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Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences pp 1–8Cite as

Personality and Cardiovascular Illness

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Synonyms

Cardiovascular disease

Definition

The following entry describes the role of personality in the context of its relation to cardiovascular illness, or cardiovascular disease.

Introduction

The World Health Organization and the Global Burden of Disease Study identify cardiovascular diseases, including ischemic heart disease and stroke, as being among the top leading causes of death worldwide (Lozano et al. 2012). Given the high prevalence for cardiovascular illness and great need to understand its causes, for decades, researchers have been exploring the possible influence of personality dynamics on cardiovascular health. Many assert that the undercurrents of certain specific personality types, traits, and disorders are important predictors of cardiovascular health, while other research scientists have proposed that a reciprocal relationship exists between cardiovascular health and personality. Early research remained largely stalwart in terms of what personality features impact...

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Detroit Mercy, Detroit, MI, USA

    Mark P. Blanchard & Steven Abell

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  1. Mark P. Blanchard
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  2. Steven Abell
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Correspondence to Steven Abell .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Oakland University, Rochester, USA

    Virgil Zeigler-Hill

  2. Oakland University, Rochester, USA

    Todd K. Shackelford

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  1. Institute of Applied Psychology, Faculty of Managament and Social Communication, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland

    Anna Z. Czarna

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Blanchard, M.P., Abell, S. (2019). Personality and Cardiovascular Illness. In: Zeigler-Hill, V., Shackelford, T. (eds) Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28099-8_2105-1

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