Behavioural Profiles Underlying Exprssions on Affective Personality

Sammanfattning: The present thesis examined the degree to which affective personality characteristics, as reflected by the four types, “Self-fulfilling”, “Low-affective”, “High affective” and “Self-destructive”, may relate to different personality characteristics and various health aspects. An overall goal was to shed some light on the implication that possible differences between male and female participants’ psychological health profiles require consideration. Assuming that personal characteristics may predispose individuals for stress, one purpose was to ascertain which characteristics contribute to health considerations. In Study I the relation of affective personality to “every-day functioning” and “coping resources” within the same population was examined. Participants were 186 university students. Results showed marked gender effects pertaining to aspects of personality traits important for the normal individual to function adequately in his/her everyday life. There were also significant effects of Affective personality upon different expressions of personality characteristics as well as various health variables. In Study II 304 respective 142 students participated, ranging from pupils at upper secondary school to university students, affective states, stress and type A-personality as a function of gender and Affective personality was examined, showing differences between male and female participants. Female participants expressing the higher levels of scoring in the various aspects of health examined in the study. A link between negative affectivity and stress and type A-personality is indicated with consequences for maladaptive behavioural patterns implying health hazards. The distinguishing characteristics of positive and negative affect, under conditions of cognitive-emotional deficit, such as psychological distress, appear to contribute to an understanding of both presymptomatic, non-clinical and symptomatic, clinical expressions.