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1. FACTORS
CONTRIBUTING TO
STRESS PRONENESS

2. Individual differences in dealing with stress
Stress proneness: tendency to experience more stress
Factors contributing to stress proneness:
• Type A personality: perceive stress as threatening, intense reactions
• Components of type A behavior: status insecurity, urgency of time,
hyper-aggressiveness, free-floating hostility, drive towards self-
destruction
• Hostility: cynicism towards others, easily aroused anger, expression
of anger towards others, negative long-term effects
• Perfectionism: demanding expectations from self/others, little
room for compromise
• Procrastination: delaying tasks, keeping them for later
• Learned helplessness/learned pessimism: interpreting bad events
as personally caused, permanent and pervasive, interpreting
positive events as luck or external forces

3. Components of type A behavior: status insecurity, urgency of
time, hyper-aggressiveness, free-floating hostility, drive towards
self-destruction
• Hostility: cynicism towards others, easily aroused anger, expression of anger
towards others, negative long-term effects
• Perfectionism: demanding expectations from self/others, little room for
compromise
• Procrastination: delaying tasks, keeping them for later
• Learned helplessness/learned pessimism: interpreting bad events as personally
caused, permanent and pervasive, interpreting positive events as luck or external
forces
Moderators of stress:
• Locus of control
• Social support
• Optimism and pessimism
• Gender and culture

4. Shalini's recurrent sickness during school
examinations despite thorough preparation
Suspected psychological cause by her cousin, a
clinical psychologist
Lack of medical findings supporting the illnesses
Introduction to the concept of stress proneness
Recognition of individual differences in coping with
stress

5. Stress proneness defined as a tendency to
experience more stress.
Type A Personality:
• Linked to high levels of stress; perceive stress as
threatening; intense reactions to stressful
situations.
• Type A individuals:
• In a hurry to achieve objectives; competitive;
highly alert; perfectionistic.
• Irritable, lack patience, prone to anger.

6. Components of Type A behavior:Status insecurity: Stemming from low
self-esteem; constant comparison with others; high self-expectations;
highly critical of self; driven to achieve.
Urgency of time: Gasping with time due to insecurities; constant hurry;
fast thinking, planning, and execution; engages in polyphasic thinking and
behavior.
Hyper-aggressiveness: Dominating behavior without regard for others'
feelings or rights; may stem from low self-esteem and frustration.
Free-floating hostility: Negative perception of others; lack of trust and
suspicion; displayed when sensing something is wrong.
Drive towards self-destruction: Lifestyle can lead to escapism and self-
destructive behavior.

7. Consequences of Type A
behavior:Lower satisfaction
with job, health, home, and life.
Lack of energy; affective
tension; symptoms of distress

8. Hostility defined as cynicism towards others' motives and values
Easily and frequently aroused anger
Tendency to express anger towards others
Hostility not necessarily leading to violent behavior
Irritability and anger experienced by otherwise normal individuals
Hostility manifesting in simple life events (e.g., spilling tea, not folding
clothes)
Blaming others and expressing anger towards them

9. Aggressive behaviors directed towards blamed individuals
Hostility characterized by skeptical or cynical attitude
Recurring arousal of anger
Manifestation of anger through aggressive behavior
Long-term negative effects on health and social relationships
Links between hostility and stress established by research (Felsten, 1996;
Hackett et al., 2015)
Hostility as a factor increasing susceptibility to stress

10. Perfectionism can lead to stress proneness due to
demanding expectations from oneself and/or others.
It can be categorized into internal (expectations from self)
and external (expectations from others) perfectionism.
Internal perfectionism results in high self-expectations,
affecting health, productivity, relationships, and self-
esteem.
External perfectionism involves finding fault with others
and dissatisfaction with their work, leading to frustration
and hostility.

11. Characteristic beliefs of perfectionists include:
• Anything I do must be perfect.
• No mistakes should be made by me or others.
• There is always a correct way to do things.
• I am a failure if I don't do things perfectly.
• Making a mistake means I am a total failure.
These beliefs are irrational and laden with injunctions, pushing individuals
toward distress.
Individuals with such beliefs are more likely to experience stress compared
to those with rational beliefs.
Perfectionists may procrastinate, be defensive, choosy about things, find it
hard to discard items leading to hoarding, and tend to overdo tasks.

12. Procrastination is a factor that could lead to stress proneness.
Procrastination is described as not doing things or activities on time and keeping them
for later.
Reasons for procrastination include viewing tasks as unappealing, unpleasant, or
difficult.
Procrastination can lead to stress due to feelings of guilt and self-condemnation.
External repercussions of procrastination include consequences like not paying
examination fees on time or delaying the submission of important reports.
Procrastination can result from fear (e.g., fear of failure, success, pain, or intimacy) or
laziness, where individuals develop a habit of avoiding effort and seeking comfort

13. Learned helplessness: tendency to become helpless when faced with
uncontrollable events
Learned pessimism: tendency to interpret bad events as personally caused,
permanent, and pervasive; and positive events as caused by luck, temporary, and
limited
Factors contributing to stress proneness:
• Personalization: attributing negative events internally or externally
• Permanence: perceiving events as permanent or temporary
• Pervasiveness: interpreting events as related to one or multiple dimensions of life
Individuals with learned helplessness/pessimism are more prone to stress
Need help to move towards learned optimism

14. Locus of control (LOC):
• Internal locus of control associated with better physical
and psychological well-being.
• Individuals with internal locus of control perceive
stressful situations as a challenge rather than a threat,
enabling better stress management.
Hardiness:
• High hardiness associated with liking challenges, strong
commitment, and control.
• Individuals with high hardiness see stressful situations
as opportunities for growth and enjoyment.
• High hardiness individuals are better equipped to
handle stress compared to those with low hardiness.

15. Social support:
• Significant moderator of stress.
• Adequate social support aids in better stress management.
• Social support can be material, informational, or emotional in nature.
• Reduces stress reactivity and minimizes negative effects of stress.
Optimism and pessimism:
• Optimism associated with adequate stress management and resilience.
• Optimistic individuals less likely to be adversely affected by stress.
• Pessimistic individuals prone to psycho-physiological disorders due to
stress.
Gender and culture:
• Gender and culture may act as moderators of stress.
• Socialization influenced by gender and culture affects personality,
beliefs, and attitudes toward stress.
• Personality, beliefs, and attitudes influence how individuals perceive,
cope with, and manage stress.