Do Our Personalities Have an Effect on Our Stress Levels?

When considering the impact of stressors, the personality of the individual in question must be taken into account. It is seen that people are of different type personalities, which various psychologists have tried to describe.

 Type A personality was described by Friedman and Rosenman as aggressive and ambitious with a competitive drive and a chronic sense of urgency. It was proposed that these characteristics would lead to raised blood pressure and raised levels of hormones, both of which could be linked to ill health. It was also proposed that there was a type B personality which was an individual who lack these characteristics. To test this, Freidman Rosenman examined 3000 men ages 35 to 59 for signs of CVD. Their personalities were assessed using a structured interview. It was found that after 8.5 years, twice as many Type A participants had died of cardiovascular problems, and Type A’s had, in general, higher blood pressure and higher cholesterol. It was also found that Type A’s were more likely to smoke and have a family history of CVD. Because of this, is may mean that the CVD was not to do with their personality, but was more genetic, especially as it was found that they were more likely to have a family history of CV problems. Also, as all of the participants in this study were middle-aged men, we are unable to generalise the study. This leaves us with a biased sample, as it does not show any results for the effects of this personality type on a woman. Also, as the participants were asked to fill out a questionnaire, they may have filled it in untruthfully or incorrectly to make themselves be seen in a more positive light.

  Type C personality has been described as one which suppresses emotions, particularly negative ones, and are likeable people who rarely get into arguments and are generally helpful to others. Temoshok suggested that individuals such as these cope with stress in a way that ignores their own needs, including their physical needs. Type C is associated with cancer, and Temshok suggested that this was because some stressors activate the ANS and endocrine system, and this is related to CVD. More chronic stressors affect the immune system and increase the individual’s risk of cancer.

  Type D people have been described as gloomy, socially inept and worriers. Denollet studied 300 men and women who suffered heart attacks, and asked them to fill in a personality questionnaire at the time of their first heart attack. It was found that 10 years later, those who suppressed negative emotions were four times more likely to have a heart attack. This personality type has been associated with depression and social alienation.

  One factor that must be taken into account with this study is the fact that the participants may not have wanted to tell the truth in the questionnaires that they were filling in, meaning that the results of the study would have been inaccurate. This is the social desirability bias, in which the participants try to make themselves be seen in a more positive light to those conducting the study.

  Also, with all of the above personality types, it is hard to generalise, as some people may show traits from all of the above. Because of this, it is hard to label people as one specific personality, and care must be taken when drawing conclusions from these studies.