Stress & Different Personalities

Stress is matter of perception and each individual responds differently to stress. Some people are able to take great amount of stress in their stride and do their best when under stress. There are others who tend to break down with even the minimal amount of stress. These different indicate that the outside or environmental stressors alone are not responsible for the person feeling stressed. Our own response to the situation is equally important. Two people may go on a roller-coaster ride for the first time. For one, it may be the most exciting time of his life because of the thrill involved whereas for the other person, it may be the longest two minutes he has ever spent. The personality of the individual causes the person to react in a particular way.

 

 To understand how stress will manifest itself in different people, it becomes important to understand personality and its traits. Our personality types determine how life-events are perceived and how we behave in response to stress. Certain personality types are prone to specific illness. The understanding of personality types and their manifestations help us to not only modify our behaviours, but also prevent the onset   of related illness.

 

Here I will like to add that each personality is distinctly different and unique. All of us look different. Even the most similar looking twins have some subtle differences in their appearance. Similarly, we all think differently, feel differently and act differently. Personality is shaped as a result of family influences, socio-cultural factors, birth order, gender, education, early life experiences, exposure and several other factors. While some of these factors give each one of us our uniqueness and
individuality, other factors are common and shared with other people.

 

This specific personality make-up determines our feelings, thinking and
behaviour and our way of dealing with people and handling situations. It also
determines how people and situations, in turn, affect us, and the extent to
which they affect us. Some personalities are more prone to stress while others
are relatively easy-going.

 

In spite of our differences there are some commonalties, on the basis of which
all of us can be grouped into several broad categories.

 

 

TYPES OF PERSONALITY

 

Let us consider some personally types and their stress proneness.

 

Suspicious Personality: A person with a suspicious personality is usually
extra vigilant guarded and uneasy in social interactions. He appears to be cold
and unemotional in social situations. For such people, social interactions can
be a source of tremendous stress as they are unable to relate to others comfortably.
Due to his suspicious nature, he finds it difficult to take others into confidence
and this propounds his stress levels. As result of these personality traits this person is on guard and watchful most of the time. A person with these traits not only creates problems for himself, also becomes a source of stress for others in his environment. His suspicious nature causes uneasiness, fear and conflict in others as well as within himself. He is not able to be calm and relaxed.

 

Asocial Personality:  There are some people who show social withdrawal.
This type of person often appears to be lonely and isolated, aloof and uninvolved.
He loves to daydream and any situation demanding involvement or active
participation is extremely stressful. Expression of appropriate anger or mature
sexual functioning is characteristically lacking. Due to the distant, introvert,
and unsociable self, he may have remarkably little need or longing for emotional
ties with others. This could lead to a great deal of stress and strain in interpersonal
relations with those around him. So, he is unable to work in situations requiring
team effort. This becomes another source of stress for him since his employability
and capacity to hold on a job is poor. As he is unable to have ties with others,
he is unable to share his problems and seek advice in situations of distress. This
further aggravates his stressful situation.

 

Volatile Personality:  The other extreme of asocial personality is the excitable,
volatile personality. These people are usually dramatic and flamboyant. However,
these individuals constantly need assurance from those around them and can
be extremely dependent and helpless without it. They are very demanding and
manipulative in their interpersonal behaviour. They are greatly stressed if they
are unable to get the attention they want. They also become a source of stress
for the other person because of their clinging behaviour and manipulations and also hinder the development of a relationship. Reciprocity and mutual
give and take, the features essential to sustain any relationship, are generally
absent. Such people often display irrational behavior, angry outbursts or
tantrums whenever under stress

 

Antisocial Personality:   There are certain people who are constantly in conflict
with the accepted social norms and rules. They are constantly aggressive and
anti-social and thus remain misfits in all social situations. Poor occupational
performances, inappropriate behaviour with boss and subordinates, marital
tensions, wife or child abuse are a regular feature. Although their indifference ,
lack of concern and self-centeredness may make them appear stress-free, there
is an underlying frustration and stress, which takes on the form of unexplained
aggression and other antisocial behaviours. A deep emotional deprivation is
usually responsible for such behaviour.

 

Hypersensitive Personality:   On one hand, there is the antisocial personalities who are extremely unconcerned, and on the other hand, there is the
hypersensitive personalities who are extremely touchy about everything. Due to
their extreme sensitivity, these persons may lead socially withdrawn lives. They
have very low self-esteem and are overly touchy about their short-comings. They show a lack of self-confidence and appear shy in their interpersonal relationships. This lack of assertiveness and self-confidence makes them prone to stress, especially
in day-to-day experiences.

 

Inadequate Personality:  The people who belong to this category are lacking
in self confidence, are passive and pessimistic. They find it difficult to express
their own feelings. They avoid positions of responsibility since they consider
themselves to be incapable of fulfilling responsibility adequately. A position of
responsibility makes them anxious and stressed as it leads to feelings of
indecisiveness, further aggravating their sense of self-doubt and lack of self-
confidence.

 

Obsessive Personality:  People with an obsessive personality may be too
stubborn and insist that things be done according to the ways suggested by
them. They are often preoccupied by order and detail. They are extremely conventional, serious, formal, stubborn, inflexible and sell-opinionated.
They must have things done their way. The individual himself is under plenty
of stress because different opinions bother him greatly. He is afraid of making
mistakes, which further discourages him making choices. Lack of order and
systems puts them under a great deal of stress.

