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Related Experiment Videos

Explanatory style and illness.

C Peterson, M E Seligman

    Journal of Personality
    |June 1, 1987
    PubMed
    Summary
    This summary is machine-generated.

    Pessimistic explanatory style, characterized by internal, stable, and global attributions for negative events, is linked to increased illness risk. This cognitive style may foreshadow disease and mortality, though the exact mechanisms remain unclear.

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    Area of Science:

    • Psychology
    • Health Psychology
    • Behavioral Medicine

    Background:

    • Explanatory style, an individual difference, shapes responses to adverse events.
    • A pessimistic explanatory style is hypothesized to increase illness likelihood.
    • Research suggests a link between attributional style and health outcomes.

    Purpose of the Study:

    • To explore the association between a pessimistic explanatory style and the risk of developing illness.
    • To review evidence linking specific explanatory styles to morbidity and mortality.

    Main Methods:

    • Review of existing studies examining explanatory style and health outcomes.
    • Analysis of correlations between internal, stable, and global attributions and health risks.

    Related Experiment Videos

    Main Results:

    • Individuals with a pessimistic explanatory style exhibit increased risk for morbidity and mortality.
    • Internal, stable, and global explanations for negative events are associated with poorer health outcomes.

    Conclusions:

    • Pessimism, passivity, and low morale may serve as precursors to disease and death.
    • The precise biological or psychological pathways linking explanatory style to illness require further investigation.