Your Personality & How It Affects Your Stress Level

Personality & Stress

by: Matt Stuart

What to know:

          Did you know that your personality type has an effect on your stress level and stress management abilities?  Research shows that there is a direct correlation between personality and stress.  According to an article by Columbia University suggests that “Our framework specifies that personality may affect exposure to stressful events, reactivity to those events, or both” (Niall & Adam). So how does your personality affect your stress levels? Well, as we all know, everybody is different.  But, among all of our differences there are enough traits that have allowed researches to categorize people into just a few different categories.  The first of these classifications is Type A, B, and C personalities. For the sake of this post, Type A personalities will be the focus. The most stressful type of personality is Type A personalities. A Type A personality person would be your classic over-workers that need things to be done as soon as possible.  They are highly competitive, aggressive, and ambitious.  These are reasons why Type A people are often prime candidates for stress and stress-related illnesses (MCB Hawaii). These types of people are very good at a lot of things but, stress management tends to be one of those things that they are not that good at. All of these things are reasons why they are highly productive but, they are also the same reasons that their stress levels tend to be elevated quite often.  The nature of having traits like being highly ambitious doesn’t allow them to slow down and relax.  Also coupling ambition with being competitive often leads to insecurity and over working yourself, leading to higher stress levels. These elevated stress levels can lead to stroke and heart disease.  Beyond the health risks associated with stress, it also has an effect on the workplace. For example, it is like you are the star player for a sports team and you feel like you’re doing all that you can but your team keeps losing.  The highly competitive nature of your personality and stressful situations can make for a potentially hostile work environment. Not to worry, there are many ways to relieve your stress levels ranging from breathing exercises to taking a few days off of work.  US News says that “exercise and meditation are two ways to help keep stress at bay” (Mann. 2012).  However, not every stress relieving activity is conducive to every person’s personality.  For people that are highly competitive and ambitious people, those Type A personalities, something as simple as listening to music as they work can lower stress levels. Research shows that listening to music as you work relieves stress. Also, while Type A people are workaholics, taking an hour or two out of the day to exercise can drastically lower their stress. 

What to take away
          Your personality can have a direct effect on your stress level.  It can also effect that way that you cope with and relieve that stress.  Most ambitious and competitive people get so caught up in the hustle and bustle of the workplace that they forget to take some time to relax. Forgetting to relieve your stress can lead to various health issues.  In a workplace environment high levels of stress lead to an unhappy and potentially hostile workplace for everybody, especially when you have multiple stressed out people. Research has shown that Type A people tend to be more stressed because they of their competitive and ambitious nature.  So, if there is anything that I want you to take away from this it is that no matter what type of personality you have, it is important to take a few minutes away from the busyness of everyday life to lower your stress level.

References

Stress and your personality type. (n.d.).www.mcbhawaii.marines.mil. Retrieved April 13, 2013, from   www.mcbhawaii.marines.mil/Portals/114/WebDocuments/Chaplain/Stress%2520and%2520your%2520personality%2520type.doc+&hl=en&gl=us&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESiJ9AFt5p1YzbmikudDPMvIdjqv_R5bPWDr1oUXAhNgi2dAKqeAW5ltJSAm9fkBzIXd-0mbIVXYtfOWJFbMSZiO_7X-cpMyl5FnWodsL5tsWYU-OAdch0R9e_5lyObNfP0zqqgJ&sig=AHIEtbRKz

Mann, D. (2012, August 12). Stress, a 'Type A' Personality May Boost Stroke Risk - US News and World Report. Health News Articles - US News Health. Retrieved April 15, 2013, from http://health.usnews.com/health-news/news/articles/2012/08/30/stress-a-type-a-personality-may-boost-stroke-risk

Niall , B., & Adam, Z. (n.d.). A framework for studying personality in the stress process . Retrieved from http://www.columbia.edu/~nb2229/docs/bolger-zuckerman-jpsp-1995.pdf

Type A & Type B Personalities in the workplace

Type A & Type B Personalities in the workplace

by: Matt Stuart

          I’m sure that at some point we all have heard of Type A and Type B personalities. What exactly are these two distinctions though? Well, research has shown that most people can be placed under two different categories, Type A personalities and Type B personalities.  The distinction between Type A and Type B personalities was first developed in the 1950’s by two men, Meyer Friedman and Ray Rosenman. They came across this distinction when they saw a link between certain behaviors and heart disease (ATP Group).

