Carcinogenic Personality Profile

As I was doing more cancer research, I found this carcinogenic personality profile by Dr. Alexander Mostovoy. In general terms, the carcinogenic personality profile can be summed up as follows:

• Loss / Grief (relationship, status, etc.)
• Unfulfilled passion
• Unworthiness
• Avoidance of conflict
• Tension in parental relationship

He goes on to explain:

Loss / Grief - This could be a great shock when one loses a spouse, child, friend, … Grief of course is a normal process and is part of everyone's life. However, many fall prey to this destructive emotion only to realize years later how vulnerable they are and how easy it is to cross that line of no return. Loss of status, financial or otherwise could be just as devastating as a loss of a relationship.

Unfulfilled Passion - In his work as a psychologist in a New York City cancer hospital for over 30 years, Dr. Lawrence LeShan observed a common thread amongst cancer patients. The common thread was unfulfilled passion that had been suppressed for many years. For example, a child who wanted to learn the piano, but couldn't because either their parents could not afford those piano lessons, or other priorities took precedence over theirs. This pattern of suppression would repeat itself over their lifetime. Oddly enough, studying piano later in life, or fulfilling a previously unfulfilled passion has an amazing curative effect.

Unworthiness - The personality predisposed to cancer is usually what I would call 'nice', a 'kind soul', or 'other-centered' someone who would put the needs of others before their own.

Avoidance of Conflict - These people avoid conflict and are unable to express hostility in their own defense. These people prefer order and avoid arguments, as arguments are unpredictable. Order to them means control, whereas arguments or expressions of hostility means loss of control. Of course this is a compensation mechanism for their feelings of unworthiness and self-dislike. They are usually nature lovers, artistic, social activists who are particularly pained over environmental issues. People with an artistic streak usually have an appreciation for the elegant. They are achievers with a tendency to overdo and overwork. It is hard for them to relax, and instead they do things to exhaustion and crash. Many of these individuals come from a parental relationship where, in order to get affection as a child they must achieve ie: please the parent; thus they become the best in their class, orderly, submissive. This behavior in turn creates friction, since from an early age their desires are suppressed even though most of them have a very passionate nature that is unfulfilled.

He says that self expression and creativity is a key for these individuals and it is this very struggle for individualization and creativity that often leads to the discovery of their artistic talents. Their intuition often leads to an expression of an inner world. Music and painting are creative avenues that are used as a means of self-expressing the pain they have endured.

I found this information very interesting. It makes me wonder if I am indeed a type-C personality? I always thought of myself as a type-A but now who knows? Apparently you should always follow your passion and be creative!