Personality as an Indicator of ‘Goodness of Fit’ Between the Elderly Individual and the Health Service System

ABSTRACT

An individual's personality style affects the way s/he engages help and receives services. This paper presents the notion of ‘goodness of fit’ as it applies to the interaction between personality traits of the individual and those traits endorsed by the system providing care. While personality traits have been shown to be robust and enduring throughout life, they have been underidentified and underutilized in planning for the elderly individual requiring health care services. Changes in contexts and tasks that occur during old age are presented as contributing to whether die individual is diagnosed with a Personality Disorder or as having a personality style. ‘Styles’ may become ‘disorders’ when what the individual needs to be changes and where s/he needs to do it changes. It is suggested that consideration of personality be included in the clinical assessment of the individual to inform treatment and health care service options.