Personality Type Theory & Health Behaviour Flashcards
PERSONALITY HEALTH & ILLNESS: WOMEN EXCLUDED
- historically most medical/psychological research focussed on men; extrapolated women -> deaths
- women have dif bio systems
PERSONALITY TYPE THEORY
- typological personality approach underpinned by assumption: people = qualitatively dif aka. there are dif types of people
- type theory focuses on trait patterns characterising people; sort patterns into people types
- aim = classify people into distinct/discontinuous categories aka. you’re one or the other
TYPES VS TRAITS
- consider personality dimension of “introversion-extroversion”
- personality TYPE approach = EITHER introvert/extrovert
- personality TRAIT approach = you can be anywhere on continuum ranging introversion-extroversion (ie. he/she is SOMEWHAT extraverted); dimensional trait approach
THE FOUR HUMOURS
- Ancient Greeks; early personality typology; excess of X leads to:
1. BLOOD = sanguine (cheerful)/ruddy/robust
2. BLACK BILE = melancholic/depressed
3. YELLOW BILE/CHOLER = choleric/bitter/angry
4. PHLEGM = phlegmatic/cold/apathetic - contemporary overlap = type A personality (chronic hostility/choleric) raises heart attack risk
THE FOUR HUMOURS X EYSENCK’S PERSONALITY THEORY
MELANCHOLIC
- emotionally unstable/neurotic
- introverted
CHOLERIC
- emotionally unstable/neurotic
- extraverted
PHLEGMATIC
- emotionally stable
- introverted
SANGUINE
- emotionally stable
- extraverted
JUNGIAN PERSONALITY THEORY
- drew upon Freud/Adler along w/clinical observations
- at least 2 dif personality types:
1. extraversion = externally orientated
2. introversion = internally orientated - never wholly one or other BUT both aspects incorporated; one predominates in functioning
- led to Jungian Types
JUNGIAN TYPES: DOMINAT FUNCTION
- extraversion/introversion
- to address dif in introvert/extrovert groups Jung classified how people relate to world via 2 auxiliary functions
JUNGIAN TYPES: TWO AUXILIARY FUNCTIONS
- each w/2 opposite functioning methods (ways to relate to world in dominant functions):
1. PERCEIVING INFO (via senses/intuition)
2. MAKING DECISIONS (objective logic/subjective feelings) - prefs; can use both BUT prefer one > other
- innate “inborn predispositions”
JUNGIAN TYPES: ENVIRONMENTAL INFLUENCES
- innate prefs = interact/shaped by environmental influences:
CULTURAL BACKGROUND
FAMILY ENVIRONMENT
EDUCATION
OTHER SOCIAL/ECONOMIC CONDITIONS
THE 8 JUNGIAN TYPES
- using dominant/auxiliary functions/prefs:
1. EXTRAVERTED THINKING
2. EXTRAVERTED FEELING
3. EXTRAVERTED SENSING
4. EXTRAVERTED INTUITION
5. INTROVERTED THINKING
6. INTROVERTED FEELING
7. INTROVERTED SENSING
8. INTROVERTED INTUITION
JUNG: PERSONALITY PSYCH CONTRIBUTION
- development of Myers-Briggs Personality Type Indicator; widely used personality inventory
- Eysenck/others’ theorising; extraversion-introversion = fundamental to most trait theories
JUNG’S TYPOLOGY
BRIGGS & MEYERS
- developed it
- described 4th auxiliary function/pref: how to deal w/world on daily basis
- judging pref = ordered/structured environment
- perceiving pref = flexible/unstructured environment
- individuals have preferred operations mode in 4 traits/functions:
1. EXTROVERTED-INTROVERTED
2. SENSING-INTUITIVE
3. THINKING-FEELING
4. JUDGING-PERCEIVING
JUNG: THE FOUR FUNCTIONS OF CONSCIOUSNESS
FEELING (JUDGING)
- function of subjective estimation
SENSING (PERCEIVING)
- perception by means of sense organs
INTUITING (PERCEIVING)
- perceiving in unconscious way/unconscious contents
THINKING (JUDGING)
- function of intellectual cognition
- forming of logical conclusions
THE MYERS-BRIGGS TYPE INDICATOR (MBTI)
- define 16 dif personality types
- commercially available questionnaire widely used in business to assist employment decisions
- empirical evidence ps reliability/validity
- 16 personality types questioned
PITTENGER (2005) - re-test data (3m post) indicates approximately 50% = classified as dif type
HEALTH & ILLNESS
- long history of individual differences study in health/illness (ie. four humours)
- contemporary times = health/positive psych
- people react dif to health/illness (ie. cancer = fine; common cold = death’s door)
- health isn’t simply about physical/mental disease absence; includes attitudes individuals have towards it; individual difs matter
PERSONALITY TYPES & HEALTH LINK
- certain personality types may be linked to health/illness (ie. cardiovascular disease)
- heart disease = global issue (17.4m deaths worldwide)
- UK heart disease/related circulatory illnesses = main death cause (198k deaths annually (1/5 men; 1/8 women die)
- lots of money invested globally into research
CORONARY HEART DISEASE & PERSONALITY
- long history linking heart disease to personality/looking for causal link
FRIEDMAN & ROSENMAN (1959) - stirred modern interest
- tried but couldn’t predict cardiovascular disease from physical factors alone; started to examine personality factors
- observed relationship between coronary heart disease/certain emotional/psychological characteristics
- type A = coronary-prone beh pattern
- type B = non-coronary prone personality
TYPE A PERSONALITY
- emotional/beh style of type A individual marked by aggressive ongoing struggle to achieve ^ in less time; oft competition w/others
- type As tend to:
1. lead fast paced lives; work longer hours/weeks > type Bs
2. intolerant of others; need for control
