1. Personality and Stress
Hardiness

2. Learning Objectives To recap Type A and B personality types
To outline the “hardy” personality
To describe and evaluate research into the hardy personality

3. Recap!
Decide which characteristics represent a Type A personality and which represent a Type B personality

4. The Hardy Personality
We found out last lesson that not all people who have high stress levels develop stress related illness
Kobasa believed that some people are more psychologically “hard” than others – have a personality which enables them to defend against the negative effects of stress
The “buffer effect”

5. Kobasa (1979) Assessed 800 American executives using the SRRS
150 p’s classified as high stress
Only a small number of these had a high stress related illness record
Tested on personality  scored high on all three characteristics of hardy personality…

6. 1. Control: The idea that you can influence events in your life
Don’t attribute control to outside influences (e.g. environment)
This includes the stressors we may experience

7. 2. Commitment:
This is the individuals sense of involvement in the world around them
Engage with it – jobs, people, places
Resist giving up in times of stress

8. 3. Challenge:
The idea that life changes should be viewed as an opportunity to overcome
A challenge rather than a source of stress

9. Personality Quiz
Have a go and see whether you have a hardy personality or not!

10. Kobasa research
Use the information sheet provided to APRC and evaluate the research on hardiness
Then….
Exam question – Jessica has been told she has a “hardy” personality. How is she able to better cope with stress? (4 marks)
Complete assessment 4 in booklets