 

Passive Personality:  Another category of people who postpone making choices
and completing tasks are those with a passive personality. They lack assertiveness
in most situations and are unable to state their needs clearly. At the same time,
they can be quite critical of others. As a result, they often get caught between
passivity and aggression. This confusion can be a great source of stress. Their
inability to express their needs also causes a lot of stress.

  

 

ILLNESS - PRONE PERSONALITIES—Type A & B Personality.

 

Now let us consider some stress prone personality types and their illness proneness well.

 

Type —A Personality: -  Type - A  personality is characterized by high amount

of ambition, feeling oft impatience and impatience. These people are constantly
hyperactive, preoccupied with deadlines and trying to achieve a number of
things in shortest amount of time. Research has shown that people with
Type-A personality are prone to heart attacks and other heart-related problems.
Type -A behaviour has been understood as a coping response towards threat or possible loss of control. In case of low of control, the Type-A personality falls
into a state of collapse.

 

In 1959, two cardiologists, Dr. Meyer Friedman and Ray
Rosenman, summarized decades of research to come up with the much publicized
Type A personality. The person with a Type A personality:

 

• Has a chronic sense of time urgency. Rushed and hurried, this person
  is always "on edge."
• Has quick and abrupt speech, often interrupting others.
• Is very competitive - even in noncompetitive situations.
• Is a hard-driving, achievement-oriented, and status-conscious person.
• Frequently becomes hostile and aggressive.

 

The relationship between type-A personality and heart disease has become a
common knowledge, at least, among Cardiologists and their afflicted
patients.

 

In 1897, Sir William Osier noted that "in the worry and strain of modern life, arterial degeneration is not only very common but develops at a relatively early age. For this, I believe that the high pressure at which men live, and the habit of working the
machine to its maximum capacity are responsible for coronary disease." He
went on to suggest that the typical person with coronary heart was not "the
delicate neurotic" but the "robust, the vigorous in mind and body, the keen
and ambitious man, the indicator of whose machine is always at full speed
ahead".

 

There are three major facet of type-A personality;

 

1. Time Urgency : Type-A persons always seem to be in a hurry. They typically do
several things at a rime. They underestimate the amount of time that has
passed and show frustration and impatience when they have
to wait. They do more poorly on tasks that require slow, careful responding.
They walk, talk and eat very quickly.

 

2. Achievement striving : Type-A persons have an intense need to succeed. They
perceive situations as competitive. They have to win every game they play. They self-impose deadlines and view tasks as personal challenges,
thereby creating stress. They ignore or suppress fatigue in order to continue
working on a task. They frequently feel guilty about "doing
nothing" in the evening or on weekends.

 

3. Hostility : The third major facet of Type A behavior is hostility and
aggressiveness. Type A persons compete with and challenge others. Their
speech is judged to carry more bitterness and contentiousness.  They respond to threat with aggressiveness.

 

Type-A Behaviour Pattern:

 

1. Work long hours constantly under deadlines and conditions of overload.

2. Take work home on evenings, and at weekends they are unable to relax.

3. Often cut holidays short to get back to work, or may not even take a holiday.

4. Constantly compete with themselves and others; also drive themselves to meet  

     high, often unrealistic standards.

5. Feel frustrated and irritable with work efforts of their subordinates.

6. Feel misunderstood by their superiors.

7. A general expression of vigor and energy, alertness and confidence.

8. A firm handshake and brisk walking pace.

9. Loud and/or vigorous voice.

10. Abrupt and rapid speech with acceleration of speech at the end of a longer  

       sentence.

11. Speech hurrying in the form of saying "yes, yes" or "mm, mm" or" right,
       right" or by nodding his head in assent while another person speaks.

12. Use of clenched fists or pointing his finger at you to emphasize his
        verbalization.

 

Most of us have some amount of all these traits. However, it becomes
maladaptive if these traits are found in extremes.

The different types of personalities we have discussed here will help us to understand the behaviour pattern of our near and dears ones in a better perspective. Once we equip ourselves with ‘Personality knowledge’, we can easily justify them and will never become victim of their ‘illogical behaviour.’

 

 

PERSONALITY TEST

 

 

Directions:  Please read the following statements carefully and circle the number the best represent your behavior for each dimension. As there is no right or wrong answer, please be as frank and fair as possible.

 

 

I am casual about Appointment	1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8	I am never late
I am not competitive	1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8	I am very competitive
I never feel rushed, even under pressure	1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8	I am always rushed
I take things one at a time	1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8	I try to do many things at once, think about what I am going to do next.
I do thing slowly	1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8	I do thing fast (eating, walking etc.)
I express feelings	1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8	I “sit” on feelings.
I have many interests	1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8	I have a few interests  outside work

 

 

Your Personality:

 

Count your scores numbers :

Multiply it by 3.

 

Total Count      Personality Type           Interpretation 

<90                                B                      Not Competitive

90-105                           B+                   Ideal One

105-119                         A                     Prone to Stress

>120                              A+                   Health Problems                                                        

 

 

Dr. H.S. Pal, is a leading Stress Management Consultant and author of best seller book, ‘Tit For Tat to Treat For Tat’. He can be contacted at; drpal262@yahoo.com