Professional Documents
Culture Documents
ISSN: 1130-5274
clin-salud@cop.es
Colegio Oficial de Psicólogos de Madrid
España
ARTICULOS
La personalidad resistente: Una
revisión de la conceptualización e
investigación sobre la dureza
The hardy personality: a review of
hardiness conceptualization
and research
D. GODOY-IZQUIERDO 1
J. F. GODOY 1
RESUMEN
dad de Granada.
Dirigir la correspondencia a Débora Godoy-Izquierdo. Depto. de Personalidad, Evaluación y Trata-
miento Psicológico. Facultad de Psicología. Universidad de Granada. Campus Universitario de Cartu-
ja. C.P. 18071. Granada, España. E-mail: deborag@ugr.es
Este trabajo ha sido financiado en parte con la ayuda de la Junta de Andalucía al grupo de investiga-
ción “Medicina Conductual/Psicología de la Salud” (CTS-0267). Los autores agradecen a los revisores
anónimos de la revista sus comentarios y sugerencias para la mejora de la versión final de este trabajo.
ABSTRACT
PALABRAS CLAVE
KEY WORDS
INTRODUCCIÓN LA PERSONALIDAD
RESISTENTE
Una vez demostrado el papel
del estrés como factor mediador El modelo de la Personalidad
en la predisposición, precipitación Resistente
o exacerbación de la enfermedad,
los investigadores en el campo de El constructo de la dureza, resis-
la sa lud c omenzaron a busca r tencia o personalidad resistente, fue
características biopsicosociales propuesto por Kobasa, Maddi y su
que pudieran, a su vez, moderar grupo de colaboradores a finales de
esta re lación actu ando como la década de 1970 y principios de la
recursos de protección o resisten- siguiente (Kobasa, 1977, 1979a,
cia ante el mismo. 1979b, 1982a; Kobasa et al., 1979;
Kobasa et al., 1981; Kobasa, Maddi
U n con si der abl e nú mero de y Kahn, 1982; Kobasa, Maddi y Puc-
variables, de naturaleza muy dis- cetti, 1982; Maddi y Kobasa, 1981,
tinta, que actúan eficazmente en 1984; Ouellette-Kobasa y Puccetti,
la protección y promoción de la 1983) para explicar los resultados de
salud, aún en circunstancias de diversas investigaciones en el marco
estrés, han sido planteadas en la de la salud, el estrés y la enferme-
literatura, entre ellas constru c t o s dad, incluidas las desarrolladas por
de personalidad. Entre éstos se ellos mismos, en las que algunas
encuentra la dureza o hardiness (o personas sufrían alteraciones en su
personalidad resistente o h a rd y estado de salud, tanto a nivel físico
personality) (Kobasa, 1977, 1979a, como psicológico, bajo condiciones
1979b, 1982a; Kobasa, Hilker y de alto estrés mientras otras, some-
Maddi, 1979; Kobasa, Maddi y tidas a las mismas circunstancias,
Courington, 1981; Kobasa, Maddi permanecían sanas.
y Kahn, 1982). En este trabajo
queremos hacer una revisión de la Este constructo surgió de la inte-
conceptualización teórica e inves- gración de varios conceptos teóri-
ti gac ión re al izada sob re es te cos y empíricos básicamente deriva-
c o n s t ructo de personalidad que dos de la Psicología Existencial y las
se ha mostrado como un factor de teorías existencialistas de la perso-
protección de la salud en esas cir- nalidad (Maddi, 1975; Kobasa y
cunstancias de estrés re l a c i o n a- Maddi, 1977) y las teorías psicoso-
das con la aparición y/o evolución ciales sobre el estrés más actuales
de enfermedad. en aquel momento, fundamental-
mente los modelos sobre el estrés (y
la enfermedad) de Antonovsky
(1974, 1979), Averill (1973), Selye
ciones que se tienen de los estímu- mática se han llevado a cabo estu-
los estresantes, haciéndolos, cog- dios de tipo prospectivo (p.e.
nitivamente, menos estresantes, es Banks y Gannon, 1988; Wi e b e ,
decir, menos carentes de significa- 1991), encontrando que, en conso-
do, indeseables y arro l l a d o re s nancia con la hipótesis de Kobasa
(Kobasa, 1979b; Kobasa, Maddi y y sus colaboradores, los individuos
Kahn, 1982). La respue sta de más resistentes hacen interpreta-
estrés queda así reducida, y, en ciones más positivas y menos ame-
consecuencia, la enfermedad aso- nazantes de los estre s o res y, en
ciada. Diversos estudios se han consonancia, muestran respuestas
centrado en el estilo de procesa- afectivas y psicofisiológicas menos
miento de la información de indivi- negativas y disfuncionales, así
duos con altos niveles de dureza, como un nivel mayor de esfuerzo y
encontrándose que estas personas perseverancia y tolerancia a la frus-
tienden a percibir los estímulos tración (p.e. Wiebe, 1991). Parece
estresantes como más positivos y que los responsables de este estilo
controlables que las personas con cognitivo especial son, más con-
bajos niveles de dureza (p.e. Rho- c retamente, los componentes de
dewalt y Agustsdottir, 1984; Wiebe, c o m p romiso y control (Wi e b e ,
1988; Allred y Smith, 1989; Rhode- 1991; Florian, Mikulincer y Ta u b-
walt y Zone, 1989; Roth, Wi e b e , man, 1995).
Fillingim y Shay, 1989; Pagana,
1990; Clark y Hartman, 1996; Nat- 2 ) La personalidad re s i s t e n t e
hawat y Joshi, 1997). Sin embargo, induce a un determinado estilo de
el apoyo experimental a esta hipó- a f rontamiento (Kobasa, Maddi y
tesis proviene, sobre todo, de estu- Kahn, 1982), llamado afrontamien -
dios de tipo retrospectivo, de forma to transform a c i o n a l ( K o b a s a ,
que se hace problemática la inter- 1979a, 1982b; Gentry y Kobasa,
pretación de la direccionalidad de 1984; Maddi y Kobasa, 1984). Una
los resultados. Dado que los indivi- vez que el estímulo estresante ha
duos recuerdan los acontecimien- sido interpretado por la persona
tos una vez que éstos se han pro- como tal, las características de la
ducido, resulta imposible determi- personalidad resistente pueden
nar si realmente es la personalidad moderar sus efectos sobre el orga-
resistente la que altera la percep- nismo facilitando la pue sta en
ción de los acontecimientos, o si el marcha de estrategias de afronta-
estrés producido por éstos hace miento efectivas, competentes y
que el individuo parezca menos adaptativas e inhibiendo el uso de
resistente (Wiebe, 1991; Funk, estrategias poco funcionales (Orr y
1992). Para solucionar esta proble- Westman, 1990; Williams, Wiebe y
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