Stress, Adjustment and Health
Aspects of Personality
Theories of Personality
Prepared by: Jim Messina, Ph.D.
How to Understand Personality
Impact on Health?
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Health related issues
go to Brain for
analysis
Brain sorts out the
information
Translated message
sent to appropriate
system in body to
react
Mind-Body Connection
based on Personality
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We still have lots to
learn
There is no simple
trick to understand
the interrelationship
We are going to look
at a variety of
concepts & beliefs
No one model can
apply to all people
Psychosomatic Medicine
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Psyche or Mind
affects the Soma or
Body
Belief that one’s
personality is related
to one’s health
Sensation Seeking Scale –
Zuckerman, 1979, 1983
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Health Behaviors
are related to
one’s health
Scale measures
propensity for
sensation seekingconvicted drivers
scored high on
scale
Type T Theory – Farley,
1990
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Thrill seeking Trait
Psychobiological
need for
stimulation due to
an internal arousal
deficit
Need to be
channeled into
safe heart
pounding activities
Personal Health Behaviors
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Link between Personality and Health
Certain types due to biology &
socialization likely engage in risky
behaviors-smoke, drink, skydiving etc…
These people are prone to disease and
premature mortality
Sick Role – Mechanic,1968
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Certain people
respond to stressful
life events by
entering sick role
Societal expectations
about how you
should behave when
sick-stay home, see
doctor, act grumpy,
be moody, rest, stay
in bed, etc…
Who uses the “Sick Role”
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People under extreme stress
People, who are not well adjusted
When people encounter challenge in life
“Secondary Rewards” of sick pay, sick
days, sympathy, being cared for
Neurotic personalities or low self-esteem
may become ill due to social & cognitive
aspects of society’s “sick role”
Somatopsychic Effect
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Disease affects the
mind
Body affects the
mind
Disease or genetic
predisposition affect
personality
Asthma, Juvenile
diabetes, heart
problems
Personality Factors affecting
Health and Illness
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
May result from disease process
May lead to unhealthy behavior
May directly affect disease through
physiological mechanisms
Underlying biological variable may
relate to both personality & disease
Several causes and feedback loops
may affect relationship between
personality & disease
Type A Behavior Pattern
Freidman & Rosenman, 1974
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Based on upholstery
front of chairs worn
out
Thought they were
“coronary-prone
personality”
Workaholics
Do more work in
less and less time
Type A Individual's
Characteristics
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Perceive time passing quickly
Show deteriorating performance on tasks that
require delayed responding
Work near maximum capacity even when there is
no time deadline
Arrive early for appointments
Become aggressive and hostile when frustrated
Report less fatigue and fewer physical symptoms
Are intensely motivated to master their physical
& social environments & to maintain control
What is Coronary Prone
Personality? – Glass, 1980
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Confrontational,
competitive & driven
lives
Due to the struggle
Driven to excessive
achievement & total
mastery of their
world
React with hostility
when frustrated
Learned HelplessnessGiving Up, Seligman, 1975
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Lose all control and
give up
Stop making efforts
to control one’s
environment-even it
it is controllable
Pessimism-less
healthy
Retirement-could be
time of helplessness
Terman Life-Cycle StudyFriedman, 1995
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Began 1921 with
1500 bright preadolescent boys and
girls
By 1990 ½ had died
Was there a
difference between
resilient vs sickness
prone personalities
Survival Analysis of Terman’s
Termites-Traits
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Conscientiousness- social
dependability-Less likely to die from
injury or engage in unhealthy habitsencourages longevity
Sociability-on impact on longevity
Unacceptable Social Behaviorsimpulsivity, egocentrism, tough-minded,
undependable seemed to be relevant
Survival Analysis of Terman’s
Termites-Traits
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Cheerfulness-optimism and sense of
humor-good for facing surgery, not
good for bad habits-”it won’t affect me”
Parental Divorce-negatively impacted
longevity-family stress
Mental Health-significant mortality
risk if unstable
Blaming the Victim
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Reasons: put distance
between ourselves
and his disease &
desire for a
predictable world
On other hand there
are things people can
do to prevent or ward
off disease & illness
Self-Healing Personalities
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Control: in facing
challenge feel power to
influence outcome
Commitment: to
