The Yin-Yang personality from biopsychological perspective using revised Sasang Personality Questionnaire

Abstract

Background The biopsychological, pathological and physical characteristics of Yin-Yang (Eum-Yang in Korean) have been suggested using Sasang Personality Questionnaire (SPQ), however, the revision of SPQ is required for escalating its clinical use and multidimensional study on Yin-Yang. Methods 274 university students were recruited to complete the SPQ, candidate items of revised SPQ (rSPQ) along with the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI). After selecting rSPQ items using Item Analysis and Explorative Factor Analysis, its psychometric property was examined using Confirmatory Factor Analysis, Pearson’s correlation and t -test. The biopsychological features of Yin and Yang personality groups based on rSPQ total score were illustrated with the TCI using ANOVA and Profile Analysis. Results The behavior, cognition and emotion subscales of 15-item rSPQ had robust psychometric construct and showed distinctive psychological characteristics of Yin-Yang. The rSPQ-total score was correlated positively with SPQ-total (r = 0.644, p < 0.01) and TCI Novelty-Seeking (r = 0.398, p < 0.01), and negatively with TCI Harm-Avoidance (r = −0.364, p < 0.01). And, the Yin personality group (34.45 ± 10.36 and 46.82 ± 12.27) has significantly different scores in Novelty-Seeking and Harm-Avoidance compared to Yang personality group (43.2 ± 9.1 and 36.53 ± 10.78). Yin and Yang personality groups showed distinctive TCI subscale profiles as shown in previous studies. Conclusion The current study showed the organized subscale structure and clinical validity of rSPQ for Yin-Yang personality, and it would provide foundation for East-West cross-cultural psychology and integrative medicine.

Urinary Function of the Sasang Type and Cold‐Heat Subgroup Using the Sasang Urination Inventory in Korean Hospital Patients

“…Third, the SUI-HSS was found to be useful in quantitatively presenting the clinical differences between the Cold-Heat subgroup. The Heat subgroup of the Tae-Eum type has significantly ( F = 5.421) high SUI-HSS score showing hypersensitivity than the Cold subgroup ( Table 7 and Supplementary Table 1 ), and this might be used clinically for pattern identification of the Cold-Heat subgroup in combination with previous findings [ 23 ] that the Heat subgroup has high score in SDFI-Digestion subscale ( F = 4.123) of activated digestive function [ 10 , 20 ], BMI ( F = 21.907) of bodily obesity, and SPQ-Cognition subscale ( F = 4.219) of proactive, and sociable and flexible cognitive style [ 7 , 8 ].…”

“…However, the Cold-Heat subgroup of the Sasang typology denotes intrinsic and sustained biopsychological and pathophysiological predispositions, and previous studies showed that actual body temperature [ 39 ], BMI [ 23 , 40 , 41 ], and activated digestive function [ 39 , 41 , 42 ] and biopsychological activity [ 8 , 23 ] might be the representative clinical measure. The BMI was suggested as the most important clinical feature for both Cold-Heat and Deficiency-Excess pattern identification by clinicians [ 35 ], and the pathological problem of urination (SUI) in the current study [ 22 ] was suggested to be related to the Pediatric Weak Scale-GN subscale representing Blood Heat pattern [ 24 ].…”

“…Previous studies on the Sasang typology showed the biopsychological characteristics [ 5 , 6 ] that the So-Yang type has high Sasang Personality Questionnaire (SPQ) [ 7 , 8 ] total score, high NEO-Personality Inventory Extraversion score, high Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) Novelty-Seeking, and low TCI Harm-Avoidance score, while the So-Eum type is on the contrary.…”

A multicenter registry of neuropsychiatric outpatients in Korean medicine hospitals (KMental): Protocol of a prospective, multicenter, registry study

“…Recently, a research team developed and validated the sasang personality questionnaire, which focused on the yin-yang personality among various characteristics of the Sasang typology and measured cognitive, emotional, and behavioral aspects. [ 50 ] The team investigated correlations between the sasang personality questionnaire results and personality traits devised by Cloninger et al [ 51 , 52 ] We will analyze each percentile score for the 3 domains (cognition, emotionality, and behavior).…”