Everybody may observe the influence of the psyche on the body, and the influence of the body on the psyche, in common every-day life. This mutual influence has been used by medicine for many ages and in many cultures. Research into the influence of psychosocial factors on one's health shows that the neurohormonal and immunological systems play a very important role. Stress is considered to be the main pathogenic factor of psychosomatic diseases. However, we find differences in reactions of distinct people to the same stressor. This fact has become an inspiration to develop the salutogenetic model. The psyche is a very important factor in the functioning of an old person and it is best expressed by personality (... an individual shapes throughout his ar her entire life) shaped throughout a person's whole life. The goal of my research is to show the influence a senior's personality has on their health problems. I used two methods in the research. To study the personality of old people I used the NEOFFI questionnaire of Costa and McCrae. In order to inquire about the health problems of old people I used a questionnaire form I had prepared myself. It consists of twenty questions about the health of respondents. The research covered 100 people, 60 women and 40 men, between the age of 60 and 95 that is, at the old age. As we can see in the research, personality has a very important influence on health problems of elderly people. However, diseases affecting those people are inevitable. Early diagnosis and proper treatment as well as help provided not only by specialized medical personnel but also by closest relatives or friends are very important.

The concept of life span assumes that old age is a period of development being a balance of gains and losses. Aging goes hand in hand with increasing losses and decreasing gains. The system theory perceives a human being as a psychophysical system which can be easily seen in critical periods, e.g. old age. Thus, it is assumed that psyche and soma are interdependent. Taking into consideration the way old age is perceived, the balance of way and the feeling of life control, one may assume that these factors may influence physical abilities and somatic health of an organism. Old age is not an illness but increased vulnerability to illnesses. Speaking objectively, one may say that age as a feature of getting old weakens the immunological system of the organism in a natural way and thus it increases the vulnerability to a variety of illnesses and decreases physical abilities. It is possible to avoid the physiological processes connected with aging. One may hypothesize, however, that a positive approach towards old age, good balance of life and a feeling of internal control slow down the processes of aging of cells and vice versa. The overall aim of slowing down these processes is not to prolong human life but to increase the quality of life. The research carried out was based on the assumption that the way a person sees his or her life, the balance of life and the feeling of control go hand in hand with physical agility. The research covered 436 people, i.e. 120 men and 316 women, all of them over 60. A set of mutual relationships of the indicated variables was determined and an analysis of repeated regression was made. The conclusion is: better balance of life and better positive self-image go hand in hand with better physical agility of the examined individuals. It is difficult to say which of the factors are primary or secondary. It seems that there is an interdependence.