ADJUSTMENT DOMAIN 1: (WK32):

WHAT IS IT?

ephasises adjustment as personality functions to help us adjust to challenges and life
there are two outcomes of the domain:
- physical health
- mental health
it examines some of the consequences of personality

PERSONALITY, LIFESTYLE & HEALTH:

how you live along with your personality has a significant effect on your health
it is affected by may factors such as:
- smoking, healthy eating
- choosing to exercise or do risky activities
those with novelty-seeking are easily bored and search for excitement, including things like rock climbing which can harm health
- those without will be organised and avoid high risk activities
those with hostility, cynicism, distrust or neuroticism are most associated with illness and premature death

PERSONALITY TYPES & HEALTH:

TYPE A:

often impulsive, competitive and need to get many things done quickly
lives by timetables and deadlines, is a perfectionist and tries to do everything themselves
they are more driven, impatient, energetic, ambitious and hostile
they may be driven by insecurity
health:
- they are prime candidates for stress-related illnesses
- at higher risk for heart disease

TYPE B:

take life slowly, more relaxed
they are less driven and generally content with what they already have
they are able to delegate and do not feel they need to take things for themselves
often calm and rational
health:
- less at risk for stress-related illnesses

TYPE C:

tendency to be introverted, respectful, eager to please, conforming or compliant
has difficulty expressing emotions, and bottles things up
rarely get into arguments or fights
they respond to stress with depression or a sense of hopelessness
health:
- may have a harder time with cancer, accepting their fate

TYPE D:

they frequently experience negative emotions across times and situations
social inhibitions, express little emotions, thoughts and behaviours
health:
- associated with poorer outcomes with coronary artery disease
- increased mortality

SELF-HEALING PERSONALITY:

hardiness
- ability to bounce back
- ability to hang on when things are difficult
- emotionally stable
optimism
- expecting a positive outcome rather than negative
- ‘where there’s a will, there’s a way’
- see problems as opportunities

TERMAN’S TERMITES:

over 1500 Californian school children (age 11, IQ over 135, white, middle class)
in 1950 asked to rate their religiosity, and a range of other personality characteristics
in 1990 researchers compared the data with the mortality of the participants
when controlling for the effects of all the other variables, they were able to say that people who were more religious lived longer (Clark et al 1999)

WHY DO RELIGIOUS PEOPLE LIVE LONGER?

coping:
- religion is an important factor in being able to cope, says people in hospital
conscientiousness:
- lived much longer
cheerfulness:
- actually died sooner

THE CONCEPT OF STRESS:

stress is a feeling of being overwhelmed by events (stressors) that you cannot control
stress refers to how we respond to life events → it’s our interpretation, which is affected by out personalities
stress is a subjective reaction of the person
for stress to be evoked, two cognitive events must occur
- primary appraisal: person perceives event as a threat to goals
- secondary appraisal: person concludes they cannot cope to threat due to lack of resources

WHAT CAUSES STRESS?

daily hassles are the most major source of stress in people’s lives
those with many minor stresses will suffer more than expected from psychological & physical symptoms

COPING STRATEGIES:

ATTRIBUTIONAL STYLE: