ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION

PART 1

Health Locus of Control
Psychosomaticism
Psychosomaticism and Psychoimmunology
HLC and Psychosomaticism

PART 2

Health Reality Models
The (Cultural) Etiology of Illness
Mode of Acculturation
Well-Being and Mode of Acculturation
Mode of Acculturation and HLC

METHODS

Participants
Materials
Design
Procedure

RESULTS

DISCUSSION

Discussion of Results
Confluence Approach
Cultural Competence
Creativity Amidst Disillusionment
Stress in the 90's
Regaining Control
When Externality is Better
Future Studies

REFERENCES

APPENDIXES

Appendix A Appendix B Appendix C

SPECIAL THANKS

Discussion

For simplicity's sake, I have separated the influence of HLC on the psychosomatic response from my study of Mode of Acculturation on HLC strategy adopted. But an individual's health is likely to be resultant from a confluence of these (among other) variables. Bates and Rankin-Hill (1995), found cultural origin and LOC were linked: some cultures were more likely to espouse an internal LOC. They discovered an internal LOC was associated with lower pain intensity in their study of this relationship, except among the Polish and Old American groups. Apparently another factor moderated the perception of pain for these groups. An interaction between culture, belief, and health is apparent from these findings. In addition, factors such as pathogenic evolution, occupational stressors, SES, gender, age, etc., are likely to enter into health.