Chapter 40: Personality And Health

Question 1

What is the link between personality and health but specific stress

Answer 1

People with certain personality types are prone to more illness than others. which develop psychosomatic disease where a weakened body part is more vulnerable to effects of stress.

Question 2

What is response specificity

Answer 2

Refers to the tendency to respond to stressors with a specific type of physiological reaction

Question 3

What personality types are at risk of heart disease

Answer 3

Type A are at a greater risk than that of Type B.

Question 4

List the characteristics of type A personality

Answer 4

• Strive for success in everything they do
• Are time urgency and have chronic anger/ hostility
• Competitive
• Achievement oriented
• Believe with effort can do anything and push themselves
• Don’t easily trust others
• Hurry everywhere
• Multitaskers
• See urgency in everything
• Impatient
• Bottle up emotions and don’t show them outwardly increasing heart rate and blood pressure.

Question 5

What are hardy personality and how are they different to type A personality

Answer 5

A hardy personality is one that’s Type A but shows unusual resistance to stress due to different approaches in life such as.

1. Having a sense of personal commitment to themselves,their work their families and other stable values
2. Having a sense of control over their lives, their work
3. See life as a series of challenges rather than problems.

Question 6

Explain the approaches that hardy personality types use

Answer 6

Feeling sense of commitment helps you get involved

When you feel in control it’s less stressful because you feel you can influence what happens in your situation.

Seeing events as challenges rather than problems allows for growth through learning from experience.

Question 7

List 12 strategies for reducing hostility

Answer 7

1. Be aware of angry hostile and cynical thoughts noting what happened how you felt how you reacted
2. Admit your problem with anger.
3. Interrupt hostile thoughts when occuring
4. Work out why they are irrational and unreasonable
5. Put yourself in others shoes
6. Laugh at yourself to diffuse anger
7. Learn to relax by doing relaxing activities
8. Practice trusting people
9. Listen to others
10. Make points without anger
11. Don’t let small irritations set you off
12. Try forgiving others