Personality, Self-Esteem
and Managing Stress
Name ________________
Period:_______________
Personality and Mental Health:
Describing Personality
• PERSONALITY: the qualities and traits,
including behavior & feelings, that are
characteristic of a specific person.
• How would you describe your own
personality?
– EXTROVERT: friendly, outgoing
– INTROVERT: person whose thoughts and
feelings are directed inward
Personality and Mental Health:
Describing Personality
– OPTIMIST: person who focuses on the positive
side of things and expects a favorable outcome
– PESSIMIST: person who focuses on the negative
side of things and expects an unfavorable outcome
– ASSERTIVE: self-assured; able to stand up for
oneself and express feelings in an non-threatening
way
– PASSIVE: holding back one’s feelings and yielding
to others
– AGGRESSIVE: communicating one’s opinions
and feelings in a way that may seem threatening or
disrespectful to others
Assertive Messages
Nonverbal Messages
Sit or stand tall,
look directly at the person,
use a steady voice,
use appropriate gestures
Verbal Messages
I-messages: I (think, feel, need, want, believe) .
Refusal Skills
Saying the word “no”,
repeat “no” if necessary,
give your reasons,
show that you care
Name that trait!
• 1. You get up, leave the room and slam the
door.
• (passive-aggressive)
• 2. You say, " I want to see the program I was
watching. Please change the channel back."
• (assertive)
• 3. You yell, "What are you, stupid? Don't you
see I'm watching my show?“
• (aggressive)
Personality and Mental Health
The Healthy Personality
• MENTAL HEALTH: the state of being comfortable with
oneself, with others, and with one’s surroundings.
• People who are mentally healthy are:
– Realistic about strengths and weaknesses
– Avoid high risk behaviors (drugs, tobacco, etc.)
– Fun loving and are able to relax alone or with others
– Able to LAUGH at themselves
– View a change as a challenge and an opportunity
– Put their talents and abilities to good use.
– Able to feel enjoyment and a sense of achievement
– Respect everyone’s value as a human being –including their
own
Personality and Mental Health:
How is Personality Formed?
1.Heredity: born with distinct temperaments
2.Environment: modifies traits
– MODELING: copying the behavior of others
– Friends, family, school, teachers, and culture
– American teens spend more than 50% of their time with
other teens
– PEER GROUP: people who are about the same age and
share similar interests
By young adulthood your personality traits are fairly
well established
– Still able to work to change traits with which you are
not satisfied
Self-Esteem and Your Health
• SELF-ESTEEM: the confidence and worth that you
feel about yourself
• More than any other factor, SELF-ESTEEM has a
DIRECT effect on all aspects of your health- mental,
social, and physical.
HIGH SELF-ESTEEM:
Realistic views of strengths & weaknesses, remains
positive even when they fail at a task, accept selves
as they are, form close relationships, values self by
taking care of health & avoiding risky behaviors
LOW SELF-ESTEEM:
Negative opinion, judge self harshly, worry about
what others think of them too much, “act” in
public, lack self- confidence
How is self esteem formed?
• Over the years you have received feedback messages from others that indicate who they think
you are or what they think you are like.
• Positive and negative feedback from parents, peers,
media – both verbal and nonverbal.
• A person with mostly positive feedback will have
high self esteem
• A person with mostly negative feedback will most
likely have low self esteem and fragile mental health.
Self-Esteem:
Self-Esteem and Your Health
• Improving self- esteem:
• Teens with low self– Learn to focus on strengths
esteem…
– Select friends who will support
– Increased chance of
& encourage you to do your best
serious health
– Avoid dwelling on defeat
problems
– Practice good health habits
– More likely to use
drugs
– Avoid doing things that “go along
with the crowd”
– More likely to drop
out of school
– Set goals for yourself
– More likely to
– Take time each day to do
suffer from eating
something you enjoy
disorders
– Avoid negative thinking
– Have the ability to LAUGH at
yourself
Substituting realistic self-talk for negative
self-talk
Cognitive
Distortion
Negative Self-Talk
Realistic Self-Talk
Focusing on
Negatives
School is so discouraging- nothing
but one hassle after another
School is pretty
challenging and has its
difficulties, but there
certainly are rewards
Expecting the
worst
Why would my parents want to talk
with me if not to yell at me?
