HEALTHY PERSONALITY CHARACTERISTICS &
EXPRESSING EMOTIONS IN HEALTHFUL WAYS
Dr. Sonia Tinsley
Northeastern State University
College of Education
Personality
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An individual’s unique pattern of characteristics.
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What makes a person different from others.
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Influences on personality
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Heredity
Environment
Attitude
Behavior
Personality
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Specific patterns of behavior and traits that identify
and characterize an individual
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Thoughts
Feelings
Behaviors
Motivation
Instinct
Temperament
Personality Characteristics that Promote
Good Health?
Personality characteristics that
promote good health
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Ambition
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Self-determination
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Compassion
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Self-discipline
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Confidence
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Sincerity
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Cooperativeness
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Courage
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Dedication
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Optimism
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Persistence
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Reliability
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Hopefulness
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Responsibility
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Loyalty
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Respectfulness
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Honesty
Personality Behavior Patterns
Type A: characterized by competitive drive, aggressiveness, impatience,
time urgency, free-floating hostility, insecurity
• Type B: behavior that exhibits no free-floating hostility or sense of time
urgency, opposite of Type A
• Type C: denial and suppression of emotion
• Type D: negative emotions and inhibited self-expression
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Interesting Research
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A study of nurses and teachers shows that Type A’s tend to experience more
job stress
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Found to be associated with coronary heart disease
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Exhibited in females as well as males
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Learned behavior, not genetically passed down
Hardiness
• People who are hardy have the “3 C’s”
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Commitment
– Control
– Challenge
• Hardy people are able to better withstand the onslaught of
stressors
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Become ill less often from stressors
– Have less psychological distress, increased happiness and adjustment, happier
marriages
Grit: Perseverance and passion for long-term goals.
Expressing Emotions in Healthful Ways
• Communication – the exchange of feelings, thoughts, or
information with one or more persons.
• Denial – a condition in which a person refuses to recognize what
they are feeling.
Difficulty in Communicating
• Many young people do not learn to recognize and express their
feelings as they mature.
• Children who grow up in dysfunctional families often find it
difficult to express their feelings.
• Instead they learn to deny their feelings.
Guidelines for Expressing Emotions in Healthful Ways
• Identify the emotion.
• Identify the source of the emotion.
• Decide whether or not there is the need to respond right away.
• Choose a responsible and healthful response.
• Protect your health.
Healthful ways to express feelings
• Active listening – Partner up!
• Nonverbal communication – What’s My Style?
I-messages and You-messages
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I-messages – focuses on a specific behavior or event, how that behavior or event
affects the speaker, and the emotions the speaker feels as a result.
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You-message – blames or shames another person. Puts down the other person
and puts him/her on the defensive.
Develop communication skills to foster improved
social relationships
• Verbal communication—be a skilled sender and listener
• Nonverbal communication—facial expression, eye contact, personal
space, body posture
• Managing conflict
Listen
• Focus on what to say and how to say it
• Use assertive communication with “I” statements
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