Stress and Personality

Everyday we are confronted with situations or challenges that require our appraisal. The way we choose to think about, or interpret, events largely determine whether they will trigger a stress response and present a health threat.

Many factors influence how we appraise a given event. Some of them are personal history, religious ideologies, cultural values, daily moods, innate or learned fears, prejudices, and personality. Personality may have tremendous impact on our level of stress reactivity.

This learning guide will take a closer look at the many facets of personality that have been associated with either the onset or prevention of stress and illness.