ABSTRACT
The concept of individual differences reflects the idea that while there may be abilities and characteristics common to all persons, there is a distinct uniqueness to each of us that accounts for a significant proportion of behavioral variation. For some theorists, uniqueness determines behavior to a degree that individuals are seen as living primarily according to their own views of the world, which may have little basis in reality. This chapter looks at how individual characteristics of behavior can have an impact on health-related difficulties. The way in which behaviors are uniquely organized in each individual can be called that individual's "personality." Concentrating on the individuality of the person is known as the "ideographic" approach to the study of behavior, a term coined by another champion of individual psychology. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.
