Personality, job level, job stressors, and their interaction as predictorsof coping behavior

Hypotheses concerning the relationships among job stressors, job level, per sonality, and coping responses were investigated in a sample of 305 electri cal contracting employees. Coping behaviors were measured with questionnair e items based on interviews conducted with a sample of the subjects. Neurot icism (N) and Extraversion if were the personality variables most strongly related to coping behavior. Overall, more coping variance was explained by personality than by job stressors; however, when the effects of job level a nd job stressors were combined, they explained more variance in complaining /quitting and seeking social support than did the personality variables. Bo th work situation and personality seem to be important variables in the cho ice of coping behaviors. There was no evidence of interactions among person ality, stressors, and job level in explaining coping behavior.