The Psychosomatic Traits of “People with the Five Elements in Traditional Chinese Medicine”: A Qualitative Study

Objective

To identify the representative attributes of the five elements of a person with a qualitative methodology and provide the basis for the clinical diagnosis and treatment of “people with the five elements in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM).”

Methods

Data collected from the literature review, two sessions of brainstorming of experts with related experience in “people with the five elements in TCM” from October 2020 to December 2020, and six rounds of in-depth interviews with 30 participants who had various attributes of the five elements from March 2021 to October 2021 were analyzed. Triangulation was used in this study, and theming and synthesizing were used to analyze the data.

Results

A total of 31 experts and 30 interviewees participated in this study. The median age of the experts and interviewees were 48.0 and 38.5 years, respectively; 51.66% and 54.8% of experts and interviewees, respectively, were men. The descriptors of facial diagrams of “people with the five elements in TCM” were complexion, shape, distribution state of facial bones, convergence trend of facial muscles, and facial expression. A theoretical model of “people with the five elements in TCM” was shaped based on these findings.

Conclusions

The study suggests a possibility for bridging the gap between personality and bodily state, identifying an avenue for personality research from the perspective of TCM.