Konceptualni i metodološki problemi u ispitivanjima odnosa ličnosti i tjelesnog zdravlja
Conceptual and Methodological Problems in the Research Examining the Relations between Personality and Physical Health

Summary/Abstract: Four most important groups of conceptual and methodological problems in the research examining the relationship between personality and physical health are described in this article. The first one refers to the defining and comprehending of physical illnesses, i.e. their specificity, different levels of diagnostic precision and various phases of illness development. The second group refers to the definition and conceptualization of personality. The most important conceptual problems encompass the definition of various personality constructs, lack of attention concerning the personality organization as well as inadequate differentiation of different hierarchical levels of personality. The emphasized methodological problems are those related to the validity of personality assessment and the relations of personality and situational factors. Furthermore, the problems of the approach focused on personality traits and problems related to the five-factor personality model were described and the ways for improving personality conceptualizations and measuring were proposed. The third group of problems refers to the definition and conceptualization of various contextual factors, as e.g. socio- -cultural, interpersonal, situational and temporal contexts. The fourth group of problems is related to the testing of the relations between personality and physical health, and comprises the difficulties associated with the use of adequate research designs and adequate evaluation of the causal state of personality traits in relation to health outcomes.

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