根据Hans Eysenck(1967)的人格理论，神经质与对压力或厌恶刺激的耐忍度低有关，是一种经典的气质特征，神经质得分高的人情绪反应强烈，容易受到压力的影响。例如，神经质与悲观的工作态度有关，与工作压力带来的更高程度的焦虑有关。情绪调节方面的问题会削弱一个神经质程度高的人在“清晰思考、做决定和有效应对压力”方面的能力(Jeronimus et al., 2014; Jeronimus et al., 2013)。请注意，神经质与弗洛伊德所说的神经质(即神经症)相似但不完全相同。一些心理学家更喜欢把神经质称为情绪不稳定，以区别于职业测试中的神经质。神经质人格根据大五人格结构的示例：
我很容易紧张。
我担心一些事情。
我很容易被打扰。
我很容易心烦。
我的情绪变化很大。
我的情绪经常不稳定。
我很容易生气。
我经常感到忧郁。
我大部分时间都很放松。(逆转为积极情绪时)
我很少感到忧郁。(逆转为积极情绪时)
生活压力的不断变化或积累是否会改变人格变量?具有某些人格特征的人是否就经历更多的压力源并承受更大的压力吗?性格，反映了对特质相关挑战反应的大小或可能性的差异，可以影响一个人的生活经历；同样，生活经历可以塑造一个人的性格(Caspi et al.，2005)。生活经历的影响不能与人格独立看待(Magnus et al., 1993)，部分原因是遗传影响(Clarke et al.， 2018)。个体差异可能会改变个体所暴露的压力的数量和内容，反之也可能会改变个体对其周围环境、关系和行为的看法(Jeronimus et al., 2014)。
压力互动主义模型假设了一个人的反应和压力情境之间的双向关系，这个模型的现代发展区分了应激原因(应激，如生活事件，可能会导致个体人格特征的改变，进而影响他们对压力事件的反应)和压力选择(一个或多个个体人格特征可能会增加生活事件的压力程度)(Conger & Donnellan, 2007)。使生活产生变化的主要的生活事件，是指发生在个人控制范围之外的压力源，如亲人去世、医疗疾病、离婚、车祸或被解雇等(Bender et al., 2010)。情景性生活事件，如人际冲突或几种形式的工作伤害(如破坏、翻白眼和当面或背后的评论)，如果这些难以解决且持续时间较长，这样的长期适应可能变成慢性压力而影响身心健康(Cheng & Li, 2010; Hampel et al., 2009; Wilson et al., 2011)。 甚至，偶发性的生活事件对心理和生理健康都是有影响的挑战。
随着对压力相关疾病的风险因素的研究越来越多，人们对神经质在压力应对中的角色越来越感兴趣(Hettema et al., 2004)。神经质被认为是一种特别重要的人格构造，因为它与增加的生活压力和消极的生活结果有关(Jeronimus et al., 2015)，是一种经过充分研究的全球性人格特征，它促进了对压力源(包括环境威胁和挑战)反应的一致性(McCrae & Costa, 1997; Plomin, 1994)。神经质程度高的个体对压力情境的反应更强烈(Bolger & Schilling, 1991; Bolger & Zuckerman, 1995)，而较少具备能够帮助保护他们免受慢性压力的负面健康影响的应对技能(Gunthert et al., 1999)。如工作压力，会对神经质得分高的人产生比那些得分低的人更强烈的影响(Suls & Martin, 2005)。神经质因素，被认为是参与对压力源反应的最显著的人格变量(Lahey, 2009; Tyssen et al., 2007)。高水平的神经质可以预测躯体症状(Watson & Pennebaker, 1989)、焦虑症状(Clark et al., 1994)、抑郁症状(Widiger et al., 1999)、愤怒和攻击性(Martin et al., 2000)、饮食失调(Hollin et al., 1985)和人际冲突(Bolger & Zuckerman, 1995)。有时候，不要低估轻微的争吵和压力与一些负面的结果的相关影响，可能比主要的压力更大（如亲人的死亡或失业）(Chamberlain & Zika, 1990)。高度神经质的人更有可能经历低质量的友谊、社会生活、浪漫和家庭关系，并不一定会增加一个人经历环境不稳定或长期财务或健康问题的可能性(Metts et al., 2021), 即高度神经质预示着较低的社会支持(Kendler et al., 2002)、较低的关系满意度(O’meara & South, 2019)和较差的婚姻质量(bareds, 2005)。
帮助神经质水平较高的人管理他们的威胁感知和提高感知的有效性 (Liu et al., 2021)，应用压力管理技术(如认知重组、解决问题、自我指导)可以有效改变威胁感和自我效能感，最终降低压力感(Bíró et al., 2017; Gaab et al., 2003)。正念和认知行为疗法，可以针对升高的神经质(Armstrong & Rimes, 2016; Sauer-Zavala et al., 2020)，这可能会减少进一步暴露于慢性人际压力或依赖的非人际压力生活事件，如人际压力：角色域(a)亲密友谊(b)社会生活(c)浪漫关系(d)家庭关系；而(e)邻里/宿舍环境(f)学习成绩(g)工作环境(h)经济状况(h)(一)个人健康和(j)家庭成员健康被认为与人际关系无关(Metts et al., 2021)。此外，平静是一种可以学习或获得的性格力量，而神经质是一种更容易稳定和难以改变的性格特征。研究表明，具有高神经质特征的个体容易经历高感知压力水平，但高平静水平可能会缓冲抑郁症状的发展 (Wongpakaran et al., 2021)。
人格被定义为一种或多或少稳定的、持久的思想、情感和行为模式(Ryckman, 2004)。人格理论主要被五因素模型所主导(McCrae & Costa, 1990)，该模型确定了五个领域层面的因素，即:神经质或情绪不稳定、外向性、尽责性、开放性和亲和性。大五人格特征是对人格特征的一种分类或分组，自20世纪80年代心理学特质理论发展起来。主要是指：
对经验的开放性(创造性/好奇vs.一致/谨慎)
责任心(高效/有组织vs.奢侈/粗心)
外向性(外向/精力充沛vs.孤独/内向)
亲和性(友好/富有同情心vs.挑剔/理性)
神经质(敏感/紧张vs.弹性/自信)
这五个因素的标签可以用首字母缩写“OCEAN”或“CANOE”来记住(Roccas et al., 2002)。
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