ABSTRACT
The contribution of personality characteristics to the development and course of physical illness is a central topic within both personality science and health psychology. In the former, evidence that personality traits predict longevity and other important health outcomes has done much to answer long-standing criticism that personality concepts and measures have limited utility (Mischel, 1968), and in this way it has contributed to the resurgence in personality psychology in recent decades (Roberts, Kuncel, Shiner, Caspi, & Goldberg, 2007). Within the latter, the hypothesis that stable individual differences in cognition, emotion, and behavior infl uence the pathophysiology of disease has been a cornerstone of the fi eld since its inception (Cohen, 1980). Research on the association between personality and health has steadily matured, with mounting evidence of robust associations from methodologically sophisticated studies. This evidence has the potential to guide the development of risk-reducing interventions. However, unanswered questions, limitations in this research, and continuing controversies fuel both skepticism and the need for continuing improvements in methodological rigor. If insuffi ciently addressed, such limitations could ultimately limit the applied value of this work.
