Personality, Maddi (1987), and Rosenman et al (1976)

Question 1

What are the three Cs of the hardy personality, as defined by Kobasa (1979)?

Answer 1

Commitment
Challenge
Control

Question 2

How does commitment apply to hardy people, as part of the three Cs of hardiness?

Answer 2

Hardy people throw themselves into life and have a strong sense of purpose.

Question 3

How does challenge apply to hardy people, as part of the three Cs of hardiness?

Answer 3

Hardy people welcome change, as they view it as an opportunity for development rather than a threat.

Question 4

How does control apply to hardy people, as part of the three Cs of hardiness?

Answer 4

Hardy people prefer to make things happen rather than sitting back- they actively try to influence their environment rather than being passive.

Question 5

How does hardiness affect whether an individual experiences stress?

Answer 5

Hardy people are less likely to experience stress.

Question 6

What are the characteristics of a type A personality, as defined by Friedman and Rosenman?

Answer 6

Hostile, aggressive, competitive and impatient.

Question 7

What are the characteristics of a type B personality, as defined by Friedman and Rosenman?

Answer 7

Relaxed, non-competitive, generally non-aggressive.

Question 8

What disease is a type A personality at risk of developing?

Answer 8

Coronary heart disease

Question 9

What research supports the link between type A personality and stress-related illness?

Answer 9

Egido et al. (2012) found that people who suffered from a stroke were more likely to be type A personality.

Question 10

What was the aim of the study by Maddi (1987)?

Answer 10

To investigate whether there are links between stress, hardiness and illness

Question 11

What was the procedure of the study by Maddi (1987)?

Answer 11

Maddi interviewed managers and supervisors are the Bell Telephone Company is the US during a major and stressful reorganisation.

Question 12

What were the findings of the study by Maddi (1987)?

Answer 12

About two thirds of the participants were ill and had poor work performance.
The other third’s health remained stable, and they felt happier and more fulfilled at work. These managers scored highly on measures of the 3 Cs of hardiness.

Question 13

What conclusions did Maddi (1987) draw from her study?

Answer 13

Hardiness protects against the effects of stress caused by work.

Question 14

What proportion of participants in the study by Maddi (1987) became ill and had poor work performance?

Answer 14

About two thirds

Question 15

What proportion of participants in the study by Maddi (1987) felt happier and more fulfilled, and had their health remain stable?

Answer 15

About one third

Question 16

What is a weakness of the study by Maddi (1987)?

Answer 16

This study used a self-report method to measure hardiness, which means that the results may be biased due to social desirability. The 3 Cs of hardiness are all positive traits, so participants may exaggerate their answers to make themselves look better.

Question 17

What was the aim of the study by Rosenman et al. (1976)?

Answer 17

To investigate whether personality type predicts the onset of coronary heart disease.

Question 18

What was the procedure of he study by Rosenman et al. (1976)?

Answer 18

Over 3000 male participants who were free from coronary heart disease were assessed as type A or B personality.

Question 19

What were the findings of the study by Rosenman et al. (1976)?

Answer 19

8.5 years after being assessed, 257 men had coronary heart disease. 70% of these men had been assessed as having type A personality. They also had higher stress hormones and higher cholesterol in their blood than type Bs.

Question 20

What did Rosenman et al. (1976) conclude from his study?

Answer 20

Personality type is a risk factor for coronary heart disease, and that personality type can make an individual more vulnerable to stressors.

Question 21

What contradictory evidence is there for type A and B personalities?

Answer 21

Ragland and Brand (1988) found that type B heart attack survivors were more likely to have a second fatal heart attack later in comparison to type A personalities. This is because type As were more likely to make lifestyle changes to avoid another heart attack.