisms at other levels, while addressed in Karasek and Theorell, 1990, has not been formulated in the most general terms. Multiple levels of organization are clearly supported in the Stress-Disequilibrium framework - which describes energy-into-order transformations in terms which are compatible with "demand and control" concepts, but far more general (and ultimately linked to basic physical principles: thermodynamics). This allows, on the one hand, the physiological hypotheses about chronic disease processes to be formulated, while at the same time, at higher levels, provides hypotheses about organizational structure and behavior pattern integration which have implications at psychological and sociological levels.

This full formulation cannot be articulated here (and is not yet complete, but draft materials and a chapter are available), but some examples can be given. On the "demands side:" stressors create requirements for the organism to utilize its "control capacity" to integrate internal and external adaptive actions. Typical S-D theoretical issue's relating to "control" are: maintaining degrees of freedom of action for one's repetoire of capabilities; of limiting external threats to own control, of utilizing external possibilities of extending one's own control; and finally expansion of long term control capacity (and in the short term daily physiological balance), and finally of growth of new capabilities. For example, themes relating to emotional work demands of complex situations can be addressed, because they require organization of both internal motivations and learned constraints on action at multiple levels: requiring high levels of control capacity. Job insecurity can be addressed because the uncertainly of the worker's external environment creates multiple adaptive demands at both behavioral, organizational and physiological levels (stressors). Furthermore, the concept of maintaining a high-level equilibrium of functional capacity is crucial in the model - and threats to such an stable equilibrium for the worker are obviously a central problem addressed by the new "macro decision latitude-insecurity-support dimension".

For example: "one level of action can represent the constraints on the degrees-of-freedom for transforming dis-orderered energy at the next higher level into precise action at that level (high level work). These lower level constraints represent stored energy (work) that has been expended at the lower level). In this manner lower level disordered energy can ultimately contribute to high level "control capacity for the organism."