Review article
Conceptual and Methodological Problems in the Research Examining the Relations between Personality and Physical Health
Igor KARDUM
orcid.org/0000-0002-8778-2740
; Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Rijeka
Jasna HUDEK-KNEŽEVIĆ
; Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Rijeka
Abstract
Four most important groups of conceptual and methodological
problems in the research examining the relationship between
personality and physical health are described in this article. The
first one refers to the defining and comprehending of physical
illnesses, i.e. their specificity, different levels of diagnostic
precision and various phases of illness development. The second
group refers to the definition and conceptualization of
personality. The most important conceptual problems encompass
the definition of various personality constructs, lack of attention
concerning the personality organization as well as inadequate
differentiation of different hierarchical levels of personality. The
emphasized methodological problems are those related to the
validity of personality assessment and the relations of personality
and situational factors. Furthermore, the problems of the
approach focused on personality traits and problems related to
the five-factor personality model were described and the ways for
improving personality conceptualizations and measuring were
proposed. The third group of problems refers to the definition
and conceptualization of various contextual factors, as e.g. socio-
-cultural, interpersonal, situational and temporal contexts. The
fourth group of problems is related to the testing of the relations
between personality and physical health, and comprises the
difficulties associated with the use of adequate research designs
and adequate evaluation of the causal state of personality traits
in relation to health outcomes.
Keywords
personality; physical health; methodological problems
Hrčak ID:
37042
URI
Publication date:
30.4.2009.
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