• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.261-267
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• 2013

The purpose of this study was to examine the psychometric structure of Sasang typology with four personality measures and examine the construct validity of Sasang Personality Questionnaire (SPQ). We measured biopsychological traits of 104 university students using SPQ, Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI), NEO-Personality Inventory (NEO-PI) and Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). The construct validity of SPQ was analyzed with TCI, NEO-PI and MBTI using Pearson's correlation. The temperament features of each Sasang groups were compared with Analysis of Variance and Profile Analysis. The SPQ showed significant correlation with TCI Novelty-Seeking (r=.398), TCI Harm-Avoidance (r=-.333), TCI Reward-Dependence (r=.465), TCI Self-Directedness (r=0.340), NEO-PI Extraversion (r=0.489) and MBTI Extraversion-Introversion (r=-0.509). The SPQ, TCI and NEO-PI revealed significant differences between Sasang constitutional groups. We examined the temperament construct of the Sasang typology and the validity of SPQ with well established western biopsychosocial instruments. This study would contribute to the objective studies on the biopsychosocial mechanism of Sasang medicine.

• Journal of Sasang Constitutional Medicine
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.34-47
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• 2019

Introduction Cloninger's Novelty-Seeking (NS) and Harm-Avoidance (HA) were found to be the biopsychological characteristic of Sasang typology, and the So-Yang type has high NS and low HA however the So-Eum type as contrary. The purpose of this study was to show the clinical usefulness of these measures as objective clinical index of Sasang typology in foreign countries lacking validated measures. Methods The Sasang type of 103 university students was diagnosed using Questionnaire for Sasang Constitution Classification (QSCC) II and clinical specialist, and biopsychological and physical features with NS, HA, Sasang Personality Questionnaire (SPQ) and BMI. These measures were normalized to make a noble index of 'NS(100-HA)', and the correlation among these were examined with Pearson's correlation. The differences of biopsychological and physical features between Sasang type groups were attested with ANCOVA, and the comparison of clinical usefulness of SPQ and NS(100-HA) were examined with discriminant analysis. Results SPQ and BMI were clinically useful for Sasang typology as shown in previous studies, and the substitution of SPQ with normalized NS(100-HA) was found acceptable. The NS(100-HA) is significantly correlated with SPQ (r=0.466, p<0.01), however not with BMI (r=0.079, ns). The SPQ and NS(100-HA) scores were found to be distinctive between Sasang type groups, and these were found to predict Sasang type of participants with similar correctness. Discussion and Conclusion The current study reviewed the theoretical backgrounds and confirmed the clinical usefulness of Cloninger's biopsychological theory in Sasang typology. These might provide foundations for integrative medicine and cross-cultural biopsychology of the East and West.

• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.167-184
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• 2021

Objectives: Operational definition and its validated measure of traditional Korean medicine (TKM) are pivotal for research studies and reliable clinics. There have been ten years of clinical studies on Eum-Yang (Yin-Yang) and Sasang typology using Sasang Personality Questionnaire (SPQ) of integrative biopsychology. The objective of this study was to perform a systematic review on the use of SPQ to provide insights and foundation for its further studies and clinical application. Methods: Clinical studies on SPQ were searched using five domestic and foreign research databases. Attained research articles were then subjected to predefined systematic reviews. Demographic characteristics of participants and research topics of articles were described. Psychological and physical features of SPQ and its subscales were reviewed and compiled to reveal biopsychological characteristics. Results: There were 33 articles with 15,085 participants on Eum-Yang (n=19) and Sasang typology (n=14). The SPQ-total score was in an increasing order of So-Eum, Tae-Eum, and So-Yang. Eum-Yang groups were categorized at a 3:4:3 ratio using %ile score of SPQ-total. The SPQ-total showed a significant positive correlation with Novelty-Seeking and a negative correlation with Harm-Avoidance in psychological perspective, while it was not significantly correlated with Body Mass Index or Ponderal Index in physical perspective. The SPQ-total and subscales explained psychopathological characteristics of stress recognition, negative emotion, problem behavior, and depression. Conclusions: The SPQ was found to be an objective biopsychological measure of TKM for Sasang typology and psychopathology. It would provide foundation for 'Korean Psychology' and multidisciplinary studies.