occupational health psychology allows us to study the positive side of the stress experience: eustress. We assert that the proper way to advance the study of eustress is to add the positive aspect of the stress experience to the well-developed psychology of disease and dysfunction. Thus, we propose a holistic theoretical model that integrates our vast knowledge of negative causes, consequences, and outcomes with current developments in stress research and positive psychology. As shown in Figure 4.1, this conceptual framework captures both positive (eustress) and negative (distress) psychological responses to job demands. As an extension of Simmons and colleagues' work on eustress (Nelson & Simmons, 2003;Simmons, 2000), the current holistic model of stress draws upon the principles of the job demands-resource (JD-R) theory (Demerouti et al., 2001) and emphasizes the role of personenvironment (P-E) fit in distress and eustress responses (Edwards et al., 1998;Kristof, 1996).The demands, distress response, coping, and outcomes portion of the model are well known in the occupational stress literature, so they are discussed only briefly. The unique aspects of this model-the demands, eustress, savoring, and outcomes pathway-are the main focus of discussion. In particular, we explore in detail the indicators of eustress and savoring of eustress. We close by considering some of the methodological challenges in the study of eustress.
THE CONCEPT OF EUSTRESSWe believe that eustress can best be conceptualized as capturing the positive aspects of the stress response itself. Building on Simmons and Nelson's (2007) eustress model, our central tenets are as follows:• Demands/stressors are inherently neutral.• Demands are cognitively appraised to the degree to which they are both challenging and hindering.• This cognitive appraisal produces a simultaneous positive and negative response. It is this response that has positive and/or negative valence based on the degree of attraction and/or aversion the individual experiences toward the event or object.• Job resources, personal resources, and the match between a person and their work environment each affect the ways in which demands are appraised; therefore, they moderate the relationship between demands and appraisals.• Positive and negative responses are complex and mixed; therefore, they manifest themselves in a variety of distinct physiological, psychological, and behavioral indicators. Degrees of both positive and negative indicators of responses will be present for any given demand. (Note: Our model does not focus on physiological indicators because they are less observable by managers interacting with employees, and therefore are less subject to