Hobfoll’s (1989) conservation of re

Hobfoll’s (1989) conservation of resources model
made an important theoretical contribution to un-
derstanding of stress by focusing explicitly on the
role of resources, including positive resources. The
central notion of the model is that humans strive to
protect and enhance the self through the acquisi-
tion and maintenance of resources. When environ-
mental conditions deplete or threaten resources,
people suffer increased stress, and when environ-
mental conditions provide or build resources, peo-
ple enjoy better health and reduced stress. The
conservation of resources model recognizes the im-
portance of stable characteristics of individuals
(e.g., personal characteristics) and work environ-
ment (e.g., job characteristics) but also explicitly
posits ongoing depletion and replenishment of re-
sources over time. Yet most empirical studies treat
resources as stable characteristics of individuals or
their environments. For example, Neveu (2007)
used one-time assessments of typical levels of work
resources, such as skill utilization and coworker
support. In keeping with conservation of resources
theory, we treat stress as a dynamic function of
events and experiences. This notion is also consis-
tent with the propositions of affective events theory
(Weiss & Cropanzano, 1996), which posits work
events as the proximal causes of employees’ affec-
tive experiences. We suggest that, in addition af-
fecting mood, day-to-day workplace events and
experiences serve as mechanisms for depleting re-
sources and fostering their replenishment.