Abstract
Recall from Chap. 2 that the manner in which an individual chooses to perceive and interpret his or her environment (cognitive interpretation) serves as the single most important determinant of whether the stress response will be elicited in response to a psychosocial stressor. We may then argue that the consistent manner in which an individual perceives and interprets the environment, in addition to the aggregation of consistent attitudes, values, and behavior patterns, serves as an operational definition of the construct of “personality.” If we accept such a proposition, it becomes reasonable to assume that there may well exist individuals whose consistent personality traits, including cognitive interpretations regarding their environment, may predispose them to excessive elicitation of the stress response and, therefore, increased risk of stress-related disease. Such personality-based predispositions for stress may exist in the form of personologic diatheses, such as cognitive distortions, persistent irrational expectations, “ego” vulnerabilities, and/or consistent stress-producing overt behavior patterns.
Where malignant disease is concerned it may be more important to understand what kind of patient has the disease rather than what kind of disease the patient has.
Sir William Osler, M.D.
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Everly, G.S., Lating, J.M. (2013). Personologic Diathesis and Human Stress. In: A Clinical Guide to the Treatment of the Human Stress Response. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-5538-7_6
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