Applications of personality: implications for health and well-being

Question 1

Biomedical perspective

Answer 1

health is absence of negative biological circumstances
external and internal physical factors
individuals as patients to be treated
treated by medical professionals
health and illness qualitatively different
separation between mind and body

Question 2

Biopsychosocial model

Answer 2

physical , mental and cultural values/religious beliefs

Question 3

Health

Answer 3

sate of complete physical, mental and social well-being (absence of disease)
x- difficult to achieve

Question 4

Alternative health definition

Answer 4

state of well-being with many aspects not simply absence of illness

Question 5

Personality leads to illness model

Answer 5

personality affects biological activities which leads to illness
eg type A personality (hostility and competitiveness) leads to higher cholestral leads to CHD
X- contradict results with measuring type A

Question 6

Same biological processes underpin personality and illness

Answer 6

biological causes leads to both personality and illness so correlation between personality and illness
e.g.- genetic predisposition leads to CHD and Hostility

Question 7

personality causing behaviours linked to illness

Answer 7

personality influences behaviours which leads to illness
eg- sensation seeking personality traits leads to smoking which leads to lung disease

Question 8

illness changes personality

Answer 8

illness to personality
e.g. chronic arthritis leads to less opportunities to socialise lowering extraversion
also leads to increased concerns about managing condition which leads to high neuroticism

Question 9

General adaptation Syndrome

Answer 9

Stress response if the body to any demand
Alarm reaction -arousal or NS
resistance- Alarm dies down but cortical levels still high
Exhaustion - burnout and illness
X- ignores individual differences and type of stress event

Question 10

Transactional model of stress

Answer 10

process where perceive and respond to events that are overwhelming or threatening to wellbeing
stressor -> Primary appraisal (either challenge or threat) -> secondary appraisal (low threat - have capacity to deal with or high threat- mismatch between demand ands capabilities)

Question 11

Dynamic lifespan approach

Answer 11

-personality and health not static
-components from models interact
-longitudinal studies
-critical period where effects stronger impact

Question 12

Conscientiousness

Answer 12

healthier and happier and live longer
engage in health behaviours, environments and have better careers
protective factor against negative determinate traits

Question 13

Applying lifespan to concientiouness

Answer 13

childhood conscientiousness negatively correlates and adult damaging behaviours and adult dysregulation

Question 14

Neuroticism

Answer 14

inconsistent findings
worse mental health and cognitive decline (reduce how ell people eat and exercise)
mixed evidence for morality risk (emotional instability vs spot dangers) worry and vulnerability associated with low mortality risk of cardiac

Question 15

personality traits and health domain

Answer 15

mental health - A, C and -N
physical health - weak associations
health behaviours- A and C