This essay places the issue of faculty stress within the larger context of workplace stress. We compare and contrast aspects of faculty stress with studies of stress in diverse nonacademic settings. We begin by reviewing the literature concerned with defining workplace stress. We then consider how concern for stress directs attention to the health implications of work. The literature in this area identifies factors that increase and inhibit feelings of stress among workers. The third section deals with the close connection between the concepts of stress and coping. We discuss studies of how workers experience stress and the social conditions associated with some workers' successful efforts to cope with stressful work. We conclude by briefly summarizing the studies that make up the rest of this volume.