In routine conversation and publications of general interest, the term stress is
usually referred to the negative sense of 'distress'. Stress is becoming an
increasingly global phenomenon affecting all countries, all professions and all
categories of workers, families and society in general. With increasing
complexity in our lifestyle, the level of stress has been rising at a phenomenal
rate. The factors that contribute to stress not only differ between cultures,
but also within a culture itself; from sophisticated industrial society to calm
working environment of a library; and from upper class to lower class within the
same society. In many professions, stress is intrinsic to the job