Health Psychology Lecture 6 Stress Biopsychosocial Factors and Illness 2 I A Hardiness Kobasa Maddi Kahn 1982 1 Personality dispositions can influence coping a Affect cognitive appraisal of events 2 Hardiness a Commitment b Control c Challenge 3 Positively related to health a Dependent on interaction Explanatory style Peterson and Seligman 1984 Cognitive personality variable 1 How people cope with stress Characteristics 1 Internality vs Externality II A B C a Internal attribution didn t do well on test because I didn t study External I didn t do well on test because of the teacher etc b 2 Stability vs Instability a Stability attribution did bad on this test will continue to do bad b Instability attribution this test will not predict how I will perform on others 3 Globally vs Specificity D a Global attributions spread negative feelings across different areas of life Catastrophizing globality 1 Specificity attribution accepts feelings of specific event in life b So 1 Optimistic external unstable specific attributions 2 Pessimistic internal stable global attributions 3 Pessimistic explanatory style poorer health higher risk of death Peterson et al 1998 4 Those with higher levels of globality were more likely to die at younger age a Possible mechanisms 1 2 3 Disease pessimistic explanatory style Failure to take care of health Negative emotions Models of Personality and Health Unhealthy habits and behaviors model health behavioral 1 What kinds of personalities would be more likely to drink excessively smoke not III A wear a seatbelt 2 Personality unhealthy behaviors disease 3 Link behind personality and longevity does NOT only encompass personality charac teristics 4 BIG FIVE Costa and McCrae 1985 a Extraversion b Agreeableness c Conscientiousness d Neuroticism e Openness 5 Diseased caused personality changes Direct influences of personality psychophysiological stress and coping 1 Neurotic person more likely to have anxiety Biological third variables B C D IV