PSYCH-105 Industrial Psychology
Chapter 12: Fatigue and Boredom
Unit 1
Unit 2
Unit 3
Unit 4
Appendix
BOREDOM
Boredom refers to the dull, uninterested and unfavourable stat of mind or attitude of a worker towards his work.
C.D. Fisher – Boredom is an unpleasant, transient affective state in which the individual feels a pervasive lack of interest in and difficulty concentrating on the current activity.
Boredom is a condition characterized by wandering attention, impaired efficiency, and low levels of arousal. It is sometimes confused with fatigue but boredom usually results form too little stimulation, motivation and interest. It commonly occurs in the individuals who regularly perform monotonous exercise routines.
MONOTONY
Monotony refers to a state of mind or attitude of a worker towards his job due to the repetitive nature of work. For instance, a worker is doing a job which needs constant watch, but does not kept his mind fully occupied, monotony is most likely to occur in this case.
Causes of Boredom and Monotony
- Personality, nature and interest of person
- Intellectual level of person
- Repetitive tasks
- Lack of work (quantitative under-load)
- Being with dull or unfriendly others
- Due to constraint
- Being at home with nothing to do
- Low stimulation setting
- Feeling that there was nothing interesting to do
- A sudden drop in activity level
Effect of Boredom and Monotony
- Decreases in productivity
- Deterioration of quality
- Restlessness in workers
- High attrition
