Lecture 7: Personality Flashcards
Smith’s definition of personality
defines personality as an internal construct
personality
what makes individuals exhibit consistent behavior in similar situations
type A personality
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
type D personality
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
big five personality traits
- neuroticism
- extraversion
- conscientiousness
- agreeableness
- openness
neuroticism
- 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
extraversion
outgoing, sociable, energetic, and assertive
- extraverted people tend to seek out social interactions and are more resilient to stress
conscientiousness
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
agreeableness
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
openness
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
hostility
the tendency to experience anger, cynicism and distrust
- related to atherosclerosis
prevalence vs incidence
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
type D personality and cardiovascular disease
increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease and worsening cardiovascular disease
correlation between type D personality and metabolic syndrome (a cluster of metabolic or biochemical risk factors )
obesity, hypertension, and elevated blood sugar
- people with type D generally have a poorer diet and exercise less (also leading to cardiovascular disease)
physiological mechanisms of type D individuals
often exhibit dysfunctions in their stress response and immune systems, increasing their risk for cardiovascular conditions
hyperactivity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis
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
hypo-activity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis
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
inflammation
inflammation plays a key role in the development of atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries)
chronic inflammation
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
c-reactive protein (CRP)
a significant marker of inflammation
- elevated levels commonly found in individuals with type D personalities
- indicate a higher risk of cardiovascular disease
autonomic imbalance
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
heart rate variability (HRV)
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
oxidative stress
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
telomeres
the protective caps at the ends of chromosomes
telomere shortening
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
accelerators of telomere shortening
factors such as smoking, lack of physical activity, and chronic stress accelerate telomere shortening
agreeableness relationship with telomeres
agreeableness has been positively correlated with longer telomeres, indicating better health and slower aging
ambiguous outcomes
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
illness behavior
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
interactional stress moderation model
suggests that personality influences both assessments of potentially stressful conditions and coping strategies
- influences physiological responses that increase or decrease the likelihood of illness
transactional stress moderation model
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)
constitutional predisposition model
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
