The personality factor in stress : determining the relationship between personality type and occupational stress

Abstract

Research indicates that workers with different types of personality might experience differing levels of occupational stress. This essay explores the relationship between personality and stress within a number of occupations. Four hypotheses will be examined. These include the better coping of extroverts when compared to introverts, females tending to suffer from stress more than males, whether organisational stress is related to lower employee performance and whether there is a significant relationship between personality and performance. This is done quantitatively, through a questionnaire. Results indicate that while the hypothesis stating that females tend to suffer from stress more than their male counterparts should be rejected, the other three may be confirmed. A number of ways of managing employee stress are suggested.