Why Millennial Are the Most Stressed Generation Annotated Bibliography

Stress which refers to the general psychological response of the body towards either direct or indirect changes in an individual's life is one of the health challenges affecting various generations today. In the United States of America for example, stress is a common psychological issue across the ages but the millennial report higher stress levels than the rest of demographic cohorts such as baby boomers. Each case of stress has its unique triggers which may vary from one generation to the next. Among the millennial who are also called generation Y, high incidences of stress are attributed to low job satisfaction, financial challenges, societal pressure, and academic expectations from them. The employers often have a particular tendency to judge the millennial based on the same perspectives applied to previous generations hence making it difficult for them to feel accommodated and understood within their work environments. At the center of understanding the levels of job satisfaction among the millennial which result in their low retention levels at work is the need to consider their unique work-related values, attitudes, and personality. Mostly, these aspects of the millennial are inconsistent with the situations at work today which then increases their stress, propensity to resign and become demotivated to work. While the preceding generation expresses a substantial ability to cope with their challenges, the millennial are less resilient and take unprecedented decisions as a result of their feeling of frustration. From a broader perspective, generational differences, attitudes, value patterns and generational pressure are fundamental predisposing factors for stress among the millennial.

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The following six studies provides a nuanced exemplification of the risks factors for stress among the youth as well as potential interventions that if well applied may address the issue. The primary idea that the studies emphasize is that different generations have their unique value systems, conceptions and attitude which when coincides with conditions within their environment such as workplace, or educational institutions predispose them to distress or depression.

Campione, W. A. (2016). Corporate Offerings: Why Aren't Millennials Staying? Journal of Applied Business & Economics, 17(4), 60-75.

The study aimed at exploring and demystifying the uniqueness of millennial with respect to their trend of behavior in the workplace. The research was intended to provide employers with a better understand the factors that contribute to the low retention rates of the millennial so that they can redesign their operations to accommodate this significant proportion of the population. It framed millennial job satisfaction as a primary cause of their mental stress and high propensity to quit their jobs prematurely. It draws a critical relationship between corporate offerings, workplace policies, and employer practices and millennial job dissatisfaction.

The study showed that payment level is one of the factors that contribute to job satisfaction among millennial. The fact that millennial exhibit a characteristic narcissistic tendency implies that better pay improves their confidence and self-esteem. Nonetheless, other factors such as the existence of paid leave and flex time also significantly affect job satisfaction among the millennial. The cohort also has an increased value of leisure. They highly regard a proper balance between work and leisure. Therefore, they find a restrictive industry or employer-imposed practices as being offensive and unpalatable.

According to the author, the millennial is a generation that is not only sensitive to their environment but also has high expectations from their work. They are less accommodative of the strenuous circumstances at work such as low remuneration, restrictive code of conduct, and the general corporate culture which strictly upholds specific professional standards. The workplace in most cases have frameworks and laws that are based on the perspectives of an older generation hence the millennial have to struggle to assert their abilities and uniqueness in an already imbalanced working environment. They become mentally drained as they learn how to gain the trust, confidence and acceptance of the other members in the workforce. This coupled with the fact that the generation does not easily conform to the traditional ways of doing things makes them dissatisfied as well as demotivated. Due to their freestyle culture and clamour for less restrictive means of exploring their potential, millennial find it difficult to align their abilities to the needs of the work environment hence a precursor for stress.

Chan, K. K., Huang, E. J., & Lassu, R. A. (2017). Understanding financially stressed Millennials' hesitancy to seek help: Implications for organizations. Journal of Financial Education, 43(1), 141-160. https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/90018423.

The study set out to investigate the desire of generation Y to seek financial assistance. The study appreciates that financial stress is a reality among the millennial and has a negative implication on their general wellbeing. It also adversely impacts their academic performance and workplace productivity. The study premised on the understanding that psychological health among the millennial is a critical determinant of their graduation rates as well as successful career establishment and growth. The study identifies ways through which universities and employers can help millennial in advancing their financial well-being.

