Chapter 2
The Emotional
and Intellectual Basis of
Stress
© 2007 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.
Overview
 This chapter
Examines relationship between emotions,
intelligence, and stress
Defines personality and how it develops
Examines ways some personality types are
more or less susceptible to stress than
others
Discusses the notion of emotional
intelligence
Presents a theory of stress appraisal that
converges intellectual and emotional
factors
© 2007 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.
Outline
Emotions and stress
Personality development and
types
Intelligence and stress
Emotional intelligence
Perception and stress
appraisal
© 2007 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.
The Emotional Basis of Stress
Emotions and stress
Emotion: “a feeling, and its
distinctive thoughts, psycological
and biological states, and range
of propensities to act” (Daniel
Goleman)
Lazarus’ stress emotions
Core relational themes
(internalized personal scripts)
© 2007 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.
Emotions in Japanese
Psychotherapy
Morita therapy: the action element
of Japanese psychotherapy
Reynolds adapted Shomo Morita’s
five guiding principles of feelings
“Living Constructively” boxes
throughout the textbook focus on
Morita and Naikan (the
introspective element of) Japanese
psychology
© 2007 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.
Personality Defined
Personality: a collection of
thoughts, attitudes, values, beliefs,
perceptions, behaviors, and
emotions that define who we are,
how we view the world around us,
and how others perceive us
Personality is constantly evolving
© 2007 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.
Emotional Development and
Personality
 Personality development theories
Watson (behaviorism)
Freud (psychoanalytical theory)
Erikson (developmental stages and
tasks)
Piaget (cognitive development)
Kohlberg (moral development)
Maslow (hierarchy of needs)
© 2007 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.
Stress and Personality
Stress-Prone Personality Types
Type A Personality
Type C Personality
(Ellis’s) Irrational, Illogical
Personality
Negative Self-Talk
Millon’s Model
© 2007 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.
The Type A Personality
Pioneered by cardiologists
Friedman and Rosenman (1974)
Noticed their cardiology
patients always tried to achieve
more in less time
Hypothesized this was stressful
and harmful to one’s heart
© 2007 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.
Characteristics of Type A
Personality
Competitive
Verbally aggressive
Hard-driving
Unable to relax
Very time conscious
Easily angered
Hostile
© 2007 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.
Type A Personality Body
Language and Speech Patterns
Tightening of facial muscles
Gesturing with a clenched fist
Grimacing
Using explosive speech
Interrupting the interviewer
Hurrying the pace
© 2007 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.
Type A Personality Health Risks
Greater rate of cardiovascular
disease
Greater rate of heart attacks
Increased risk for premature
death from all causes
Not gender-specific
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Recent Type A Personality Studies
Clarify earlier work
Suggest Type A personality not a
causative factor in high blood
pressure
Identify anger and hostility as
factors most closely related to
cardiovascular disease
© 2007 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.
Anger and Hostility
Anger
Directed at anything
Reaction to a specific situation
Road rage is a common form
Hostility
An enduring anger directed at
people
© 2007 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.
The Type C Personality
Identified by Temoshok and
Dreher
Described as cancer-prone
personality
Responds to repeated failure
and stress by giving up
(helpless/hopeless)
Suppresses emotions and
resigns self to fate
© 2007 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.
The Irrational, Illogical Personality
Named by Albert Ellis
Founder of rational
emotive behavior therapy
(REBT)
Believes people or things
don’t make us feel bad
Illogical beliefs about people
and things are the basis for
stress
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Categories of Ellis & Harper’s 10
Illogical Beliefs (Walen et al.)
“Awfulizing” statements—
exaggerate the negative
Shoulds/musts/oughts—set illogical
demands on oneself or others
Evaluation of worth statements—
imply some people or things are
worthless
Need statements—set unrealistic
requirements for happiness
© 2007 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.
Millon’s Model
Millon identified 8 personality styles
that are particularly prone to stress
Aggressive
Narcissistic
Histrionic
Dependent
Passive-Aggressive
Compulsive
Avoidant
Schizoid
© 2007 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.
Stress-Resistant Personality Types
Personality types that are
protective against stress
The Type B Personality
The Hardy Personality
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The Type B Personality
 Identified by Rosenman and Friedman as
polar opposite of Type A
Also known as non-Type A
Lower risk of heart disease when free
of diabetes, hypertension, and
elevated cholesterol
Doesn’t preclude success and
achievement
© 2007 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.
The Hardy Personality
Identified by Kobasa and Maddi
Exhibits three personality traits that
protect against ravages of stress
Commitment (actively involved
with life)
Control (internal locus of control)
Challenge (welcomes change)
© 2007 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.
The Intellectual Basis of Stress
Our “intellectual resources”
(Lazarus) influence
How we perceive potential
stressors
Our perceived ability to cope
Intellectual resources include
intelligence, life experience,
communication skills, creativity,
problem-solving ability
© 2007 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.
Emotional Intelligence
Goleman (1997) coined this term to
mean the intellectual attributes
associated with understanding and
managing emotions
We can exert some control over our
emotions, moods, temperament, and
emotional disorders
© 2007 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.
Five Criteria for Emotional
Intelligence
Knowing emotions
Managing emotions
Motivating oneself
Recognizing emotions in others
Handling relationships
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Lazarus & Folkman’s Stress
Appraisal Model
The model contains a convergence
of intellectual and emotional factors
Things become stressors when they
threaten our well-being
Appraisal process influenced by
time and environment (context)
Appraisal process has three parts
© 2007 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.
Three Appraisal Processes
Primary appraisal: Is it a
threat?
Secondary appraisal: Can I
cope with it?
Cognitive reappraisal: Is this
potential stressor a real
stressor?
© 2007 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.
Primary Threat Appraisal
Threat: state of anticipated
confrontation with a harmful condition
Physical harm, emotional pain, or social
discomfort
 Primary appraisal: Is it a threat?
Irrelevant
Benign/positive
Stress
Threat (harm or loss anticipated)
Harm/loss (assessing consequences of
exposure)
Challenge (possible positive outcomes)
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Situation Factors in Stress
Appraisal
 The potential stressor
 Novelty, predictability, event uncertainty
 Imminence, duration, and temporal
uncertainty
Person Factors in Stress
Appraisal
 Commitments
 Beliefs (cognitive configurations)
© 2007 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.
Secondary Stress Appraisal
 Can I cope with it?
 Occurs simultaneously with primary
appraisal
 Coping: Emotion-focused or problemfocused
 Coping resources
 Health and energy
 Positive beliefs
 Problem-solving skills
 Social skills
 Social support
 Material resources
 Situational constraints
© 2007 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.
Cognitive Reappraisal
Is this potential stressor a real
stressor?
Reassessing after weighing
all of the situational factors,
commitments and beliefs, and
assessing ability to cope
© 2007 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.
Chapter 2: The Emotional and
Intellectual Basis of Stress
Summary
© 2007 McGraw-Hill Higher Education. All rights reserved.