This article provides a rationale for research on personality as a contributing factor in the development of physical disease. A brief history of major developments from the 1930s to the present is then provided. Special attention is given to shifts in conception regarding whether particular dispositions are related to specific physical disorders or whether these dispositions increase general illness susceptibility. The paper ends with a brief orientation to the other papers and commentaries in this special issue.
This analysis of drug use in family dyads draws upon data from a series of nationwide studies in which interviews were conducted separately with teenagers and with older members of their families, i.e., their mothers, fathers, and older siblings. The interview schedule for these studies examines each individual's personal experience with a broad range of psychoactive substances. Thus, to the extent that behavioral similarities do occur in family dyads, "same drug links" can be compared to "cross drug links," providing a basis for differentiating evidence of direct imitation from less specific patterns of behavioral similarity. The theoretical implications of these findings are discussed.
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