The results indicate that most millennial experiences a certain level of financial problem which causes stress. However, they are characteristically hesitant to seek help. This hesitation to seek financial assistance is attributed to the millennial sense of entitlement and inability to deal with their financial responsibilities effectively. Also, their problem is exacerbated by the tendency of older generations to misunderstand them, especially at the early stages of their career. They do not necessarily show a less desire to succeed in their career and any other engagements but take too long to mature hence remain entangled in the vicious cycle of financial stress.

From the study, it is evident that financial challenges are one of the causes of stress among millennial today. This challenge is superimposed by the fact that the millennial feeling of self-efficacy prevents them from seeking help. Their unique personality and interpersonal attributes make it difficult for society to understand them. Thus they remain engrossed in the problem of financial problems. The millennial find it challenging to gain independent control over their finances and instead look up to their employers or study institutions as a source of guidance on the issues with their financial health. They also express a slow rate of maturity and difficulty in asserting themselves especially at the initial levels of career development which implies that they cannot achieve their desired financial stability in the short term. Therefore, they require a serious intervention which targets not only their personality but also the ability to relate with the people within their environments. They should be empowered to attain higher financial health by gaining the skills that help them to manage their finances better. For instance, firms and institutions of higher learning can organize workshops on ways to service their student loans as well as control their spending culture.

Pinzaru, F., Vatamanescu, E. M., Mitan, A., Savulescu, R., Vitelar, A., Noaghea, C., & Balan, M. (2016). Millennials at work: Investigating the specificity of generation Y versus other generations. Management Dynamics in the Knowledge Economy, 4(2), 173-192.

The study delved into making a comparative discussion of the psychological uniqueness of Generation Y and other generations. It focused on the differences in values, personality, and reactions to stress. This study is informed by the fact that generation Y accounts for the highest proportion of the current employee base in different areas today hence the need to understand their motivations and struggles with the aim of providing the employers with critical insight on the ways of developing active policies that smoothly integrate millennial in the workplace.

From the results of this study, the millennial have a lower level of resilience to pressure and stress. They are more vulnerable to issues of self-esteem and less determined to achieving results. They are likely to be less committed to attaining results especially in cases where they are forced with the reality of sanctions and barriers. They are impatient in dealing with tasks that do not appeal to them or that which require determination. Nonetheless, the millennials are more open to forming casual relationships which may not be consistent with the formal contacts that they are expected to build with colleagues at work. They mainly sustain relationships using technology hence are more extraverts and anxious. Furthermore, the millennial have difficulties in developing and upholding face to face relationships as presented in the work environment.

The generation Y is less cooperative in environments which seem to undermine their autonomy. They desire to undertake their roles in a way that uphold their freedom and sense of self-exploration as opposed to operating within limits set by the older generations. For instance, they undergo distress and derailment toward the negative in their careers if they encounter senior workmates who express egocentricism and self-promotion. The conflict of values, attitude and trends among the generation Y and that of other generations is a real source of work-related stress for the later. Generation Y has an unrealistic self-image and ego which they are always unwilling to compromise even within the work environment which has procedures and protocols. Issues such as overload with work and excessive criticism aggravates the emotional stress among the millennial the break down. They find it offensive to have arguments that expressly seem to target or dispute their competencies and capabilities hence their feeling that they deserve more at any one time. If this expectation is not met or appear not to be forthcoming, they degenerate to self-blame, or become dissatisfied with the employer. In fact, their narcissism makes them have a feeling that they are better than or equal to the people on the higher ranks which is an elusive conception. They always want their opinions and ideas to be accepted but if this is not done, they undergo distress. The fact that the millennial highly regard their talents, experience and knowledge make it strenuous for them to accept negative comments. Nonetheless, their tendency to pay less attention to details increases their chances of making mistakes.

Stewart, J. S., Oliver, E. G., Cravens, K. S., & Oishi, S. (2017). Managing Millennials: Embracing generational differences. Business Horizons, 60(1), 45-54. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.bushor.2016.08.011.

The objective of the study was to consolidate the results from various empirical studies in a way that develops the idea that embracing the diversity between generations is an asset as well as a liability. The study examined the characteristics of different ages and how such traits impact on their response to organizational culture and workplace commitment.

According to the study, Generation Y is the only cohort that lacks the conceptual link between organizational commitment and workplace culture. The generation also has a different perception of work compared to the others. It posits that to accommodate the variety of potential among the millennial, it is esse...