The relationship between stress, personality and psychopathology

In spite of the extensive literature on stress, the relationship between stress, personality and psychopathology is virtually unstudied. This study examined the relationship between stress, personality and psychopathology in a sample of 200 middle-level managers. Results found that these three constructs were not independent of each other but rather were interrelated in theoretically sensible ways.;This study examined the array of Occupational Stress Inventory subscales and extracted a limited set of distinct stress, strain and coping patterns. A data set containing 200 profiles was analyzed using a set of profile sorting rules. Twenty-six distinct patterns emerged. A two-group discriminant analysis was conducted on 24 of the 26 distinct patterns (2 were discarded due to insufficient n). The subscales and subscale patterns were used as the dependent variables and the 5 personality scales (30 facet scales) of the NEO-PIR and the 20 psychopathology scales of the Personality Assessment Inventory were used as the independent variables.;Discriminant analysis of the relation between the stress patterns and personality and psychopathology variables indicates that an association does exist among various components of occupational stress and basic personality type and psychopathology. For example, individuals who scored significantly high on the Coping scales of the OSI (those that cope well with stressors) tended to present with attentiveness to inner feelings, independence of judgement, positive impression and also with significant depressive symptomatology. In addition, individuals who experienced high amounts of personal strain, were likely to portray themselves in an especially negative manner; and more seriously, high strain was associated with a thought disturbance of a schizophrenic nature.;This study indicates that a complex relationship exists between stress measured personality and psychopathology.