Description
Presents a Comprehensive Guide to Preventing Mental Strain in High-Risk Professions
Work in healthcare, emergency response, or other high-risk professions requires resilience under constant emotional pressure. Fundamentals of Strain Psychology provides a clear and compassionate framework for understanding, managing, and preventing mental strain in these demanding roles. Drawing on bio-psycho-social and existential theories, Rikke Høgsted explores how individuals and organizations can recognize warning signs, develop protective strategies, and create sustainable mental health practices.
Structured in three parts—The Impacts, The Reactions, and The Strategies—the book offers both theoretical foundations and practical exercises that foster emotional balance and collective resilience. Høgsted’s Strain Square model introduces a new way to assess and manage psychological demands across teams. Bridging research and real-world application through evidence-based insights and field-tested intervention methods, this book:
- Integrates bio-psycho-social and existential approaches to understanding workplace strain and resilience
- Explores the psychological effects of primary and secondary exposure to trauma and crisis situations
- Offers practical exercises, case examples, and strategies for maintaining emotional balance and mental health
- Provides actionable guidance for organizations seeking to build supportive, resilient workplace cultures
- Examines the collective role of employees, leaders, and organizations in fostering long-term psychological resilience
Fundamentals of Strain Psychology is ideal for professionals in healthcare, emergency services, defense, social work, and related fields. It supports courses in psychology, occupational health, and organizational behavior, and serves as a critical professional reference for those managing mental strain in high-stress work environments.
Table of Contents
Foreword by Neil Greenberg xix
Acknowledgements xxiii
Prologue xxix
Introduction xxxv
Part I The Impacts 1
1 Who Is Affected? 3
2 Factors Affecting the Traumatic Impact 9
3 The Traumatic Event 13
4 Managing the Traumatic Event 20
5 Other Factors 30
6 Global Crises and Cumulative Strain—Helping in a Time of Permacrisis 38
Part II The Reactions 47
7 Mental Tilting and Sustainability 49
8 Warning Signs of Mental Tilting 54
9 Mirror Neurons and the Red–Green–Blue Model 68
10 From Warning Signs to States of Strain 79
11 Trauma-related Mental Disorders 88
Part III The Strategies 97
12 HR Policy Framework 99
13 Psychological Safety as a Shared Resource 103
14 The Strain Square 108
15 The TIC Model and the Powerlessness–Power Pendulum 115
16 The Big WHY? 121
17 Educational Institutions, Organisations, and Leaders: Roles and Responsibilities 128
18 Groups: Roles and Responsibilities 146
19 Individuals: Roles and Responsibilities 159
20 Additional Preventive Measures 176
21 In Times of Crisis: A Tiered Approach 179
22 Proactive Psychosocial Prevention 192
Epilogue 197
Appendix 1 200
Appendix 2 203
Further Reading 208
Index 211
