eCAM Advance Access first published online on April 20, 2009
This version published online on November 17, 2009
eCAM, doi:10.1093/ecam/nep034
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Temperament and Character Profiles of Sasang Typology in an Adult Clinical Sample
1Department of Occupational Therapy, College of Health Sciences, Yonsei University, Wonju, South Korea, 2Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine, Daejeon, South Korea, 3Department of Psychology, Yonsei University, Seoul, South Korea and 4Division of Longevity and Biofunctional Medicine, School of Korean Medicine, Pusan National University, Yangsan, South Korea
The purpose of this study was to examine the biopsychological personality profiles of traditional Korean Sasang typology based on the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) in a Korean adult clinical sample. A total of 97 adults completed the Korean version of the TCI. The participants were classified as one of three traditional Korean Sasang types (31 So-Yang, 41 Tae-Eum, 25 So-Eum) by three specialists in Sasang typology. The seven dimensions of TCI were compared between the different Sasang types using analysis of variance (ANOVA) and profile analysis. There were no significant differences in age, gender and education across the Sasang types. The TCI profile for each of the Sasang types was significantly different (profile analysis, df = 5.038, F = 3.546, P = 0.004). There were significant differences in the temperament dimensions of Novelty Seeking (F = 3.43, P = 0.036) and Harm Avoidance (F = 5.43, P = 0.006) among the Sasang types. The Novelty Seeking score of the So-Yang type (31.90 ± 9.87) was higher than that of the So-Eum type (25.24 ± 9.21; P = 0.019) while the So-Eum type (44.64 ± 8.47) scored higher on the Harm Avoidance score compared to the So-Yang type (35.16 ± 11.50; P = 0.003). There were no significant differences in the temperament dimension of Reward Dependence and Persistence, and the three character dimensions of Self-Directedness, Cooperativeness and Self-Transcendence. Results demonstrated distinct temperament traits associated with traditional Korean Sasang types using an objective biopsychological personality inventory. With further study, the Sasang typology may lead to enhanced clinical safety and efficacy as part of personalized medicine with traditional medicine.
Keywords: biopsychological trait – personalized medicine – Sasang typology – Temperament and Character Inventory
For reprints and all correspondence: Han Chae, Division of Longevity and Biofunctional Medicine, School of Korean Medicine, Pusan National University, Mulgeum, Yangsan, Kyungnam, 626-770 South Korea. Tel/Fax: +82-51-510-8470; E-mail: han{at}chaelab.org
*These authors contributed equally to this work.
This article was presented at the 2nd Asian Cognitive Behavior Therapy Conference, October 20–21, 2008, Bangkok, Thailand.
Dr Han Chae's affiliation address has been amended in this version
Received November 14, 2008; accepted March 12, 2009