[Myocardial infarct. (II). Personality pattern and experience]

Coronary disease of different degrees of severity, from short-term angina pectoris to the lethal infarction, is both a result and an expression of certain types of experiences and conflicts in people with a particular personality structure. These people are characterized by a strong drive toward and high degree of activity, by ambition and an aggressive stance. The situation in which coronary disease appears is marked by occupational stress and excessive demands, by lack of satisfaction, lack of success, and a drive toward social subordination; familial problems of the same kind and the loss of someone to whom a person has close ties can also have pathogenic effects. The explanation for the relationship between coronary morbidity and mortality in a social collective lies in particular personality structures and the specific conflict situation.