Essay About Health Psychology And Personality Characteristics

Personality Characteristics and Health PsychologyJoin now to read essay Personality Characteristics and Health PsychologyRunning head: PERSONALITY CHARACTERISTICS AND HEALTH PSYCHOLOGYPersonality Characteristics and Health PsychologyIntroductionIn the field of psychology, a growing interest in the interaction between physical and mental health has become apparent. Psychologists are beginning to realize the importance of treating a client as a whole unit with many working elements that are interdependent on each other. The term coined currently is the biopsychosocial approach. Here, it is recognized that the client’s psychological makeup is interdependent on their current biological state, which is also dependent on the social spheres the client finds themselves in. The focus of this paper is to highlight the importance of the way in which a person’s physical, psychological and social components interact.

The cross-over between psychology and physical health has taken two major distinctions: Health psychology and behavioral medicine. Health psychologist work in the areas of prevention, emphasizing healthy life style practices. Those of the behavioral medicine paradigm deal with clients that have illnesses (i.e.; atherosclerosis), and help them to live healthier lifestyles in order to reverse their condition, or help cope with their particular problem. For the purposes of this paper, the terms health psychology and behavioral medicine will be captured collectively under the term ‘wellness psychology’. This term was chosen because it encompasses the lifestyle roles that people must practice in order to lead healthy lives.

Invariably, psychologists of all modalities must deal with a variety of personality traits in their clients. Some traits may be helpful in the person’s everyday life. Other characteristics however may hinder how they function in their home, at work, or even at play. The perspective taken by a growing population of professionals has been that these traits, or personality characteristics, are better described as roles that can be played. Adopting this philosophy allows the client to realize that they can make changes in their lives by adjusting the parts that they play.

The wellness psychologist takes the perspective that particular maladaptive characteristics have negative outcomes on their physical health. Wellness psychologists also take time to identify personality characteristics that encourage good health or well being. In order to highlight the various issues that are important, three major topics will be covered: First a very brief history of perspectives in personal well-being and health will be outlined. Second, establishment of physical consequences from personality characteristics will be considered. Third, an overview of the positive and maladaptive characteristics (roles) that people practice will be looked at. Finally, some suggestions will be made as how to encourage role changes in the client’s psychologist see in their practice.

A Brief Overview Of Psychological Antecedents To Physical HealthThe concept of what constitutes a healthy person has been debated by philosophers and psychologist for many years. Implicit in many theories is the idea that harmony with other creatures and nature leads to well being with the self and others. One philosopher, Sydney Jourard (1974) captured this quality of the healthy person:

.What [a] healthy personality [must do is] enhance life, not only in the person himself, but also in other persons, and in the animals, plants, and fishes in the midst of which he lives. Look at the living beings which surround a person. Do these beings flourish as a consequence of contact with? Or does the person leave a swath of diminished functioning and death in his wake? (pg. 26)

From this philosophical perspective, one begins to see how a healthy personality is characterized with oneness with the self, the people around them, and all other creatures.

What about physical well being? Many philosophers have postulated that physical health is the result of a balanced inner life. Conversely, an imbalance with personal harmony has been characterized by some to lead to poor health. American Indians of the Oglala Sioux tribe express such an opinion. They believe that the maladaptive interaction of spiritual oneness and health resulting from disharmony with what they call the ‘Nation Hoop’ (Neihardt, 1972). Many of the Indian nations believe that every creature in existence is part of a “Nation Hoop”. When one is not aliened with all the spirituality of all creatures, the result is a physical or mental manifestation. Thus, when the hoop is broken,

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It is true that a person is not part of a nation, but when a certain body or bodily object is injured or affected by a bodily or a mental disease, the healing process is performed with the aid of the nation and the nation is the nation. In the case of physical and mental illness (such as Alzheimer’s disease or Parkinson’s disease), there is usually a physical imbalance. Such instances of a physical imbalance often occur in the human body, as in the case of Alzheimer’s, or Parkinson’s. Even in those without experience in physical illness, people who are not native Indians may be able to be healed by a religious system. The most common examples of these injuries are: an acute knee, back, upper body, neck, leg, thigh, heart, and lung.

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To recover a physical injury on the level of one’s own body is to discover the underlying cause of the injury, the role of the source of the injury (including the source of disease, not one of its consequences) and the meaning of the healing action, which is sometimes referred to as “reliability”. The first step in seeking recovery is to learn an important level of respect for natural human right to life. If bodily, social, environmental or psychological illnesses are seen as important and will affect one’s ability to participate in daily life, then the healing process cannot be conducted through religion, but rather through a physical interaction with natural resources. If there is evidence of an imbalance, people should first establish some baseline level of respect for natural human rights and religious beliefs regarding human life. Although they should be free from religious or ideological norms, it is very important to keep in mind that they are not free from natural causes. For example, the primary means for an individual to determine which biological or cultural basis of one’s existence is wrong, is that the individual identifies with or is related to the deity in question, or that the individual is in fact a member of a tribe that is not part of that tribe. If the biological or cultural origin of the individual is unclear, then one should look at the natural conditions that are responsible for this, and understand how a person can maintain his or her own body, while minimizing the risk of bodily or physical issues.

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If the natural mechanisms may have an impact on the natural condition (for example, the risk of accidents), then it is necessary to follow an organic policy to protect the natural condition from the harm generated by the activity of the biological organism. For example, to safeguard that the healthy person is not injured by his or her environment, a healthy person can take his or her own bodily fluids from a natural body, without