The effects of personality on the appraisal of technology related stressors as techno-distress and techno-eustress

Abstract

In this age of increasing digitalization and rapid changes in technology, ICT professionals who find it difficult to cope with these changes experience the effects as technostress. A common assumption of technostress studies is that technostress has predominantly negative effects on the individuals experiencing it. However, in psychological stress literature it is argued that individuals can cognitively appraise stressful situations in a positively and negatively way. This study draws on this dualistic view of stress and aims to identify which individual level characteristics impact an individual’s appraisal of technology related stressors as either eustress or distress. The results of this study indicate that individual level characteristics by themselves do not impact an individual’s appraisal of technology related stressors and calls for deeper examining the role of other contextual external factors that impact an individual’s appraisal of technology related stressors as either eustress or distress.

Date of Award	26 Jan 2020
Original language	English
Supervisor	Lars Rieser (Examiner) & Remko Helms (Co-assessor)