Develop a Unique Coping Plan Based on Personality

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Personality provides a general understanding of what people are like and what they will do in their environment. Each trait is complex and multifaceted, developing the building blocks of what makes a person unique. Moreover, personality traits can provide insight into how people respond and cope with distressing circumstances. Personality is a central component in coping behaviors, influencing precedent events before an experienced stressor, whether personally or professionally. 

The Big Five outlines the core personality types as neuroticism, extraversion, conscientiousness, agreeableness, and openness to experience. 

This free self-report inventory lets you take the Big Five personality test

Understanding your personality traits elucidates a deeper awareness of coping with distressing situations. 

For example, if your personality is prone to neuroticism, this means you are predisposed to experiencing interpersonal stress and viewing challenging situations as threatening. Avoidance dispositions, fear, withdrawal, and creating barriers are common coping behaviors for those leaning towards neuroticism. 

Moreover, neuroticism with low levels of conscientiousness tends to project high-stress exposure with threat appraisals. However, if you are low neuroticism with high levels of extraversion or conscientiousness, you project lower stress exposure with threat appraisals.

Extraversion, conscientiousness, and openness are personality traits that view occasions as tests rather than threats, taking on the challenge as a positive appraisal during coping behaviors. 

Extraverts respond highly to reward or objective-based situations, often projecting positive emotions with high energy that can be viewed as assertive and social. 

Conscientiousness is a personality trait often connected to low exposure to stress, as being a planner is a core characteristic trait. Predicting future stressors, utilizing proactive coping attempts, and avoiding impulsivity can influence overall well-being. Being prone to conscientiousness is often interconnected with organization, persistence, self-discipline, deliberation, and achievement, and it is easy to disengage from negative thought processes such as rumination.

Agreeableness is a personality trait connected to lower interpersonal conflict levels that can reduce social stress levels, have high levels of concern for other individuals, and have the ability to trust. This personality trait is excellent for bolstering social support. 

Openness personality traits include curiosity and looking for the next journey where creativity and imagination can flourish. Being flexible and adjusting to inner feelings while encouraging various perspectives and problem-solving skills are central. However, openness is prone to having unrealistic demands, disillusionment, and disengaging when disappointed. 

Overall, dispositions impact individuals' coping and are core in assessing sensitivity towards rewards, vigor, sociability, and assertiveness. Coping is intertwined with expected outcomes, often elucidating personality differences. These differences influence burnout dimensions that contribute to dysfunctional versus proactive coping behaviors, and being aware of these differences can help promote adaptive-based responses.