A cybernetic framework linking personality and other variables in understanding general health

Personality traits such as anxiety, self‐esteem and aggressive hostility are often thought to affect the stress that a person perceives or manifests. With data from 176 male executives, this study suggests that there are indirect and interacting relationships between personality and general health. This article proposes a cybernetic framework that links personality with other variables in understanding overall health. The framework specifies that personal characteristics (i.e. age), personality, and environment all play a role, each interacting systemically. The framework provides a basis for illustrating these interactions. For example, while type A personalities are more likely to get involved in more stressful situations, their negative health effects might depend on other variables, such as self‐esteem and years in the job. While personality features are important risk factors, they may not, by themselves, predict stress. Stress is the result of interacting variables including age, position, job level, the stress experience, and one's personality.