Personality Traits and Cancer Risks

Personality and Cancer

• Neuroticism and Extraversion are not related to cancer risk or survival (Nakaya et al, 2010)
• Type C Personality was proposed as a cancer-prone personality (Temoshok, 1987)
  • Characteristics: Overly cooperative, unassertive, suppresses negative emotions (anger), accepts/complies with external authorities, helpless or hopeless
  • Theory: Heightened arousal reduces immune system functioning
• Subsequent research does not consistently support the Type C concept:
  • Price et al (2001) found no association between Type C traits and cancer outcomes
  • Blatný & Adam (2008) reported inconsistent findings
• Large-scale studies found no association between personality traits and cancer risk/mortality:
  • Jokela et al.(2014) meta-analysis:
    • 6 prospective studies, 42,843 participants
    • 2156 incident cancer cases
    • No association between Five Factor Model (OCEAN) personality traits and cancer risk/mortality

Repressive Coping

• Repressive coping is a defense mechanism characterized by:
  • Low self-reported anxiety
  • High defensiveness
  • Physiological-subjective discrepancy: Low reported anxiety but high physiological arousal
• Key research:
  • Weinberger et al.(1979): Developed a method to identify repressors using anxiety and defensiveness scales
    • Repressors score low on anxiety measures but high on defensiveness scales
  • Denollet et al.(2008): Found over 20% of coronary heart disease patients classified as repressors
• Repressive coping and health outcomes:
  • Repressive coping is associated with poorer health outcomes, especially in cancer and heart disease:
    • McKenna et al.(1999) meta-analysis: Strong support for denial/repression coping in breast cancer patients
    • Denollet et al.(2008) longitudinal study: Repressors had a two-fold increased risk of death, myocardial infarction, and other cardiac events
    • Frasure-Smith et al.(2002) Montreal Heart Attack Readjustment trial: Repressors showed poorer survival outcomes
    • Mund & Mitte (2012) meta-analysis: Significant associations between repressive coping and cardiovascular diseases (especially hypertension)
    • For cancer, repressive coping appeared to be a consequence rather than a cause.
• Potential mechanisms linking repressive coping to poor health outcomes:
  • Underestimation of stress
  • Non-compliance with medical advice/ treatment plans
  • Physiological stress
  • Delayed help-seeking
  • Impaired emotional processing
• Implications for healthcare:
  • Screening: Identify repressors for tailored interventions
  • Patient education: Help repressors recognize the potential for their coping to impact their health
  • Stress management: Develop interventions that address both psychological and physiological aspects of stress for repressors

Addictive Personality

• Historical context:
  • Researchers sought to identify an "addiction-prone" personality (1950s-1960s)
  • Studies compared addicts to non-addicts
  • Zimmering (1952) was an early proponent of this idea.
• Methodological issues:
  • Sample bias: Studies often used individuals already in treatment
  • Causality problems: Not clear if personality preceded addiction or resulted from it
  • Lack of consideration for environmental and social factors
• Key study:
  • Gendreau & Gendreau (1970): Found no significant differences between addicts and non-addicts
    • Challenged the "addiction-prone” personality concept.
• Modern understanding:
  • No single set of personality characteristics that account for all addictions
  • Focus on how various personality traits might increase risk for specific addictions
• Problems with the concept (Amodeo, 2015):
  • Homogenizing: One-size-fits-all approach
  • False categorizing: Labeling based on personality traits alone
  • Hopelessness: Sense of inevitability for those who identify with "addictive personality" traits.
  • False assurance: Those who don't fit the profile might wrongly assume they're not at risk
• Current research directions:
  • Focus on specific personality traits (e.g., impulsivity, neuroticism) and their relationship to different types of addictions.
  • Explore how personality interacts with environmental, genetic, and neurobiological factors in addiction development.
• Limitations and Future Directions:
  • Most studies focus on alcohol
  • Long-term studies are needed
  • Research on how treatment approaches affect personality recovery

Psychopathy and the Dark Triad/Tetrad

• Psychopathy: Personality pathology involving predatory behavior, emotional detachment, callousness, impulsivity, and antisocial behavior
  • Prevalence: 1.2-4.5% in general population, 20-40% in prison population
  • Primary Psychopathy: Low anxiety, narcissism, possibly genetic
  • Secondary Psychopathy: High anxiety, possibly acquired
• Assessment:
  • Gold standard: Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R)
  • Assesses interpersonal, affective, lifestyle, and antisocial dimensions
• Causes:
  • Secondary psychopathy linked to adverse childhood experiences
  • Primary psychopathy may have neurobiological basis (e.g. amygdala dysfunction)
  • Associated with diminished emotional responsiveness and fearless dominance
• Treatment:
  • Limited evidence for effective treatment
  • Some studies show treatment may increase aggression in some psychopaths
• Dark Triad:
  • Constellation of Psychopathy, Narcissism, and Machiavellianism
  • Traits are intercorrelated but not equivalent
  • Associated with unethical behavior, selfishness, and antisocial tendencies
• Dark Tetrad:
  • Adds Everyday Sadism
  • Sadism linked to enjoying cruelty and inflicting suffering
• Light Triad:
  • Proposed as opposite of Dark Triad
  • Consists of Kantianism, Humanism, and Faith in Humanity
  • Associated with more positive traits and outcomes

Personality and Wellbeing

• Overview of Humanistic and Positive Psychology: Focus on human potential, well-being, and positive aspects of human experience
• Self-Determination Theory (SDT):
  • Humans have inherent psychological needs:
    • Autonomy: Feeling in control
    • Competence: Feeling effective
    • Relatedness: Feeling connected to others
  • Research applications: Education, work, healthcare, sports
    • Satisfaction of basic needs is associated with higher well-being
    • Intrinsic motivation is a stronger predictor of performance quality than extrinsic motivation

Personality Assessment and Theory

• Subjective Well Being (SWB): How people evaluate their lives
  • Cognitive: Life satisfaction
  • Affective: Positive and negative emotions
• Five-Factor Model (FFM) traits and SWB:
  • Neuroticism: Strongest negative predictor
• McAdams's Personality Triad:
  • Dispositional traits: Habitual patterns of behavior and experience.
  • Characteristic adaptations: Goals, values, beliefs, and coping mechanisms that develop in response to one's environment.
  • Narrative identity: Stories people construct about their lives.