The personality in the process of stress

Abstract

A critique of Lazarus’s views on the significance of personality traits in the process of stress prompted the authors of the article to reexamine the empirical evidence pertaining to the question which personality traits effects to a greater or lesser degree the process and outcome of tire stress process. Abundant recent empirical findings are divided into a number of groups according to die trait or type of personality. The authors consider die significance of personality traits from the so-called big-five model, then tne role and significance of die locus of control, hardiness, selfesteem, anxiety and die A, B, C types of personality. The authors discovered that personality traits explain why certain people get into stress situations more frequently then others and that personality traits influence the asessment of stress events and the modes of coping widi stress. In addition, certain traits directly (endogeneously) influence the outcome of stress (physical and mental well being, life satisfaction). The paper draws our attention to numerous methodological problems relating to the research of this problematic.