11-30-2013, 03:48 AM
Individuals differ dramatically in their response to a problem or a stressor. Some people are born with a temperament that predisposes them to higher or lower levels of tolerance to stress.
Your cognitive reaction to a situation plays a role in determining how stressful a situation is to you. This reaction is characterized by your appraisal of the nature, importance and implications of the event, and by your ability to effectively manage or cope with the event.
Many personality traits are related to stress, including self-esteem and locus of control. A personality trait may affect how a person will perceive and react to a situation or an event as a stressor. For example, an individual with low self-esteem is more likely to experience stress in demanding work situations than is a person with high self-esteem. Individuals high in self-esteem typically have more confidence in their ability to meet job demands than do those with low self-esteem. Employees with high internal locus of control make take more effective action, more quickly, in coping with a sudden emergency (a stressor) than might employees with high external locus of control. Individuals high in internal locus of control are likely to believe that they can moderate the stressful situation.
Your emotional responses to a situation are determined by your appraisal of both the situation and your coping abilities, as well as your temperament. For example, if you tell yourself, “I can handle this,” you will have a completely different emotional response than if you say, “This is terrible. I'm going crazy.”
Your cognitive reaction to a situation plays a role in determining how stressful a situation is to you. This reaction is characterized by your appraisal of the nature, importance and implications of the event, and by your ability to effectively manage or cope with the event.
Many personality traits are related to stress, including self-esteem and locus of control. A personality trait may affect how a person will perceive and react to a situation or an event as a stressor. For example, an individual with low self-esteem is more likely to experience stress in demanding work situations than is a person with high self-esteem. Individuals high in self-esteem typically have more confidence in their ability to meet job demands than do those with low self-esteem. Employees with high internal locus of control make take more effective action, more quickly, in coping with a sudden emergency (a stressor) than might employees with high external locus of control. Individuals high in internal locus of control are likely to believe that they can moderate the stressful situation.
Your emotional responses to a situation are determined by your appraisal of both the situation and your coping abilities, as well as your temperament. For example, if you tell yourself, “I can handle this,” you will have a completely different emotional response than if you say, “This is terrible. I'm going crazy.”