Hardiness

• What is a strength of the idea that the hardy personality is correlated with stress-related illnesses?

  There are many research studies to support this link
• What did Maddi (1987) study in relation to the hardy personality?

  Maddi studied employees of a US company reducing its workforce
• What was the outcome for two-thirds of the employees in Maddi's study?

  They suffered stress-related health problems
• What characterized the remaining third of employees in Maddi's study?

  They thrived and showed more evidence of hardiness attributes
• What are the hardiness attributes mentioned in Maddi's study?

  Commitment, control, and challenge
• Why is the link between hardy personality and stress-related health problems significant?

  Because researchers have consistently found this link
• What conclusion can be drawn about the reliability of the link between hardy personality and stress-related health problems?

  The link is reliable
• What is a weakness of research on the hardy personality?

  Measuring this personality has been problematic for researchers
• What did early research on the hardy personality use to measure it?

  Lengthy scales measuring control, commitment, and challenge
• What criticisms did recent studies try to address regarding the original measures of hardiness?

  Long and awkward wording and negatively worded items
• What issue persists in studies regarding the challenge component of hardiness?

  Some studies still show low internal reliability for the challenge component
• Why is the method of data collection important in research on hardiness and health?

  Most research support relies on self-report questionnaires
• What has not been resolved despite attempts to address measurement issues in hardiness research?

  Not all problems of how to measure hardiness have been resolved
• What is the consequence of the measurement issues in hardiness research?

  It leads to a lack of internal validity in research supporting a link between hardiness and stress-related illnesses
• What is a strength of the idea that the hardy personality is correlated with stress-related illnesses?

  There are real life applications of this research.
• What did Maddi develop to help individuals deal with change?

  • Hardiness training
  • Designed to increase self-confidence and sense of control
  • Helps individuals deal more successfully with change
• How many managers participated in Maddi's hardiness training program?

  54 managers
• What was the comparison group in Maddi's study learning?

  Relaxation techniques
• Which condition was more effective in increasing self-reported hardiness and job satisfaction?

  The hardiness training condition
• What was the effect of hardiness training on self-reported illness?

  It decreased self-reported illness.
• Why does the research into hardiness matter?

  • It can improve people's lives
  • Reduces the amount of illnesses experienced
  • Has widespread applications in various fields
• In which fields has hardiness training been widespread?

  Education and the military
• What can be concluded about research into hardiness?

  It has useful applications.
• What is a weakness of linking the hardy personality to stress-related illnesses?

  There may only be one key factor in the personality truly linked to stress.
• What did Sandvik et al. (2013) assess in their study?

  They assessed 21 Navy candidates.
• What was found about the challenge component in Sandvik et al.'s study?

  Some hardy individuals were low in the challenge component.
• What was the immune response of individuals low in the challenge component?

  They showed a weaker immune response.
• Why is the challenge component significant in relation to stress-related illnesses?

  It may be the key component linked to stress-related illnesses.
• What validity issues arise from research on the hardy personality and stress-related illnesses?

  There are validity issues suggesting a link between the hardy personality as a whole and stress-related illnesses.
• What does Rotter argue is likely the key factor in stress management?

  Control is likely to be the key factor.
• How do individuals with a high internal locus of control feel about stress?

  They feel stress less and are less disrupted by it.
• What did Cohen et al. (1993) find about participants with an external locus of control?

  They were twice as likely to develop colds compared to those who felt in control.
• What feeling did participants with an external locus of control experience regarding their lives?

  They felt their lives were unpredictable and uncontrollable.