Lecture 7: Personality

Question 1

Smith’s definition of personality

Answer 1

defines personality as an internal construct

Question 2

personality

Answer 2

what makes individuals exhibit consistent behavior in similar situations

Question 3

type A personality

Answer 3

people with type A personality score high on hostility, competitiveness, social dominance, and time urgency
- hostility is the most damaging element
- this element is associated with asymptomatic atherosclerosis, coronary artery disease, and death from cardiovascular problems

Question 4

type D personality

Answer 4

people with type D personality have a high tendency to experience negative emotions as well as score high on social inhibition
- 13-15% prevalence
- hereditary/stable

Question 5

big five personality traits

Answer 5

• neuroticism
• extraversion
• conscientiousness
• agreeableness
• openness

Question 6

neuroticism

Answer 6

• emotionally unstable and easily anxious
• high neuroticism and negative affectivity are related to higher mortality risk, adverse cardiovascular events (e.g. myocardial infarction), experiencing more somatic symptoms, and a shortened lifespan

Question 7

extraversion

Answer 7

outgoing, sociable, energetic, and assertive
- extraverted people tend to seek out social interactions and are more resilient to stress

Question 8

conscientiousness

Answer 8

wanting to do ones work well and thoroughly
- among patients with chronic medical conditions, conscientiousness is associated with longer survival
- associated with prudent health behaviors

Question 9

agreeableness

Answer 9

friendly and passionate
- while not directly tied to health, agreeable individuals tend to maintain better relationships, which may contribute to social support and well-being

Question 10

openness

Answer 10

inventive and curious, you are open to new things
- openness is less directly linked to health outcomes but may influence lifestyle choices that impact long-term health

Question 11

hostility

Answer 11

the tendency to experience anger, cynicism and distrust
- related to atherosclerosis

Question 12

prevalence vs incidence

Answer 12

prevalence: how often does something occur
- often measured using a case-control study (a comparison of group differences)
incidence: how often will it happen in the future
- often measured using a prospective cohort study

Question 13

type D personality and cardiovascular disease

Answer 13

increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease and worsening cardiovascular disease

Question 14

correlation between type D personality and metabolic syndrome (a cluster of metabolic or biochemical risk factors )

Answer 14

obesity, hypertension, and elevated blood sugar
- people with type D generally have a poorer diet and exercise less (also leading to cardiovascular disease)

Question 15

physiological mechanisms of type D individuals

Answer 15

often exhibit dysfunctions in their stress response and immune systems, increasing their risk for cardiovascular conditions

Question 16

hyperactivity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis

Answer 16

means that cortisol, the primary stress hormone, remains elevated throughout the day, especially during the awakening response
- high cortisol levels contribute to chronic stress and inflammation, which can lead to long-term damage to the heart and blood vessels

Question 17

hypo-activity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis

Answer 17

in some cases, cortisol responses may be lower than normal, reducing the body’s ability to effectively handle stress
- this can lead to poor stress regulation and reduced adaptability to stressful situations

Question 18

inflammation

Answer 18

inflammation plays a key role in the development of atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries)

Question 19

chronic inflammation

Answer 19

often prevalent in individuals with a type D personality due to an exhibition of an abnormal immune response
- this inflammation promotes the accumulation of cholesterol, fat, and calcium in artery walls, leading to plaque formation, increasing the risk of a heart attack

Question 20

c-reactive protein (CRP)

Answer 20

a significant marker of inflammation
- elevated levels commonly found in individuals with type D personalities
- indicate a higher risk of cardiovascular disease

Question 21

autonomic imbalance

Answer 21

the balance between the sympathetic (active) and parasympathetic (restful) nervous systems is often disrupted in people with type D personalities
- results in a flattened stress response, where the body is less capable of lowering the heart rate in response to stress
- HRV is a key indicator

Question 22

heart rate variability (HRV)

Answer 22

measures the variation in time between consecutive heartbeats
- lower HRV indicates poor autonomic function and a higher risk of heart disease
- individuals with type D often have reduced HRV

Question 23

oxidative stress

Answer 23

a process where there is an imbalance between free radicals and antioxidants
- free radicals can cause cellular damage leading to accelerated aging and cell death
- type D personality more prone to oxidative stress

Question 24

telomeres

Answer 24

the protective caps at the ends of chromosomes

Question 25

telomere shortening

Answer 25

telomeres shorten with each cell division and serve as markers of cellular aging
- shorter telomeres make chromosomes more vulnerable to damage, increasing the risk of age-related diseases such as atherosclerosis
- type d individuals have shorter telomeres

Question 26

accelerators of telomere shortening

Answer 26

factors such as smoking, lack of physical activity, and chronic stress accelerate telomere shortening

Question 27

agreeableness relationship with telomeres

Answer 27

agreeableness has been positively correlated with longer telomeres, indicating better health and slower aging

Question 28

ambiguous outcomes

Answer 28

arise when health is self-reported or assessed through subjective measures like symptom perception or the use of healthcare services
- also referred to as illness behavior

Question 29

illness behavior

Answer 29

how individuals act when they perceive themselves as ill, regardless of whether they actually have a medical condition
- in some cases, illness behavior can exaggerate the severity of symptoms compared to the underlying disease

Question 30

interactional stress moderation model

Answer 30

suggests that personality influences both assessments of potentially stressful conditions and coping strategies
- influences physiological responses that increase or decrease the likelihood of illness

Question 31

transactional stress moderation model

Answer 31

similar to the interactional model, but implies that personality also influences whether or not one is exposed to stressful conditions
- some choose to enter or avoid situations
- personality can also elicit unintended responses from people, and this also affects stress-relieving resources (social support)

Question 32

constitutional predisposition model

Answer 32

the physiological responsiveness (e.g. rapidly activated amygdala) is caused by genetics, which in turn also causes e.g. hostility and thus more risk of heart disease