personality factors and stress

Personality factors and stress

Type A behaviour- describes a person who is in a constant struggle to achieve more and in less time

Friedman and Rosenman 1959- believed the type A personality possesses three main characteristics:

• Competitiveness and achievement striving

•   Impatient and time urgency

•  Hostility and aggressiveness

These characteristics can lead to:

• Raised blood pressure

•   Raised level of stress hormones

• Both raised blood pressure and stress hormones can lead to coronary heart disease

Type B behaviour- personality relativity lacking all characteristics which are demonstrated in the type A personality type, demonstrating three main characteristics:

• Patient

•   Relaxed

•  Easy-going

These behaviours are believed to decrease an individual’s risk of stress related illness.

Research on Type A behaviour

Friedman and Rosenman 1960 - Western Collaborative group

• To see whether the development of coronary heart disease was linked to type A behaviour.

•  Approximately 3000 Californian men aged 39-59 examined for coronary heart disease  

•  Men that were already ill were excluded from the study

• The remaining participants were then interviewed to find out their personality type.

•    The interviews were conducted in a proactive manner to try and elicit type A behaviour.

Eg. The interviewer would speak slowly and hesitantly, so a type A person would interrupt.  

Findings:

Alarming results:

• After 8 ½ years, twice as many type A participants had died of cardiovascular problems

•     12% of the type A personality type had experienced heart attacks compared to 6% of the type B personality types.

•  Type A’s had higher blood pressure and higher cholesterol. They were also more likely to smoke and…