Stamina: the Thread of Human Life

Abstract

What human qualities contribute to future health? In the prospective Precursors Study, a cohort of medical students was measured and tested at a mean age of 23 and followed for up to 33 years. As subjects developed disease and/or died prematurely, youthful psychological profiles characterizing several major disorder groups were distinctive. Whereas physicians in midlife who had remained in good health had had youthful profiles suggesting self-esteem, a warm relationship with parents, an open, flexible approach to life, minimal nervous tension under stress, and a lack of morbid psychodynamic undertones in response to the Rorschach test, subjects in the mental, cardiovascular and neoplasm groups showed different psychological patterns. One of the most striking findings was that the Family Attitude Questionnaire showed that the cancer and mental disorder groups were similar in their lack of closeness to parents, in contrast to the cardiovascular and healthy groups. The kaleidoscope model is proposed.

Promoting Mental Health in Zululand, South Africa

“…such as sense of coherence (Antonovsky, 1987(Antonovsky, , 1993, hardiness (Kobasa, 1979), potency (Ben-Sira, 1985), stamina (Thomas, 1981;Colerick, l985), learnt resourcefulness (Rosenbaum, 1988) and mental health (Du Toit et al, 1998), which is seen as only one aspect of physical, mental and social well-being (Swartz, 1998). I Building of strength and competence through resolution of situational and developmental crises (Strumpher, 1990;Lewis & Lewis, 1989).…”