I wonder why my parents
want to meet with me. I
guess I’ll just have to wait
and see.
Overgeneralizing
(After getting a poor grade on a
paper) Just as I thought- I’m
incompetent at everything
I’ll start working on the
next paper earlier. That
way, If I run into problems I
can consult with the
teacher.
Substituting realistic self-talk for
negative self-talk
Cognitive
Distortion
Negative Self-Talk
Realistic Self-Talk
Minimizing
I won the speech contest, but
none of the other speakers were
very good. I would not have done
as well against stiffer competition.
It may not have been the best
speech I’ll ever give, but it was
good enough to win the
competition.
Blaming Others
I wouldn’t have eaten so much
last night if my friends hadn’t
insisted on going to that
restaurant.
I overdid it last night. Next time
I’ll make different choices.
Magnifying
events
They went to a movie without me.
I thought we were friends, but I
guess I was wrong.
I’m disappointed they didn’t
ask me to the movie, but it is
not that big a deal.
Believing you’re
the cause of
everything
Molly seems so depressed today.
I wish I did not have that
argument with her yesterday.
I wish I handled the argument
better, but I don’t even know if
she is still mad about that.
Either way Molly is responsible
for her actions.
Expressing Emotions:
Common Emotions
• EMOTIONS: are signals that tell your body
how to react – they are simply the way your
body and mind respond to input
• Love:
•Many types of love (ex. Between family members, in
marriage, and love between friends)
•Felt towards places, things, & people
•One of the most positive emotions people are capable
of
•Ability to give and receive love is essential to mental
health
Common Emotions
Empathy – is the ability to imagine and
understand how someone else feels.
• It is being able to “walk” in another’s shoes.
• When you are empathetic, you can reach out
to others and receive their gestures of warmth
and caring in return.
• As with all emotions, it is not healthy to be
overwhelmed with concern for other’s feelings
at the expense of your own needs.
Expressing Emotions:
Common Emotions
– Anger:- When people let their emotions carry
them into anger, they face dangers of losing
friendships, losing their jobs, or precipitating
violence from those whose actions have upset
them. Positively directing emotional energy is
essential to healthy living.
• Anger can be helpful or harmful
• How can it be helpful???
What is the best way to deal with
anger?
1. Accept and recognize feelings – DO NOT ignore
them!!
2. Find a HEALTHY way to express those feelings! Go
for a walk, scream, punching bag – no, not your
younger brother
3. After you have calmed down…and it may take several
days, think about EXACTLY what made you angry
4. Consider what constructive action you can take to
improve the situation or prevent another angry
episode.
Expressing Emotions:
Common Emotions
• Anger:
– Primary Emotions
that cause Anger
•Disappointment
•Embarrassment
•Jealousy
•Hurt Feelings
•Frustration
•Fear
Expressing Emotions:
FEAR
GUILT: Can stop you from doing something you
know is wrong
• Too much guilt could lead to doubt in
oneself
• Best way to deal with guilt is to correct
the situation if possible and to talk about
your feelings
HAPPINESS
Strong positive emotion
Normal response to pleasant events in one’s
life
What makes you feel happy?
Do what makes you happy
The good feelings that result from activities
which make you happy will stay with you for
the rest of you life
Expressing Emotions:
Common Emotions
– Sadness:
•Sorrow or unhappiness
•Normal response to disappointing events in one’s life
•Feeling usually passes quickly, but prolonged sadness
could be a sign of depression
• DEPRESSION: an emotional state in which you feel
hopeless and worthless
• GRIEF: a period of deep sorrow
•Overcoming sadness:
– Admit emotion
– Share feelings
Expressing Emotions:
Coping with Your Emotions
• COPING STRATEGY: A way of dealing with an
uncomfortable or unbearable feeling or situation –
used consciously or unconsciously
Also known as:
• DEFENSE MECHANISMS: An unconscious or
conscious a way of defending oneself against difficult
feelings
• Sometimes coping strategies can protect you from
painful events, but if overused, they can stunt
emotional growth. If depended upon too much, one
may not learn to express true feelings.
