摘要：Clinical psychologists and psychiatrists have always
wondered why some individuals are resilient, whereas
others are more susceptible to a given disease, and why
some individuals cope better than others with disease
progression. This issue dates as long as in the time
of the Greek theory of health and individual differences
based on the four humors: choleric (excitable),
sanguine (lively), phlegmatic (quiet), and melancholic
(inhibited). Personality characteristics in humans
have a significant heritable component and a
proximate basis in genetic polymorphisms and associated
neurobiological determinants; they are presumably
correlated predictors of important life outcomes
such as physical and mental health as well as social
and reproductive functioning [1]. For example, the
role of personality in cardiovascular diseases came
to prominence about 50 years ago with the concept
of type A behaviour (a mix of hostility, impatience,
competitiveness and dominance), found to be a robust
predictor of coronary heart disease [2]. Important
research effort is also dedicated to the characterization
and early detection of inhibited and uninhibited
personality profiles in children to search for predictors
and predispositions of anxiety and personality disorders
[3, 4]. Individual and population differences
have received renewed interest in the Unites States,
reflected in the National Institutes of Health promotion
of research on “Health Disparities” among social
and ethnic groups.
