Health and temperament

Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients,  Feb-March, 2005  by Robert A. Anderson

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Temperament, an expression of innate biological endowment, provides a more global portrayal of an organism than an aggregate of separate characteristics alone. Of 172 students, irritable-demanding-moody temperament types had the greatest 30-year risk of premature disease and mortality; spontaneous-outgoing-active types had the least risk and cautious-reserved-quiet-undemanding types scored in the intermediate range (p<.01).

Betz BJ, Thomas CB. Individual temperament as a predictor of health or premature disease. Johns Hopkins Med J 1979 Mar; 144(3):81-9

COMMENT: Temperament appears to be a variable of predictive potential of individual stamina, or of vulnerability to premature disease and death. And indeed, it appears to be innate and present at birth (Chess S. Can J Psychiatry 1990; 35:557). Is it modifiable? I cannot cite controlled studies that answer yes or no to the question. My own experience says definitely yes. I have seen marked personal changes with proactive psychotherapies (e.g. Psychosynthesis, Transactional Analysis, Redecision Therapy), and with profound religious experiences.

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