Personality and Physical Health, 3A

Question 1

What are the 4 pathways between personality and health determined by Matthews et al., 2009?

Answer 1

Direct causation
Correlational rather than causal link
Causal Chain
Somatogenic

Question 2

What is the direct causation pathway?

Answer 2

Where there is a direct biological link between personality and health. Activation of biological mechanisms that may cause changes in health.

Question 3

What is the correlational rather than causal link pathway?

Answer 3

Whilst we may see an association between a personality trait and a health outcome, it might be that the personality trait itself isn’t causing this, but another fundamental factor that’s causing the personality trait to develop and the health outcome to occur.

Question 4

What is the causal chain pathway?

Answer 4

We know that personality traits are linked with particular behavioural patterns and some of these patterns might be relevant to our health.

Question 5

What is the somatogenic pathway?

Answer 5

Rather than personality traits causing changes to our health, it might be that our health causes changes in our personality.