Expressing Emotions:
Defense Mechanisms
• Denial
– Refusing to recognize the
existence of an emotion
• Identification
– Assuming the qualities of
someone you admire
• Compensation
– Making up for weakness in
one area by excelling in
another area
• Rationalization
• Making excuses for
feelings and/ or actions
• Projection
– Putting your own faults
onto another person
• Daydreaming
– Fantasizing to escape
unpleasant reality
Coping with Your Emotions
Defense Mechanisms
Displacement
– Transferring emotions from the
original source to an inanimate
object
Regression
– Reverting to immature behavior
to express emotions
Expressing Emotions:
Coping with Your Emotions
• Other Coping Strategies
• Harmful Coping Strategies
– Confront situation, turn
it into a positive if you
can
– Release energy by
exercising, cleaning, etc.
– Take a break by reading,
walking, writing in a
journal, etc.
– Talk through you
feelings with someone
you trust
– Strong emotions could cloud
a person’s judgment
– A person could turn to
coping strategies which
make the situation worse for
him/ her
• Acting out in violent ways
• Using alcohol or drugs
• Withdrawing from friends
and family
Managing Stress
•What Causes
Stress?
•How Stress
Affects the
Body
•Stress and
Personality
•Managing
Stress
Managing Stress
So just what is stress and what
causes it???
• STRESS: is a reaction of the body
and mind to threatening or
challenging events in one’s life.
• You experience stress when
situations, events, or people make
demands on your body and mind
What Causes Stress?:
The Many Causes of Stress
• STRESSOR: something that
causes stress
– Major life changes: new
school, moving to a new town
– Everyday problems: lost shoe,
missing keys, etc.
– Physical surroundings:
crowded bus, weather,
jammed locker
• At moderate levels, stress can
improve your ability to
concentrate and perform at
your best.
Stress can be positive!!!
• Positive Stress
– Promotes growth and
accomplishment
•Also called EUSTRESS
– Examples:
•Feelings before athletic event/
musical performance
•Does it help you to perform
better?
Stress can be Negative
• Negative Stress
– Decreases ability to concentrate and
perform
– Also called DISTRESS
– Examples:
• Nervous to the point of being sick
to your stomach
• Difficulty doing every day tasks
Boo for negative stress .
How Stress Affects the Body:
Stages of Stress –General Adaptation
syndrome
1. Alarm Stage
–
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Body releases
adrenaline into the
bloodstream
Burst of energy
Heart beats faster
Increased rate of
breathing
Decreased amount of
blood to the skin and
digestive system
Muscles tighten
Pupils widen
Mind more alert to
take in information
– FIGHT OR FLIGHT
RESPONSE:
a series of physical
changes that prepare the
body to react to stress
Stages of Stress
2. Resistance Stage
– Body tries to recover from alarm stage and go
back to normal
homeostasis
• A steady state or balance; the normal, balanced
state of the body’s internal systems
• All stressors trigger the same stress response in
the body, but at different levels of intensity
How Stress Affects the Body:
Stages of Stress
3. Exhaustion Stage
_ only occurs if distress continues
over a long period of time
–
–
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Body is worn down and no longer has
enough energy to fight off the stressor
More susceptible to illness, because body
remains in unbalanced state
Most likely to enter this stage if stressor
is out of your control, or if stressor
continues for a long time
How Stress Affects the Body:
Recognizing the Signs of Stress
• Physical Signs
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–
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Muscle tension
Headache
Upset stomach
Pounding heart
Increased sweating
Dry mouth
Trembling/
twitching
• Emotional Signs
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Irritability
Anger
Impatience
Nervousness
Forgetfulness
Negative thinking
Excessive worrying
Loss of interest
Cry easily
How Stress Affects the Body:
Recognizing the Signs of Stress
• Behavioral Signs
By recognizing these signs early,
you may also be able to prevent
some of the more serious effects of
stress.
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Sleep problems
Loss of appetite
Overreacting
Drug abuse
Hurrying
Withdrawing from
relationships
– Criticizing others
– Fidgeting
How Stress Affects the Body:
Stress and Illness
• Severe or prolonged stress can affect
health
• Illness can be brought on or made
worse by stress
– Lowered resistance to infection (body
less able to fight off infection)
– Makes some conditions more difficult to
control
• Asthma: attacks more likely
• High Blood Pressure: increased blood flow
• Heart Disease: heart must work harder when
under stress
Stress and Personality
• How you react to a stressor could depend
on….
