Individual response to stress
Individual responses to Stress
Everybody will respond to stressful situations differently. What is a stimulating and invigorating experience for one person can be stressful and debilitating for someone else.
Some people seem to thrive on pressure whereas other people work best in a steady and predictable environment.
In general terms, however, certain types of people are more likely to suffer from stress than others. These are called Type A personalities. Type A people are often competitive, high achieving, aggressive, hasty, impatient and time conscious. Type B people are more laid back and may not even recognise that the situation is a competitive one.
The following questionnaire will give a rough indication of your personality type.
Type A/Type B behaviour patterns
Purpose
To assess behaviour patterns which may influence your stress levels.
Directions
Circle one number for each pair of statements below which best reflects the way you behave in your everyday life. For example, if you are generally on time for appointments, for the first point you would circle a number between 7 and 11. If you are casual about appointments you would circle one of the lower numbers between 1 and 5.
Casual about appointment
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
Never late
Not competitive
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
Very competitive
Good listener
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
Anticipates what others are going to say (nods, attempts to finish sentences)
Never feels rushed (even under pressure
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
Always rushed
Can wait patiently
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
Impatient when waiting
Takes one thing at a time
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
Tries to do many things at once, thinks about what will do next
Slow deliberate talker
1
2
3
4
Everybody will respond to stressful situations differently. What is a stimulating and invigorating experience for one person can be stressful and debilitating for someone else.
Some people seem to thrive on pressure whereas other people work best in a steady and predictable environment.
In general terms, however, certain types of people are more likely to suffer from stress than others. These are called Type A personalities. Type A people are often competitive, high achieving, aggressive, hasty, impatient and time conscious. Type B people are more laid back and may not even recognise that the situation is a competitive one.
The following questionnaire will give a rough indication of your personality type.
Type A/Type B behaviour patterns
Purpose
To assess behaviour patterns which may influence your stress levels.
Directions
Circle one number for each pair of statements below which best reflects the way you behave in your everyday life. For example, if you are generally on time for appointments, for the first point you would circle a number between 7 and 11. If you are casual about appointments you would circle one of the lower numbers between 1 and 5.
Casual about appointment
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
Never late
Not competitive
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
Very competitive
Good listener
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
Anticipates what others are going to say (nods, attempts to finish sentences)
Never feels rushed (even under pressure
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
Always rushed
Can wait patiently
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
Impatient when waiting
Takes one thing at a time
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
Tries to do many things at once, thinks about what will do next
Slow deliberate talker
1
2
3
4