3. show dif physiological responses to stress compared w/other types - aka. climbing a mountain “because it’s there”
TYPE B PERSONALITY
- relaxed/unhurried approach
- might work hard sometimes BUT not driven in compulsive manner of type As
- less interested in competition/power/achievement; ^ able to take life as it comes
- aka. resting by a mountain “because it’s there”
TYPE A X CORONARY HEART DISEASE
- individuals appear to supper ^ heart disease risk
BLANEY ET AL (1986) - can sacrifice social/familial relationships to achievement striving
NABI ET AL (2005) - have more driving accidents > type B drivers
TYPE A VS B: MISCONCEPTIONS
- NOT “true” categorical types; rather dimensional/arranged on continuum
- range from one extreme to other w/most people falling around middle aka. normal distribution
- type A = one extreme; type B = other
- type A = NOT a single trait; syndrome of several
TYPE A: MAJOR TRAIT COMPONENTS
GLASS (1977)
1. easily aroused hostility/aggression
2. time urgency sense
3. competitive achievement strivings/motivation
TYPE A X CHD: RESEARCH I
JENKINS ET A (1976)
- some studies show Type A = CHD predictor
WANNAMETHEE (1997)
- no found CHD association
WAN & COSTA (1996)
- methodology/measurement issues = inconsistency causes/issues
- some use structured interviews; some self-report questionnaires
- studies using questionnaire measures less likely to find association between type A/CHD compared w/studies using structured interview method
TYPE A X CHD: RESEARCH II
- not all dimensions of type A ^ CHD risk
KRANTZ & MCCENEY (2002) - anger/hostility component ^ strongly implicated as CHD risk factor > other type A dimensions
DEMROSKI & COSTA (1987) - people ^ in anger/hostility = strong reactions to daily frustrations/life inconveniences
CHILDA & STEPTOE (2009) - meta-analysis; 45 studies
- hostility/anger associated w/20% ^ CHD risk -> poorer outcomes for people w/CHD
WILLIAMS ET AL (2000)
- studied 12k healthy middle-aged men/women over 4.5ys
- pps w/^ anger scores = x2 likely to suffer from CHD > low scores; nearly x3 likely to be hospitalised/die from CHD during study
MYRTEK (2001)
- meta-analysis of prospective studies on CHD
- type A personality/hostility
- findings didn’t show association between more general type A beh patterns BUT did show association between CHD/hostility
ANGER/HOSTILITY X CHD
- possible connections include: unhealth lifestyles/poor social support/weaker immune systems/enhanced cardiovascular reactivity to stress
SMITH (1992) - hostile individuals engage in ^ high-risk health behs that ^ CHD risk; ^ hostility associated w/^ caffeine consumption/weight/smoking/alcohol/hypertension
TYPE A X CHD: MECHANISMS
- enhanced cardiovascular stress reactivity provides most important connection between anger/hostility/CHD
- 2 mechanisms proposed via which ^ cardiovascular reactivity in conflict situations promoted CHD:
1. MECHANICAL THEORY
2. HORMONE BASED THEORY
TYPE A: SYMPATHETIC NERVOUS SYSTEM
- sympathetic nervous system chronically hyper-reactive in people exhibiting type A beh
- type A personalities secrete excessive amounts of epinephrine/norepinephrine; plays part in constriction/dilation of blood vessels; role in heart problem onset
- interventions aimed at reducing stress/anger/hostility/altering lifestyle patterns = effective in reducing CHD issues risk
TYPE D PERSONALITY
DICKENS ET AL (2007)
- examined links between personality/CHD
- identified risk trait cluster:
DEPRESSION
LOW SOCIAL SUPPORT
HIGH HOSTILITY/ANGER
- aka. type A overlap
TYPE D X CHD
DENOLLET (2005)
- originally formulated type D aka. distressed personality type
- depression/low perceived social support related to cardiovascular morbidity/mortality
- type D predisposes to CHD via combining 2 traits:
1. negative affectivity (tendency to experience negative emotions aka. depression)
2. social inhibition (inhibiting self-expression in social interactions tendency aka. social isolation)
TYPE D X CHD: RESEARCH
STEPTOE & MOLLOY (2007)
- negative affectivity traits (ie. depression/anxiety/anger-hostility related to CHD)
SCHIFFER ET AL (2007)
- highlight particular beh mechanisms that might partially explain link between type D/CHD
- patients w/type D/CHD = less likely to report cardiac symptoms ie. swollen legs/shortness of breath
- reporting lack NOT due to experiencing lack; symptoms ^ > other patients suggesting reluctance = consequence of ^ social inhibition
PERSONALITY TYPES: EVALUATION
COSTA ET AL (2002)
- types = useful as summarise many traits in single label
- type theory criticised as overlooks multi-dimensional/continuous personality traits nature
- using many types may obscure important difs among people in same category
- may be substantial heterogeneity among people of same type
DIRKJAN ET AL (2022)
- compared adult patient mortality w/CHD w/w/o type D (distressed) personalities
- 1055 patients
- type D associated w/^ risk for all-cause mortality in adults patients w/CHD
HAMPSON (2017)
- longitudinal/cross-sectional studies
- highlight compelling link between conscientiousness/various health outcomes
- reviewed Big 5/health relation research; most reliable relation = conscientiousness (ie. reliable)
- ^ conscientiousness = ^ health/longer lives/^ health beh/good social relationships -> less stress
- causal relation between personality/health may run in both directions
- aka. personality -> health; health -> personality
