[Personality characteristics of hypertensive patients].

Essential hypertension, as well-known specialists believe, is due both to genetic and external environment factors. Apart from the steadily growing complexity of social life and various important life events, high-risk factors may also be seen in a certain way of behaviour and man's psychophysiological reactivity. Recent literature on this topic informs about some common characteristics found in the behaviour of hypertensive persons, for example: anxiety in social contacts, suppressed hostility, manifestations of perfectionism, suppression of emotions, exaggerated behavioral adaptability and defensive attitudes to stress stimuli. In accordance with literary data, the control group of hypertensive patients (N = 89) gave evidence of some identical characteristics. Their knowledge permits to carry out more specific attempts at influencing hypertension in a non-pharmacological way.