442 CHAPTER 11
to Learning Objective 13.10. One recent longitudinal study’s findings indicate
that these characteristics are associated with an increased risk of an earlier death because
people with these traits engage in poor health habits—poor diet, excessive drinking,
smoking, and lack of exercise, to name a few (Mroczek et al., 2009).
THE HARDY PERSONALITY Not all Type A people are prone to heart disease. Some people
actually seem to thrive on stress instead of letting stress wear them down. These people
have what is called the hardy personality, a term first coined by psychologist Suzanne
Kobasa (1979). Hardy people (call them “Type H”) differ from ordinary, hostile Type A
people and others who suffer more ill effects due to stress in three ways:- Hardy people have a deep sense of commitment to their values, beliefs, sense of
identity, work, and family life. - Hardy people also feel that they are in control of their lives and what happens to them.
- Hardy people tend to interpret events in primary appraisal differently than people
who are not hardy. When things go wrong, they do not see a frightening problem to
be avoided but instead a challenge to be met and answered.
Why would those three characteristics (often known as the three “Cs” of hardiness)
lessen the negative impact of stress? Commitment makes a person more willing to make
sacrifices and to deal with hardships than if commitment were lacking. Think about it:
Have you ever had a job that you hated? Every little frustration and every snag was very
stressful, right? Now think about doing something you love to do. The frustrations and
snags that inevitably come with any endeavor just don’t seem quite as bad when you are
doing something you really want to do, do they?
As for control, uncontrollability is one of the major factors cited as increasing stress,
as was discussed earlier in this chapter. Seeing events as challenges rather than problems
also changes the level of stress experienced, a difference similar to that felt when riding a
roller coaster: If riding the coaster is your own idea, it’s fun; if someone makes you ride
it, it’s not fun.
The tendency for hardiness may even have genetic roots. Researchers have recently
found that there seems to be a biochemical link between feeling miserable and an
increased risk of death and that there may be a genetic variation in some individuals
that actually severs that link, making that individual more biologically resilient or hardy
(Cole et al., 2010).
The four personality types discussed so far could be summed up this way: If life
gives you lemons, - Type A people get enraged and throw the lemons back, having a minor heart attack
while doing so. - Type B people gather all the lemons and make lemonade.
- Type C people don’t say anything but fume inside where no one can see.
- Type H people gather the lemons, make lemonade, sell it, turn it into a franchise
business, and make millions. (Remember, laughing is good for you!)
EXPLANATORY STYLE: OPTIMISTS AND PESSIMISTS In addition to personality type, there
are other personal factors that have an influence on people’s reactions to stressors. One of
these factors is the attitude that people have toward the things that happen to them in life.
Optimists are people who always tend to look for positive outcomes. Pessimists
seem to expect the worst to happen. For an optimist, a glass is half full, whereas for a
pessimist, the glass is half empty. Researchers have found that optimism is associated
with longer life and increased immune-system functioning. Mayo Clinic researchers con-
ducted a longitudinal study of optimists and pessimists (as assessed by a scale) over a
period of 30 years (Maruta et al., 2002). The results for pessimists were not good: They
had a much higher death rate than did the optimists, more problems with physical and
Type Z behavior
© The New Yorker Collection 1987 Donald Reilly
from cartoonbank.com. All Rights Reserved.
hardy personality
a person who seems to thrive on stress
but lacks the anger and hostility of the
6yRe # Rersonality.
optimists
people who expect positive outcomes.