          The “Type A and B personalities and their behavior in the workplace” article summarizes a study done by Friedman and Rosenman in which they observed the wear and tear in the chairs of a waiting room.  They found that the most wear and tear had been on the front of the seats and their armrests, thus coming to the conclusion that their patients had been “on edge”.  They categorized these people as Type A personalities describing them as in a “constant state of stress and exhibits an unrealistic sense of time urgency”.  In layman’s terms, these types of people are the type that always have to be doing something, they don’t like down time.  On the other hand, they labeled Type B personalities as the total opposite of Type A personalities.  In their study they do stress the fact that these Type A and Type B personalities are only tendencies and not complete definitions of human behavior (ATP Group).

What to know

          The “The relationship between big five personality traits, negative affectivity, type A behavior, and work–family conflict” article by Carly S. Bruck and Tammy D. Allen states that Type A personalities are “Individuals who exhibit Type A behavior are characterized as being ambitious, competitive, impatient, and aggressive or hostile” (Carly & Tammy, 2002). How does this study relate to the workplace?  Well, I’m sure that we all have had encounters with somebody that was a Type A personality.  A lot of the time they tend to emerge as the leader of the group, or in the business world, they become “management”.  They’re leadership style often times becomes that of the micro-manager.  While this type of personality in the workplace tends to lead to results, it also leads to many conflicts within the workplace.  They are much more aggressive and assertive with their approach to work. An example of someone with a Type A personality would be the character of Dwight Schrute from the sit-com “The Office”. Type A personalities could also be categorized as over achievers. Failure is not an option for them. These type of traits can be highly attractive to employers because Type A people will go above and beyond to get them the desired results. There are also downsides to Type A personalities. One of those being that Type A personalities are frequently stressed and don’t take the time to manage their stress, as they only have one speed when it comes to work.  With Type A people it tends to be their way and only their way.  They have a hard time including other people. Also, Their management styles are often categorized as dictator-like.

          The University of North Carolina-Charlotte’s psychology department says that “Type B personalities may be more creative, imaginative, and philosophical” (UNCC).  To contrast with the Type A personality, a person that is categorized as a Type B personality is much more relaxed and less obsessed with the hustle and bustle of the workplace. Stress is a big problem among most people these days.  Type B people’s lax approach to things in life, including work, allows them to manage their stress levels much better than that of a Type A person. Type B types are nowhere near as competitive as Type A people as well.  Not being worried so much about the competition allows them to focus strictly on their own work and not be caught up with what others are doing. In general terms, Type B people are much more social than their Type A counterparts as well.  There are also some drawbacks to this approach to work.  First, the relaxed outlook on work or life in general, can often lead to putting their work off until the last minute. This procrastination on projects with strict deadlines causes delays or not meeting the deadline.

What to take away

          While there is no conclusive link between Type A and Type B personalities and heart disease as was the point of the original study done by Meyer Friedman and Ray Rosenman. The results of that study have been an indicator as to where most people’s personalities fall.  Why is this important for an employee or employer? For employers, Type A personalities may be able to provide results much quicker than Type B people but, Type B personalities create a much happier workplace. However both types have their drawbacks. Type A people are highly competitive to a fault and will step on others to get things their way.  While Type B people’s relaxed attitude can often lead to delays in work being done. It is up to the employer to decide what type of workplace they would like to have.

Link to take a personality test
http://www.psych.uncc.edu/pagoolka/TypeAB.html

References

Carly, B., & Tammy, A. (2002, May 2). The relationship between big five personality traits, negative affectivity, type a behavior, and work–family conflict. Retrieved from https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:1p0Q3KdA8gUJ:www.researchgate.net/publication/222685518_The_relationship_between_big_five_personality_traits_negative_affectivity_type_A_behavior_and_workfamily_conflict/file/d912f508148d18473f.pdf &hl=en&gl=us&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEEShOD5D7HtAAhzOf7kiLtCC2gccsi8dNleqFL3_QLirzVMVaqDKFqINaq6yBed0ezhyirrZDFENqDN1BNkcWa4iax7WcK_UvOmodj7S-9M4IUNCDkKBjLhNwIRrvg_LzigxWucLp&sig=AHIEtbTu9qufy7NOxy4zwXKvuVU7NKYtyQ

ATP Group. (n.d.). Type a and type b personalties and their behavior in the workplace. Retrieved from http://www.apt.ro/index.php/en/resources/item/237-type_a_and_type_b_personalities_and_their_behavior_in_the_workplace

UNCC. (n.d.). Personality type a/b. Retrieved from http://www.psych.uncc.edu/pagoolka/typea-b-intro.html

The Solution to Gender Inequality?

