How stress is affected by individual differences?
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How do individual differences influence stress levels?
Introduction
How do individual differences influence stress levels? The extent to which stress can affect a person is largely dependant on the type of personality they possess. An individual with a Type A personality is categorised as having aggressive tendencies combined with being a competitive high achiever with a fixation on time management. It is thought that these types of traits lead to increased stress levels and blood pressure, which in turn increase the possibility of developing coronary heart disease (CHD). This theory was tested by Friedman and Rosenman in the Western Collaborative Group Study (1960). They used around 3000 middle aged men that lived in California, and tested them for indicators of CHD before assessing their personality. ...read more.
Middle
The experiment also does not take into account that many Type As had a family history of cardiovascular problems, which is indicative of genetic condition that would make them more susceptible to heart attacks. Also when the participants were interviewed the interviewer deliberately tried to evoke Type A behaviour, so there is a possibility that the traits displayed were more of a reaction to that particular context. When follow up experiments were conducted they found no link between Type A behaviours and mortality (Ragland and Brand), and that certain aspects of the personality actually help to protect against stress, such as being in control and commitment. One personality type that negates the effects of stress is the Hardy personality (Kabasa and Maddi). ...read more.
Conclusion
A problem with the research into the link between personality and stress is that it is often done through questionnaires, which do not always provide reliable answers as people may feel pressured to give the most sociably acceptable answer. There is also an alternative explanation to the Hardy personality, as the traits can be explained by negative affectivity (Watson and Clark). People with high negative affectivity show the same characteristics as those with low hardy personality scores, which means people who are considered hardy may just have low negative affectivity. In conclusion the effects of stress are definitely modified somewhat by personality, as there is a conclusive link between cardiovascular problems and high stress levels and it has been proven that certain types of personality cope better with stress than others. .
Introduction
How do individual differences influence stress levels? The extent to which stress can affect a person is largely dependant on the type of personality they possess. An individual with a Type A personality is categorised as having aggressive tendencies combined with being a competitive high achiever with a fixation on time management. It is thought that these types of traits lead to increased stress levels and blood pressure, which in turn increase the possibility of developing coronary heart disease (CHD). This theory was tested by Friedman and Rosenman in the Western Collaborative Group Study (1960). They used around 3000 middle aged men that lived in California, and tested them for indicators of CHD before assessing their personality. ...read more.
Middle
The experiment also does not take into account that many Type As had a family history of cardiovascular problems, which is indicative of genetic condition that would make them more susceptible to heart attacks. Also when the participants were interviewed the interviewer deliberately tried to evoke Type A behaviour, so there is a possibility that the traits displayed were more of a reaction to that particular context. When follow up experiments were conducted they found no link between Type A behaviours and mortality (Ragland and Brand), and that certain aspects of the personality actually help to protect against stress, such as being in control and commitment. One personality type that negates the effects of stress is the Hardy personality (Kabasa and Maddi). ...read more.
Conclusion
A problem with the research into the link between personality and stress is that it is often done through questionnaires, which do not always provide reliable answers as people may feel pressured to give the most sociably acceptable answer. There is also an alternative explanation to the Hardy personality, as the traits can be explained by negative affectivity (Watson and Clark). People with high negative affectivity show the same characteristics as those with low hardy personality scores, which means people who are considered hardy may just have low negative affectivity. In conclusion the effects of stress are definitely modified somewhat by personality, as there is a conclusive link between cardiovascular problems and high stress levels and it has been proven that certain types of personality cope better with stress than others. .
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