How is Stress affected by Individual Differences?
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How is Stress affected by Individual Differences?
Introduction
According to prior research, every person is likely to have experienced a stressful situation or experience in their life. However, different people experience different types of stress due to factors such as age, gender, level of education, physical appearance, socioeconomic background, and race, among other factors. These factors which promote individuality make people experience stress differently. In other words, what person A defines as stressful, person B may not find stressful at all. This paper discusses individual differences and the different types of stress. It also illustrates how stress is affected by individual differences.
Stress can occasionally be a valuable tool for increasing vitality and focus. However, stress often negatively influences a human being’s life, leading to various undesirable outcomes. Since almost everyone experiences stress, everyone can gain from understanding the situation (Boogert et al., 2018). One can start to combat the consequences of stress by becoming aware of how pervasive and detrimental it is. Everyone is susceptible to the effects of stress, irrespective of age, gender, race, or faith. Stress numbers are alarming since they show how common this mental condition is. 33% of Americans say they are under much stress. Stress negatively impacts 77% of people’s general well-being. Stress negatively affects the mental state of 73% of individuals (Sangalang et al., 2019). Finally, stress causes 48% of people to experience sleep problems. Regrettably, stress levels have risen rather than decreased for nearly 50% of all Americans.
People seem to believe they are knowledgeable about stress and its dangers; however, with familiarity with its figures and facts, one can truly comprehend its consequences. By having full knowledge of the implications of stress caused by individual differences, people are more likely to understand their stress triggers and learn to avoid them or seek the necessary help (Sangalang et al., 2019).
Review of Literature
Individual Differences
Many people have previously defined individual differences in several ways. Based on all the definitions, individual differences are the factors that make people stand out from different from one another. These factors include age, gender, intelligence, ethnicity, race, and physical appearance. Today, individual differences can also be based on social, cultural, mental, and physical personalities, which differ from one person to another.
Types of Individual Differences
First is the physical appearance, whose differences can be noticed easily. It is based on features such as tall or short, dark or fair complexion, thin or plump, and strong or weak. Individual differences can also be due to differences in intelligence (Wang et al., 2018). Intelligence is measured based on Intelligence Quotient (IQ). People with an IQ higher than 120 are said to be geniuses; those with 120 are said to be expected, while those with an IQ of 0-50 are considered foolish. Individual differences can also be due to different attitudes toward people or situations. The different achievements people attain in their lifetime also build different personalities. These achievements may be due to the level of education, interests, abilities, or skills.
Another individual difference is due to gender differences. Women have different traits and interests compared to men. Even as they grow, girls play with dolls and are sensitive compared to boys, who play with action figures and portray much bravery. Some differences are brought about by nationality and race (Wang et al., 2018). People who grow up in different environmental and geographical conditions are not likely to have similar traits. People with different economic statuses behave differently. The rich are more confident, while the poor are humbler. Emotional differences also cause individual differences. Some people get angrier than others; hence, they are more likely to commit crimes such as murder due to anger (Wang et al., 2018). Other people are calmer and rarely get angry.
The main factor that stands out as individual differences is personality differences. These differences vary from one person to another and not on the common factors of age, gender, level of education, race, or nationality. They are grouped into six groups. Spranger includes theoretical, economic, aesthetic, social, religious, and political (Thielman et al., 2020). Jung includes introverts, extroverts, and ambiverts. Trotter, which includes the stable-minded and the unstable-minded. Jordan, which includes active and reflective personalities. Lastly, we have Terman, which has classified people based on their intelligence, from geniuses to idiots.
Causes of Individual Differences
There are several major causes of individual differences. The main one is hereditary, whereby people inherit certain features such as hair and eye color, skin types, baldness, and the likelihood of getting some diseases such as cancer and TB, other including intelligence, attitudes, and prejudices (Wang et al., 2018). The environment can also significantly cause individual differences among people when they grow. The environment consists of physical, intellectual, social, moral, political, economic, and cultural effects. These forces impact the type of person a child will become growing up. Another cause is race and nationality. Most likely, people from different races and nationalities have different individualities due to their upbringing and beliefs (Wang et al., 2018). Gender is also another cause of individual differences. Society expects women to behave differently from men.
Age increases from the growth of the body, mind, and emotions. Because everyone has a different level of intelligence, many people are different. Education is quite challenging for those whose intellect and mental capacity are below average, while education comes easily to intelligent people (Wang et al., 2018). Some individuals are innately swift and energetic, while others are lethargic and slow. Some individuals are amused, while others are easily irritated. Bodily, psychological, and external factors all have varied effects on a person’s emotional health. Individual differences result from variations in emotional stability. Individual variances are also influenced by the parent’s financial situation and the kids’ educational attainment. The offspring of two different income levels cannot be compared or treated equally (Wang et al., 2018). Other factors contributing to individual differences include hobbies, aptitudes, accomplishments, attitudes, demeanor, schooling, and family background.
