Chapter 8: Trait approach Research
Type A/Type B Behavior
Research on the Type A behavior pattern developed out of predictions made by
cardiologists about who suffers heart attacks. Among other behaviors related to this
personality trait, Type A people generally perform better in achievement situations than
Type B's.
Early researchers found a strong link between Type A behavior and cardiovascular
problems, later studies did not always replicate these fndings. Two explanations for this
failure concern the way researchers measure Type A and recognizing that anger and
hostility is the Type A component related to health problems.
Social anxiety is a trait dimension indicating the extent to which people experience
anxiety during social encounters or when anticipating social encounters
distinguish social anxiety from other kinds of anxiety: increased physiological
arousal, inablitity to concentrate, and feelings of nervousness. In addition—recognize
source discomfort from social encounter having or will have.
List and discuss the characteristics of socially anxious people.
Difficult time in many social situations.
Report feel awkward and nervous when talking to others.
Concerned with what others think of them, become self conscious
Think about what they are doing wrong—how stupid must sound, how foolish
they must look.
Stumble over words, say wrong things show outward signs nervousness
Interpret feedback from others in negative way—so expect interactions to not go
well.
How personality psychologists explain social anxiety—relatively stable tendency for
people to experience social anxiety. Continuum—most everyone can be found on
continuum of how much anxiety typically experience. Similar to shyness, stage fright,
reticence.
Social anxiety and shyness most similar.
Dating anxiety and stage fright—specific examples
Differences between introversion and shyness—shy people report anxiety often very
painful—want to be more sociable. Introverts—often choose to be by themselves.
Thought to be underlying cause--- Evaluation apprehension: A strong concern about
receiving negative evaluation from others. Afraid of what other people think of them—
fearful of others finding them to be foolish, boorish or immature.
Thinking about blind date, speech, or meeting new people horrible experience—
situations that likely to consist of evaluation/judgement by others.
Do things to reduce fear of what others think—avoid encounter, skip parties etc., or
reduce amount of social interaction. Short conversations, non threatening topics. Self
protective
Methods of reducing social anxiety—findings that it is initiating conversation most
difficult, once talking do ok at conversation.
Shy people thought to lack confidence in ability to make good impression—so
therapy helps by focus on belief that capable of saying right thing and of making good
impression.
Although emotions fluctuate considerably over time and across situations, emotions can
be examined in terms of relatively stable individual differences. Researchers place
emotions along two major dimensions, which they identify as positive affect and negative
affect.
Emotional affectivity. The extent to which people typically experience positive and
negative emotions.
Emotions can be placed along two major dimensions-- positive
affect--- Active, content, satisfied—other extreme--sad and lethargic.
Negative affect—nervousness, anger, distress—other end---calm and serene
Positive affect consistently related to social activity—higher in positive affect more likely
to be involved in more social activities. More likely to be involved in satisfying romantic
relationships. Able to act in ways that helps them make friends—pleasant and engaging.
Negative affect—related to psychological stress, suffer from emotional problems. Likely
to complain about health.
Emotional intensity--- The strength or degree to which people typically experience their
emotions. From typically mild to strong emotional reactions. High intensity experience
emotion more intensely with more variability. (Highs and lows)
Emotional expressiveness: individual differences in the extent to which people express
their emotions. The extent to which people outwardly express their emotions—highly
expressive to show few outward signs of feelings
Women more expressive than men, more expression of feelings—fewer problems in
romantic relationship, and those who express tend to be better at reading others’
emotions. Emotional expression linked to psychological health—expressive found to be
happier, less anxious and guilty, than those low in expressiveness. Less likely to be
depressed. High expression higher in self-esteem.
People can be identified along a continuum from dispositionally optimistic to
dispositionally pessimistic.
Dispositional optimism The extent to which a person typically adopts an optimistic or
pessimistic approach to dealing with life's challenges
Advantages of dispositional optimism: achieve more, high goals and believe can reach
goals. Confident, do better with failure.
Differences between optimists and pessimists when faced with stressful events? Optimist
less anxious and depressed
Coping strategies used by two kinds of personalities—active vs avoidant optimists
typically deal more effectively with adversity, probably because they use more active and
direct coping strategies than pessimists.
Defensive pessimism: The tendency to attend to and worry about failure on upcoming
tasks in a strategic effort to motivate oneself to do well. individuals deliberately focus on
all the things that can go wrong in an effort to motivate themselves to do well.
Terms from Thomason online study guide
defensive
pessimism
The tendency to attend to and worry about failure on upcoming tasks in a
strategic effort to motivate oneself to do well.
dispositional
optimism
The extent to which a person typically adopts an optimistic or pessimistic
approach to dealing with life's challenges.
evaluation
apprehension
A strong concern about receiving negative evaluation from others.
hostility
The component of the Type A pattern concerned with the tendency to express
anger and irritability over minor frustrations.
social anxiety
A trait dimension indicating the extent to which people experience anxiety
during social encounters or when anticipating social encounters.
Type A-Type B
A trait dimension indicating the extent to which a person typically acts in a
driving, time-urgent manner.