 Solution to Gender Inequality

By: Tonio Winkler

Gender inequality is something that most people don't want to think about. It's something that most people, especially the younger generations, don't believe still exists. It is something that most people would rather look at as a blemish in society's history than to see it as a current, evolving problem. This is where we have a problem today. I've written two different blogs about the effects of gender inequality in the workplace, but I haven't given a solution yet. At this point, there may not be a solution. But there can be a movement, and it has to be acted on by both women and men in the workplace. We need to stop looking at things that we consider to be commonplace in the workplace for what they really are- different examples of gender inequality.

Raymond F. Gregory even lays this out as one of the main points of his book "Women and Workplace Discrimination: Overcoming the Barriers to Gender Equality". In the intro to his book, he says "if the workplace is ever to be free of gender inequality, working women must commit themselves to opposing employer discriminatory conduct, policies, and practices” (Gregory, 2003). This is something that is the responsibility of women in the workplace, but I believe it's the responsibility of the men as well. There are everyday things that happen in every place of employment that are examples of gender discrimination in that place of business. Some of them are more blatant showings: A female employee in a hardware store not being able to move outside of a cashier role because the employer believes that male customers wouldn't trust a female's opinion; A male employer only allowing the females in a shipping business to occupy administrative positions because they aren't as dangerous of positions.

In addition, there are other examples that prove to be just as detrimental, but aren't as obvious as what we may think. “The sorry truth is that most working women today-even with the protection of law-do not feel that they are treated as equals in the workplace, and survey data indicates that they have reason for this belief” (Donohue, 2004).  If you have a restaurant that employees mainly female cooks, it may look progressive because there are many who believe that's still a "male dominated" position. But if the employer has females in the kitchen because he believes that they're better cooks, then that's gender discrimination. If you have a paramedic that is female and is always paired with male partners, it may not be something that we, as a general public, would think twice about. But if she's paired with males because the commanding officer doesn't think that the female is strong enough, or may be too emotional, to deal with every situation and that's why she's paired with males, then it's gender discrimination.

Furthermore, let's look at another example that may not be noticed. If an elementary school has a kindergarten teacher position open and an administrative position open, and they hire the female to be the teacher, it could be looked at as an equal opportunity employment. Yet, if the female was put into that position because they fulfill the stereotype of a kind, female kindergarten teacher, then it's done more harm than good. This is yet another example of subtle forms of gender discrimination. The problem is that many of the subtle forms of gender discrimination are ignored or excused throughout normal, day to day life because they aren't enough to make a fuss over. This is something that women need to start looking at, but that men need to start taking care of as well. There are some things that we, as men, need to be willing to stand up and say that it's not right that it's happening. We need to stop training our women to expect the discriminatory behavior, but we also need to stop training men that this behavior is acceptable in any situation.

In addition, if the population doesn't come together to change discrimination in the workplace, then it will never happen. “Gender discrimination often results from a lack of diversity within an organization” (Scott, 2012). If you look at any of the major battles that have been won against discrimination, whether it was against slavery, or women voting, or whatever the cause was, the cause was not won only by the people that were being put down. Women and men need to take up this stand together because, even though we have mostly been talking about women being discriminated against, they are not the only ones that face this oppression in the workplace.

In conclusion, the fight against gender equality can't be fought by just women- the men need to take a stand against it as well. Women can fight as much as they can, but the fight can only go so far when you are fighting against males in a work environment that don't want to change. As long as the environments stay the same, the fight will never end and inequality will always be there.

References

Donohue, J. (2004). Prohibiting Sex Discrimination in the workplace: An Economic Perspective. From the SelectedWorks of John Donohue , 1337-1368.

Gregory, R. (2003). Women and workplace discrimination: overcoming barriers to gender equality. Piscataway: Rutgers University Press.

