A CRITICAL-APPRAISAL OF THE DEMAND CONTROL MODEL OF THE PSYCHOSOCIAL WORK-ENVIRONMENT - EPISTEMOLOGICAL, SOCIAL, BEHAVIORAL AND CLASS CONSIDERATIONS

During the last decade the demand/control model has emerged as the dom inant model to explain the relationship between the psychosocial featu res of work organization and health. Although originating from the fie ld of occupational social epidemiology, the conceptual and methodologi cal basis of the demand/control model parallel construct based models used in social psychology. Using behavioral and sociological perspecti ves the current paper discusses the model's limitations. Recommendatio ns regarding incorporation of social levels of analysis, the relations hip between self-report and behavior, worker vs expert knowledge, and the generalized effects of stress on mental health are discussed to pr ovide a positive heuristic to the demand/control model.