Stress
People experience stress as a result of tension or danger. It typically occurs when they are in circumstances that they do not believe they have any control or management over. People can experience stress when juggling many responsibilities (Epel et al., 2018). A family can experience stress due to bereavement or financial problems. People also experience stress from discrimination based on ethnic, racial, and religious differences. Lately, the whole world has experienced stress caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. Other experiences that may cause stress include feeling under lots of pressure, facing huge transitions in your life such as a new job, moving to a new city or giving birth to a baby, being worried about something, not having enough work or activities in your work and going through a period of uncertainty (Epel et al., 2018).
Signs and Symptoms of Stress
Numerous factors, including people’s bodies, emotions, and behavior, can all be impacted by stress. Often, people can immediately identify when they are under stress. However, on other occasions, they might continue without noticing the warnings (Epel et al., 2018). Signs and symptoms of stress are primarily based on how people feel, their physical signs, and how they behave. When experiencing stress, people are likely to feel angry, worried, lonely, depressed, unhappy, overwhelmed, and afraid. Physical signs include panic attacks, difficulty breathing, high blood pressure, insomnia, dizziness, fatigue, constipation or diarrhea, sudden weight loss or weight gain, heartburn, and changes in the menstrual cycle. Behavior change is also likely (Epel et al., 2018). They start to eat more or eat less, have no interest in intimate activities, bite their fingernails, have a hard time making decisions or concentrating, crying most of the time, use recreational drugs more often than they used to and spend their money unnecessarily.
Stress Management
Sometimes it can be challenging to end stress because it comes with life’s responsibilities, but it is possible to manage the stress to avoid the long-term adverse effects. There are several tips for managing stress. One of them is looking after your well-being. The well-being of a person can be maintained by resting while feeling overwhelmed, involving in hobbies, spending time with nature, eating a balanced diet, having enough physical exercise, and getting enough sleep (Yu et al., 2018). Secondly, stress can be managed by having a solid support system of friends and family. People also have support groups at work or with people who face the same problems. Talking about daily challenges with others makes a person feel relieved.
Thirdly, people can manage their stress by identifying their triggers. Identifying the triggers will help a person prepare for them and find ways to avoid or manage them. They can also seek advice on how to deal with the triggers before they result in stress. Fourthly, time management helps manage stress by planning for things based on their urgency (Yu et al., 2018). It is less likely for a person to have last-minute pressure when they plan accordingly. Lastly, creating awareness about stress so that people can know the causes, signs, and symptoms and how to manage it will reduce the chances of stress leading to severe mental conditions such as depression, PTSD, and anxiety.
Conclusion
From research, different people handle different stressful situations differently. Nobody is the same as the other person, so stress experiences likely impact people differently. Children, for example, are said to have less stress because they have fewer things to worry about. Their main worries may be if they have finished their homework, if they have performed well in school or if they will get a particular gift during Christmas (Boogert et al., 2018). As they grow and become teenagers, they worry about being liked by the opposite sex, their dress, or if they will get to go to the university of their dreams. Once they become adults, their stress experiences differ. They face the big world without protection from their parents.
Based on how a person is raised, they are likely to worry and stress about certain things. Men are said to be providers and protectors. They often feel helpless if they cannot offer these things to their families. On the other hand, women have to stress about caring for their children if they get children and families in the first place (Boogert et al., 2018). You will likely face discrimination when you move to a new place due to education or work. Knowing how to deal with discrimination becomes a coping mechanism. Being financially stable and intelligent may worsen the situation compared to someone who does not have either. It is, therefore, clear that stress may be affected by individual differences.
References
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Thielmann, I., Spadaro, G., & Balliet, D. (2020). Personality and prosocial behavior: A theoretical framework and meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 146(1), 30. https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2019-77920-001?doi=1Wang, Z., de Dear, R., Luo, M., Lin, B., He, Y., Ghahramani, A., & Zhu, Y. (2018). Individual difference in thermal comfort: A literature review. Building and Environment, 138, 181-193. https://upgreengrade.ir/admin_panel/assets/images/books/42626217183.pdfYu, B., Funk, M., Hu, J., Wang, Q., & Feijs, L. (2018). Biofeedback for everyday stress management: A systematic review. Frontiers in ICT, 5, 23. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fict.2018.00023/full
