STRESSFUL LIFE EVENTS, PERSONALITY HARDINESS, AND PSYCHOLOGICAL GROWTH (ADULT DEVELOPMENT, CHANGE).
Item
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Title
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STRESSFUL LIFE EVENTS, PERSONALITY HARDINESS, AND PSYCHOLOGICAL GROWTH (ADULT DEVELOPMENT, CHANGE).
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Identifier
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AAI8614694
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identifier
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8614694
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Creator
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NEMIROFF, DAVID GISNET.
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Contributor
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Suzanne Ouellette Kobasa
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Date
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1986
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Psychology, Personality
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Abstract
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The general proposition is advanced that certain individuals may undergo psychological growth after stressful life events. Previous theoretical claims and empirical evidence in support of this proposition are reviewed and gaps are identified, including insufficient attention given to individual differences in personality as a possible mediating factor in the stress-growth relationship.;Two inter-related studies were conducted. The first included multiple regression analyses of longitudinal questionnaire data previously collected from two samples of executive and craft-level business managers who had participated in an earlier study of stress and illness. It was hypothesized that personality hardiness would interact with life stress to promote two specific forms of psychological growth: improved coping ability and enhanced social well-being. Results indicated that the hypothesis was supported for one of the dependent variables in one of the samples: hardiness and life stress significantly predicted increases in coping ability among the executives. Family stress and the commitment component of hardiness were also found to be important for growth.;The second study was exploratory and idiographic, involving a content analysis of interview data previously collected from a subsample of the executives. Its aim was to investigate the nature and sources of psychological growth. It was hypothesized that hardiness would be significantly related to growth, and it was also expected that life stress would contribute to such positive change. Results indicated that the hypothesis was not supported but that several subjects cited specific stressful life events as change antecedents. In addition, changes were found in personality characteristics, values and attitudes, coping ability, self-knowledge, and social relationships, and a broadly-defined "social" dimension of change was identified. Evidence also suggested that events in the family context led to positive change while work-related events were followed by negative change and that cognitive factors were also important.;It was concluded from both investigations that psychological growth following life stress may well occur and that differences in hardiness may be partly responsible for it. Future research should consider stress within specific life contexts and possible cognitive mediating factors associated with the growth process. Practical implications of the findings were also discussed.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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Ph.D.
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Program
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Psychology
