“Stress” is very difficult to define, it can be thought of as a physical response of the body which presents itself whenever we must adapt to changing conditions. These conditions can be real or perceived, and positive or negative. Everybody endures stress in their lives, but people respond to stress differently. Some people are affected by stress severely which can lead to illness, while other people cope with stress particularly well and are unfazed by it. This can be because of individual differences such as our genes, environment and personality. This essay will aim to explain the relationship between stress and how different personality types are affected by it.
Cannon (1929) claimed that stress activates the process to appraise or evaluate and then respond to threats or challenges which threaten us. Stress causes a surge of hormones in your body such as cortisol, adrenaline and noradrenaline. These stress hormones are released to boost your ability to deal with pressures or threats; this can be described as “fight or flight”. Once the pressure or threat has passed then stress hormone levels will return to normal. But if you are constantly under stress or threat then these hormones remain in the body causing the negative effects of stress. The events which can provoke stress are those that are perceived as negative and uncontrollable such as catastrophic events like earthquakes or significant life changes such as divorce (Myers, 2002).
Personality characteristics may predispose individuals to experience excessive stress or they may protect against stress. In addition, personality characteristics can help to determine the course that are already in stressful situation. They may intensify the stress responses or act protective or act as a buffer during stressful situations. Personality characteristics can affect how we interpret situations (Gross, 2010). Friedman and Rosenman (1974), two cardiologists, identified a pattern of behaviour (Type A) that is associated with heart disease. Their study used over 3000 healthy men aged 35 to 59 in which they were interviewed about their work and eating habits. During the interview they noted the manner of talking and behaviour patterns. The characteristics of individuals with Type A behaviours are that they are easily angered; they are reactive, competitive, hard-driving, impatient, time conscious and verbally aggressive. Their study divided the men in to two groups; the second group was more relaxed and easy-going and were called Type B. Once the study was complete, 257 of the participants suffered heart attacks of which 69 percent were Type A. The study found that the “pure” Type B of the men, who were the most laid-back did not suffer any heart attacks. The reason why Type A suffers from heart attacks is because they are reactive and hostile, and particularly under stress they secrete hormones that accelerate the build up of plaque on the heart’s artery walls (Myers, 2002).
Other research supports Friedman and Rosenman and found that Type A personalities can trigger altered heart rhythms, which can eventually cause death because of the weakened state of the heart (Kamarck and Jennings, 1991 cited in Myers, 2002). However, other researchers claim that the risks of Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) are only relative and that majority of Type As don’t develop CHD and many Type Bs do (Davison and Neale, 1994 cited in Gross, 2010). What has emerged from research on personalities is that the behaviour pattern of “hostility” can be linked to CHD. Hostility can be described as feeling dislike for others, having no compassion, focusing on the worst in others, being angry and aggressive (Gross, 2010). One particular study on law students from Duke University over a period of 25 years found that the students who were hostile and cynical were five times more likely to die at middle age than classmates who were gentle and trusting (Myers, 2002). People who are hostile tend to have higher level of fats in their blood. However, it cannot be determined if hostility is the actual cause of heart illness as sometimes people have genetic predispositions and lifestyle factors such as diet and exercise can contribute to CHD (Bernstein et al, 1997 cited in Askam et al, 2000).
Some types of personality characteristics can be protective; according to Kobasa (1979) certain types of people have a personality described as “hardiness”, which showed higher resistance to stress than other personality types. The hardy personality has been seen to contain three characteristics: control, where the individual views themselves as having complete control over their lives instead of any exterior forces, commitment, in which the individual is actively involved in the world around them instead of playing a passive role and challenge, where they view threats as challenges to be overcome or problems to be solved. As a result of increasing hardiness, the individual experiences reduced physiological arousal to potential stressors which results in less stress-related illnesses (Gross, 2010). Kobasa’s findings have been criticised by researchers who argued that hardiness makes little difference to the experience of stress and its relationship to illness. Others have argued that people who score low on measures of hardiness may simply be interpreting their experiences in a negative way and that the tests measuring hardiness may actually be testing negative affectivity (Funk, 1992 cited in Askam et al, 2000).
Negative affectivity refers to a tendency of feeling dissatisfaction, distress and various negative emotions. People with high negative affectivity experience high levels of stress because they view events as stressors rather as challenges. On the other hand people with an optimistic disposition tend to perceive things positively, they view stress as short term; they do not blame themselves and hope for the best. This outlook, particularly in times of stress allows a person to cope better in a stressful situation (Askam et al, 2000).
Another type of personality which is susceptible to disease is the Type C personality. According to Temoshok (1987) Type C personalities are “cancer-prone”. This is because of their inability to express their emotions such as negative emotions like anger. They avoid conflicts, and are over-compliant, over-patient and they tend to suppress or inhibit their emotions. Greer and Morris (1975) made the link that women under 50 years who were diagnosed with breast cancer tend to suppress emotionally throughout their lives compared to those with benign breast disease. Greer et al also carried out a study on women who had a mastectomy after being diagnosed with breast cancer. They found that women who showed “fighting spirit” or denied the seriousness of the disease, were more likely to recover and be free from cancer than women accepted the diagnosis stoically and felt hopeless to their situation. On the other hand, a Danish study carried out over an 18 year period found that high levels of daily stress reduce the chances of developing breast cancer by 40 percent. The female hormone, oestrogen is has been linked to the development of breast cancer and high stress levels actually reduce the level of oestrogen (Laurance, 2005 cited in Gross, 2010). Like CHD, there is no clear evidence to suggest that personality characteristics cause cancer, but it can influence the progression of cancer and the survival time of cancer patients (Weinman, 1995 cited in Gross, 2010).
In conclusion, personality types or characteristics can play an important role in the perception and management of stress. Although it is difficult to determine whether personality causes diseases such as cancer, it can certainly influence the progression of the disease. Whether you are personality Type (A or B), or what the stressor is, or how harmful you perceive the stressor to be, it is all relevant in how you will cope with the stress.

References

Askam, W., Foreman, N., Haralambos, M., Jones, S. and Rice, D. (2000) Psychology in Focus (Eds) Haralambos, M and Rice.D, Ormskirk, Lancs: Causeway Press Limited.
Gross, R. (2010, 6th Edn) Psychology: The Science of Mind and Behaviour, London: Hodder Education.
Myers, D.G. (2002, 5th Edn) Exploring Psychology, New York: Worth Publishers.