something important or
meaningful-work,
communities & family
Challenge: energy &
excitement for life
change & innovation
Self-Healing Personalities
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Trust & Devotion:
(Rotter, 1980) people
who trust others are
less likely to be
unhappy, conflicted,
or maladjusteddependable & have
more friendshealthier
Self-Healing Personalities
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Zealous: active, busy,
confident, productive,
hardworking, highly
extroverted
Relaxed: calm,
jocular, droll, active,
alert, involved,
responsive
NO TWO PEOPLE ARE
ALIKE
Healing or Disease Prone
 Disease Prone
Personality
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Self Healing
Calm-even speech
Even hand gestures
away from body
Open, relaxed body
Mutual gaze
Smooth movements
Charismatic &
optimistic
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Uneven speech
Loud, explosive voice
Sighs, stutters, ums
Clenched fist, teeth
Closed body posture
Fidgets shifts tapping
Shifty-eyed,downcast
Facial grimace
Vocal gesture
impatience
Over controlled calm
unexpressiveness
Placebo Effects
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Any intervention
that does hot
have a specific,
expected, direct
physiological
effect on the body
Psychological
belief in the
placebo’s healing
power can bring
on body healing
Importance of Meaning,
Dignity & Respect-Identity
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Don’t treat me as a
disease treat me as a
person
Don’t be afraid to look
at or touch me
Don’t talk to my family
as if I am not in the
room
Frankl: you must have
identity and purpose to
survive
Salutogenesis
Antonovsky, 1979
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General theory of how
people stay healthy
Sense of Cohesion:
Person’s confidence
that the world is
understandable,
manageable &
meaningful
Taking extraordinary
challenges in stride
Diathesis-Stress Model
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Diathesis:
predisposition
(genetics) of body
to disease or
disorder
Stress:
environment
conditions elicit or
are ripe for the
disease or disorder
Stress
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Factors in
environment: which
offer challenge,
distress, problems to
solve, each unique to
each individual
Most potent: recall
of emotionally
charged experiences
(Lown, 1987)
Definitions of Stress
1.
2.
3.
4.
Quality of an external stimulus
Response to a stimulus
Results from interaction between stimulus
and responseStress-process involves environmental event
(a stressor), its appraisal by the
individual,various responses of the
organism, reevaluations resulting from
responses & changes in stressor
Stress Process
Environmental and Social context
Potential Stressor
Appraisal of demands and of adaptive capacities
Events perceived as threatening, harmful or challenging
Negative Emotional Response
Physiological Response
Behavioral & Cognitive Coping Responses
Reapprisal, seeking Information,
or Palliation
Wear and Tear
Increased risk for pyschiatric
& Physical Disease
Physiological Effects of
Stress
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Sympathetic Nervous System (system
responsible for mobilizing body resources
in urgent situations) stimulate the
adrenal medulla of the adrenal glands
The adrenal stimulation results in
production of catecholamines,
Epinephrine & Norepinephrine (effect
body’s heart rate, respiration, blood flow
& muscle strength)
Physiological Effects of
Stress
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Stress causes pituitary gland (structured
connected to hypothalamus in forebrain)
to release andreno-corticotropic hormone
(ACTH)
ACTH stimulates the adrenal cortex of
the adrenal gland to secrete
glucocorticoids. The most important is
cortisol which mobilizes body’s resources
by increasing energy and decreasing
inflammation especially in injuries
Physiological Effects of Stress
STRESS
Hypothalamus
Pituitary
Release ACTH
Endocrine System
Adrenal Gland-Cortisol
Sympathetic Nerous System
Adrenal Gland
epinephrine & norepinephrine
Increased energy,
decreased inflammation
Increased heart rate, respiration,
blood flow, muscle strength
Immune System
Microphages
1st Line of Defense
Cellular Branch
Humoral Branch
T Cells
B Cells
Killer T Cells
Destroy antigens
Suppressor Cells
Suppresses immune response
Helper T Cells
Trigger Killer T Cells & B Cells
Memory Cells
Spreads future anti-germ destruction
Immunoglobulin
antibodies
Memory B Cells
Spread antigen neutralization
Limbic
Negative Impact of Prolonged
Stress Response
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Negative impact on body organs, mental
functioning & Immune system
Affect immune system so cannot destroy
viruses, bacteria, tumors, & irregular cells
Still not clear total impact of stress on
immunosuppression –in any case it is
important influence on health and illness
Self-Efficacy impact on
Health
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“People’s beliefs about their capacity to exercise
control over events that affect their lives.” (Bandura,
1989, p. 1175) role in behavior & lifestyle choices
which ultimately influence health (e.g. smoking,
drinking, risk taking etc.)
Plays role in
 Health belief Model-function of threat & coping
appraisal
 Protection Motivation Theory
 Theory of Planned Behavior