– Is this situation a threat to my well- being?
– Do I have the necessary resources to meet the
challenge?
•
•
•
•
Time
Skills
Experience
Energy
• Just as your personality is unique, so is the
way you react to potentially stressful
situations
Stress and Personality:
Personality Type
• TYPE A PERSONALITY
– Behavior pattern characterized by
competitiveness and a strong desire to
succeed
• Try to accomplish as much as possible in a
short time
• Driven to accomplish goals
• Set high standards for self
Personality Type
Type B Personality
– Behavior pattern characterized by calmness,
less competitive, and not as concerned about
accomplishment
• Less likely to feel stressed if you do not meet
standards
• Less likely to develop stress related illness
• May cope with challenges by ignoring them
Stress and Personality
• Perfectionism – is a person that accepts nothing
less than excellence from him/herself
• Perfectionist sometimes take things too far
• Can lead to a vicious cycle of trying harder and
never being satisfied
• Perfectionist often have trouble meeting
deadlines and taking risks
• They suffer from high levels of stress
How to break the cycle of perfectionism
• It’s not easy!!!
• Accept that you cannot be perfect
• Take pride in the things that you do well
rather than focusing on your mistakes. As
a result, you will have a lower level of
stress and an increased level of
satisfaction
Stress and Personality
Negative thinking:
• People with negative thinking only increase
their level of stress. They make it almost
impossible to succeed.
• One way to stop negative thinking is to
“coach” yourself through an upcoming
stressful event. In your mind, go through the
event, step by step, giving yourself positive
messages such as “I can do this.”
•
•
•
•
Stress and Personality
Hardiness – some people experience a
great deal of stress but do not become ill as
a result. These people have what is called
a “hardy personality.
They view stressful events as challenges or
opportunities rather than threats
They are deeply involved in and are
committed to whatever they are doing.
They have a sense of control over what
they are doing. They feel that they can
influence the outcome of the stressful
event.
Three steps for managing
stress
• Step one:
Identify the source: In order to
manage stress, we must identify where
it is coming from. Identifying the
source of stress can be trickier that it
might seem at first!
Three steps for managing
stress
• Step 2:
Eliminate the source of the stress, if
possible. Sometimes it is possible to
get rid of the source of stress. For
example, a student who has too much
to do can eliminate an extracurricular activity, or work fewer
hours at a part time job
Three steps for managing
stress
• Step 3:
Change the way we handle stress.
Instead of engaging in negative
thinking ( I can’t do it ) we can think
positively!
We can deal with it head on, or discuss
it with a supportive person.
Managing Stress
• Managing stress helps to restore the
balance in you life
• Managing stress prevents the stressors
from taking control and making you ill
• Additional ways to handle stress
–
–
–
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Eat well
Exercise regularly
Express your feelings
Say “NO” to alcohol and drugs
Managing Stress:
Stress Management Techniques
• Confronting the
Problem
– Devise a plan to
solve the problem
– Many stressors in
your life are things
that you can work to
change
– Direct your energy
toward those things
you are able to
change
• Time Management
– Do you often wish
there were more
hours in the day?
– Do you put things
off until the last
minute?
– Poor time
management is one
of the BIGGEST
contributors to
stress
Managing Stress:
Stress Management Techniques
• Physical Activity
– Provide the body
with an outlet for
built up energy
– Take your mind off
problems
– Give yourself a
chance to relax
– Do activities that
you enjoy
Stress Management:
Stress Management Techniques
• Relaxation
– A state when the mind and
body are resting
– Deep breathing relaxes
muscles, take in more oxygen
which helps the body function
better
– Progressive relaxation:
concentration on each group
of muscles in the body one at a
time
– Read a book, take a nap, listen
to music, stretching, take a
hot shower, etc.
Mental rehearsal - Practice event in your
mind, imagining
yourself performing
at your best
- Increases confidence
in ability to perform
- Often done by
Olympic athletes
Stress Management:
Stress Management Techniques
• Humor
– Laughter helps to
relieve feelings of
stress
– Deals quickly with
stressor
– Can be harmful if
laughter is used to
cover up true
feelings or if used
inappropriately
• Getting Help When
You Need It
– Recognize when stress is
becoming overwhelming
– Sharing your problems
often helps you to see
them more clearly