Interventions to reduce occupational stress have focused primarily on strategies which target change in individual employees despite recommendations that researchers address organizational issues in occupational stress. This paper discusses the impact of the medical model in stress research and explores the extent to which it has constrained the design, implementation, and evaluation of stress management interventions. It is suggested that psychologically compatible models such as systems theory may provide a more fruitful basis for development and research and a focus for collaboration between occupational and clinical psychologists.
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