Do you see issues in black and white or shades of gray? The way you handle conflict at work colors not only your feelings about your job, but also your health.
People who think in rigid, evaluative "absolutist" (AB) terms -- like perfectionists and control freaks -- are more susceptible to emotional and physical problems than those who are open-minded and flexible, or "non-absolutist," says Alistair Ostell, lecturer in psychology at the University of Bradford Management Center in England.
AB thinkers get upset if things don't go their way, which impedes their problem-solving and coping skills, he explains. This may translate into health complications such as insomnia, heart palpitations, chronic fatigue and high blood pressure. Also, says Ostell, "when people are angry, they increase secretion of the [stress] hormone cortisol, which tends to suppress the immune system, making them vulnerable to infection."
