menial parts of a job while they attend to the ‘big picture’. Stimulus-seekers will typically choose professions where risk-taking promises to yield great amounts of money and/or esteem.
STRESS PROBLEMS
Stimulus-seekers experience the risks of their ventures as beneficial stress, and thrive on it. Their minds race with possibilities rather than worries, and as a consequence they tend to smoke and drink too much. Substance abuse and its negative side-effects are more common in stimulus-seekers than are mental and/or physical illness.
THE AMBITIOUS TYPE (A-TYPE)
A-type personalities tend to be hard-driven and aggressive, channelling all their energies into their work. A-types have little or no time for a social life or hobbies; they live, think and dream ‘work’. They have problems delegating and are highly critical of themselves and others, often becoming impatient and angry when things do not run smoothly. They find it impossible to sit down quietly and do nothing; they are constantly moving, jiggling their knees and tapping their fingers – in times of stress they tend to do several things at the same time. They also find it hard to concentrate fully on conversations because they are already racing ahead in their mind, thinking about the next thing they want to do.
The A-type personality is the stress category that has been most widely studied. This type is found not just in high-level jobs, but all the way through the various strata of society.
STRESS PROBLEMS
In their efforts to control everything and everyone around them, A-types exert themselves physically and mentally. They are unable to recognize when they have reached their limit and will typically suffer from high blood pressure. A-types are prone to coronary heart disease, ulcers and atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries).
All stress-prone types of personality are driven by one thing: fear. The anxious person is afraid to be unpopular and to be considered unhelpful; the perfectionist is afraid of being ‘only human’; the stimulus-seeker is afraid of boredom; and the A-type is afraid of not being seen to achieve. Even though certain personality traits can predispose a person to have these fears, one’s upbringing also plays a part. Below we look at some of the factors that can lead to a personality type that is vulnerable to stress.
PRESSURE TO SUCCEED
When children are pressurized by parents and teachers constantly to achieve the very best results, and if love and approval are dependent on high performance, some children will internalize these conditions and later live their lives accordingly. Self-worth becomes totally dependent on achievements. Without achievements, they feel that they are nobody and that nobody will respect them. Within these rules there is no room for grey areas; there is only black and white.
CRITICISM
When criticized frequently and in an unconstructive manner, some children will withdraw, hoping to avoid further humiliation by keeping a low profile. They stop trying out new things, become anxious and unconfident in their own abilities and grow up to live their lives trying to please others and gain their approval in an attempt to maintain their own self-esteem.
LONELINESS
When children are shown little or no affection or interest they can grow up without self-worth or confidence in their own validity as human beings. As a consequence, their entry into the adult world of work can constitute an escape from these feelings of worthlessness. In their attempt to justify their existence, they may dedicate themselves over-zealously to their work.
OVERPROTECTION
Parents who do everything for their children prevent them from becoming independent and from having the opportunity to test their strength against the everyday world. This restrictive upbringing can lead to resentment and rebellion, coupled with great fear at what there is ‘out there’. As overprotected children grow up they keep on struggling with the same issues – not wanting to be controlled but at the same time fearing the freedom of being an independent person.
Now that we have looked at the personality types most affected negatively by stress, and some of the factors leading to becoming one of these types, it is time for you to judge for yourself whether you are in fact more prone to stress than most.
CHAPTER 3
QUESTIONNAIRE: CHECK YOUR PERSONALITY STRESS FACTORS
This questionnaire is made up of four categories of questions, grouped together according to the stress types we looked at in the previous chapter. Make a note of each statement that is true for you, giving yourself 1 point for each. Try to do this quickly, without pondering over individual statements for too long.
WHAT ANXIOUS PEOPLE SAY ABOUT THEMSELVES
Others take advantage of me but I feel unable to stop them.
I am very upset by rows, even if they are between other people.
I prefer the devil I know rather than change to something new, even if it could be better for me.
I find it difficult to express my needs to others because I feel this might be selfish and self-indulgent.
Even if the other person has made a mistake, it is me who ends up apologizing.
I find it very difficult to take the initiative, either socially or professionally.
I cannot openly show my emotions, especially not the negative ones like anger or annoyance.
I never seem to get what I want.
WHAT PERFECTIONISTS SAY ABOUT THEMSELVES
I need to have everything ‘just so’.
I plan and carry out any work I do to the highest possible standard.
I greatly dislike it when my daily routine gets disrupted.
I am upset when things are not done as they should be done.
I get very agitated when I am prevented from finishing a job properly; I can only relax when all the ‘t’s are crossed and ‘i’s dotted.
My thoroughness makes me fall behind quite often.
I find myself mulling over how I could have done things better in the past.
When I have made only one small mistake, I have to do the whole job again, no matter how trivial the job itself is.
WHAT STIMULUS-SEEKERS SAY ABOUT THEMSELVES
I get bored easily.
The only