Scott, S. (2012). Suggested Approach to Gender Discrimination at Workplace. Retrieved from Houston Chronicle: http://smallbusiness.chron.com/suggested-approach-gender-discrimination-workplace-10272.html

 

Gender discrimination in the military

Gender discrimination in the military
By: Tonio Winkler

          Gender discrimination has affected not just regular civilian jobs, but the careers that take bravery and courage. This organization restricts individuals regardless of their merits or status in the organization. Also it has carved its way into American history with rifles and bombs. Nevertheless, the United States army social justice system is under attack, in the end producing irony. The armed services have spent millions marketing to men and woman the possibilities and door openings that await their enlistment. However, many have come to find that the phrase “equal opportunity employer” is a double-sided coin. “Women are generally more likely than men to leave the military” (Febbraro, 2010). Women have for far to long been discriminated and harassed in the male-dominated military profession. Until a reform to the armed services is initiated, social justice will fail and change will not happen.

          The armed services have traditionally been a male dominated profession, which in the end was a factor in female discrimination. “Soldiering around the world is commonly a male-dominated profession that breeds an excessively masculine environment. In these circumstances, women have to learn to communicate in masculine ways in order to be effective” (Angle, 2010). Given the environment, women have to find ways to match the masculinity of their male counterparts. In typical war scenarios that one may see in movies, the strong men are the survivors. One must understand that, “The nature of the profession demands that armies be aggressive, vigilant and unerring in their propensity to deliver lethal force against enemies. Traditional feminine qualities are seen as weak and equated with defeat on the battlefield” (Angle, 2010). Nevertheless, the armed services must understand the tactics to warfare have changed greatly. A more modern warfare approach is seen today which produces very little hand-to-hand combat with the enemy. But, the mentality of women being weaker in combat is still viewed, which is key to discrimination.

          In addition, the banning of woman serving in ground combat jobs, including infantry roles, will produce limited justice for them in the military. “The infantry soldier is the foundation of any army and ironically dubbed the Queen of Battle” (O'Toole, 2012). For many, the ground infantry are the backbone to any army.  Having an insufficient lack of strong military force will only produce the loss of a war. Therefore, understanding this concept, few understand that men alone do not produce this. “The reason for increase in women’s enlistment is the change in the nature of warfare” (Jeanes, 2011). Once again, having the strongest force is not by muscle alone. Wars today are not fought with sword and shield but by intelligence and modern technology. Allowing women to assist in combat related roles will provide a broader and intelligent view to military strategies. 

          Furthermore, woman in the military face sexism and frequent sexual assaults. “A servicewoman was nearly 180 times more likely to have become a victim of military sexual assault (MSA) in the past year than to have died while deployed during the last 11 years of combat in Iraq and Afghanistan” (O'Toole, 2012). Women in the military are fighting two battles, one for their country and to protect themselves. Due to the system currently in place, assaulted females are under intense conditions. Unlike the civilian assault system, the system that military woman face is broken. Under the military system, the commander is responsible for reviewing the initial report and determining whether there is sufficient evidence to take action. “The issue is that one in for service member victims doesn’t report assault because the person to whom they must report is the perpetrator” (O'Toole, 2012). As a result, the victims have nowhere to go and can continue down a dark path.

          In conclusion, gender discrimination in the military has produced job-stereotyping and harassment. From an organizational performance standpoint, turnover and employee well-being are highly effected. With gender inequality, woman will find it harder to move up the ranks such as officer or sergeant. With lack of promotion or constant abuse they will quit and create a high turnover rate.  With this turnover, the army will loose the great knowledge and wisdom that women bring to the table. As discussed in class, a high turnover rate can drop the morale of the entire organization. Students planning a career in the military can be better prepared for gender issues by learning from this article. Having this knowledge will help combat the gender issues that may arise and help deter it.

References

Angle, J. (2010, January 18). Gender discrimination in military is unfair, unprofessional. Retrieved from The Daily Campus: http://www.dailycampus.com/2.7438/gender-discrimination-in-military-is-unfair-unprofessional-1.1049513#.UVuEgr9E8Vs

Febbraro, A. (2010). Gender and Military Psychology. Handbook of Gender Research in Psychology , 671-696.

Jeanes, E. (2011). Handbook of Gender, Work and Organization . Britain: John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

O'Toole, M. (2012, October 6). Military Sexual Assault Epidemic Continues To Claim Victims As Defense Department Fails Females. Retrieved March 15, 2013, from The Huffington Post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/06/military-sexual-assault-defense-department_n_1834196.html