Type C Personality: Traits Of This Behavior Pattern
The type C personality pattern, characterized by the inhibition of negative emotions and the presence of depressive traits has been associated with the evolution of cancer once this disease has appeared.
However, the most recent research into the relationship between personality and cancer has undermined this hypothesis.
In 1959 cardiologists Meyer Friedman and Ray Rosenman described the type A personality pattern , characterized by its role as a risk factor in the development of cardiovascular disorders. Among the distinctive traits of this personality style are anxiety, ambition, rigidity, impatience, competitiveness and hostility.
Later, the concept of “type B personality pattern” also began to be used to describe individuals with a lower tendency to get involved in stressful situations. People with this personality tend to be thoughtful and creative they try to enjoy their lives to a greater extent than those of type A and are not always achievement-oriented.
Type C and type D were also added to these two personality patterns. The type C personality, which we will talk about in depth below, includes emotional repression and hopelessness as defining traits, and a certain capacity has been attributed to it. predictive in the evolution of cancer, although not in its appearance.
Finally we find the type D personality pattern, which was described by Denollet et al. (1996) and would worsen the evolution of cardiac problems. The letter “D” comes from the word “distressed”, which means “distressed”. It is defined as a combination between the tendency to social inhibition and to feel negative emotions, such as sadness, irritability and worry.
The descriptions that have been made of the type C personality pattern vary depending on the research or specific literature. In general we can highlight five main personality traits: emotional control, emotional repression, understanding, rationality and the need for harmony. Each description highlights one or other factors.
The key point of this personality style is the inhibition or repression of negative emotions; We are referring to sadness, fear and especially anger. Furthermore, a marked absence of dominance and hostility behaviors and a tendency toward stoic acceptance of negative life events are detected.
People who fit the type C pattern They often have difficulty coping with stressful situations , especially in a direct and active way. This trait causes depressive-type psychological reactions, such as expectations of helplessness or hopelessness regarding the future.
From this it is deduced that the type C personality pattern leads to the affected person facing the disease and the negative emotions derived from it insufficiently when faced with the appearance of cancer, which could seriously interfere with the treatment.
The characteristics attributed to the type C personality pattern bring it closer to other similar constructs. They deserve a special mention types 1 and 5 of the classification of stress reactions developed by Eysenck and Grossarth-Maticek (1990), both associated with an increased risk of suffering from cancer, according to these authors.
Scientific evidence about it
Although research has confirmed the predictive capacity of the type A personality pattern with respect to cardiovascular diseases, the same cannot be said of the type C pattern. Even in its origin this was still an attempt to apply the hypothesis of Friedman and Rosenman to medical disorders other than those of the circulatory system.
In the 90s this construct was preliminarily accepted by many members of the scientific community, but it was soon The lack of consistency in the findings began to become evident. regarding its predictive capacity in cancer. Among other aspects, the irregularity in the definition of personality pattern C makes comparison between studies difficult.
It is currently believed that the supposed association between emotional inhibition and the development or progression of cancer, if it exists, would be mediated by certain maladaptive coping styles or by other intermediary variables, and would not in any case be specific to this disease.
The prospective macro study by Nakaya et al. (2003), like many other investigations, refutes the idea that personality traits associated with neuroticism have a causal role in cancer. Furthermore, it is suggested that in the relationship found by other authors between this disease and anxiety, there may be an inverse causality to that studied.
Denollet, J., Sys, SU, Stroobant, N., Rombouts, H., Gillebert, TC, & Brutsaert, DL (February 1996). Personality as independent predictor of long-term mortality in patients with coronary heart disease. Lancet, 347(8999): 417–21.
Friedman, M. & Rosenman, R. (1959). Association of specific overt behavior pattern with blood and cardiovascular findings. Journal of the American Medical Association, 169: 1286–1296.
Grossarth-Maticek, R. & Eysenck, H.J. (1990). Personality stress and illness: Description and validation of a new inventory. Psychological Reports, 66: 355-73.
Nakaya, N., Tsubono, Y., Hosokawa, T., Nishino, Y., Ohkubo, T., Hozawa, A., Shibuya, D., Fukudo, S., Fukao, A., Tsuji, I. & Hisamichi, S. (2003). Personality and the risk of cancer. Journal of the National Cancer Institute, 95(11): 799-805.
