Type C Coping Pattern

The example that I have been using thus far when speaking of the Mind-Body connection is the "Type C Coping Pattern". It is what I found most interesting when writing my research paper and it has been the forefront idea when considering how to proceed with my research and execution of this series.

Here is an excerpt from my paper providing the background and explanation of the Type C Coping Pattern:

Psychological, as well as biological, research led to the development of theoretical “cancer personalities”, paving the way for a better understanding of psychological factors that contribute to disease progression. In the 2004 article, “The Healing Truth,” published in Alive: Canadian Journal of Health and Nutrition, Curtis Foreman, a professional writer and grandson of a cancer-survivor – who fought the disease using mainly alternative therapies, writes about the misconception that unwavering positively is a must if one wants to survive when faced with a cancer diagnosis and subsequent treatment. Foreman cites the 1978 book Getting Well Again, by Carl and Stephanie Simonton, as one of the first pieces of “hard evidence” in the oncology world – Carl was a radiation oncologist – as opposed to the psychology world, to make the connection between the psyche and the possibility of it making a difference in cancer outcome (108). The Simontons “profiled what they saw as the typical ‘cancer personality’–the ways an individual’s reactions to stress and other emotional factors can contribute to the onset and progress of cancer” (Foreman 108). Although seemingly similar to the coping styles addressed above, in that it is based on the way an individual relates to stress, this study took the evidence gathered into the theoretical realm, hypothesizing a specific “personality” that would be the more likely than others to be diagnosed with and experience a fast progression of cancer.

In 1987, psychologist and internationally respected leader in biopsychosocial oncology–the study of the biological, psychological and sociological factors implicated in cancer occurrence and progression, Lydia R.Temoshok, published an article in which she took the idea of a “cancer personality” a step further when she described what she deemed the “Type C Coping Pattern”, a learned response to a constant repression of emotions (Temoshok 387). Drawing on hundreds on patient interviews and case histories, Temoshok created a surprising portrait of what the Type C individual looked like: always kind, pleasant and appeasing, and most interestingly, unable to express emotions, especially anger (Foreman 108). In her 2002 article, “Connecting the Dots Linking Mind, Behavior, and Disease: The Biological Concomitants of Coping Patterns: Commentary on ‘Attachment and Cancer: A Conceptual Integration”, Temoshok recounts the section of her 1987 article in which she describes the theoretical development of the Type C coping style within an individual:

As a result of genetic predisposition and/or family interaction patterns, a child learns to cope with the inevitable challenges, stressors and possible traumatic events of early life in a certain manner. A given coping style is successful to the extent that it reliably ensures psychological, biological, and environmental homeostasis, even under stressful conditions… What may begin as a conscious suppression of physical complaints in order to please others (e.g. “I wont bother Mommy now by telling her I’m hungry”) may end up as a habitual pattern of ignoring and ultimately not even recognizing such biological signals as pain or fatigue. A similar pattern is thought to occur for psychological needs: loneliness, sadness, fear, and so forth, which may be considered signals that some thing is wrong and should be changed, are suppressed so as to not antagonize or burden others (387).

This most interesting theory of development is linked to cancer incidence as Temoshok further explains what takes place as this theoretical child grows into an adult. The patterns of repressed biological needs and emotion learned from childhood become increasingly ingrained and habitual over the years, to the point where a Type C individual will constantly be existing in a state of biological, psychological and sociological stress, without even realizing, because it is what they are used to (Temoshok 390). The constant exposure to stress wreaks havoc on the immune system and other physiological components, thus placing Type C copers at a higher risk for cancer incidence and progression.

Tamoshok, as well as others, has done much research on individuals who fit into the Type C coping pattern and clinical trials have confirmed that the suppression of emotions has a negative affect on cancer, as well as HIV, progression. Temoshok states, “My colleagues and I have found that Type C coping after diagnosis of cancer or HIV is associated with negative prognostic indicators and faster disease progression” (Temoshok 388). Foreman cites a study by Temoshok that provided evidence of a positive correlation between expressing one’s emotions and experiencing a slower progression of cancer. The study found that melanoma patients who rated higher on a scale of emotional expression had less aggressive tumors and stronger T-cell immunity (Foreman 108). In the article “How Psychological Therapy May Prolong Survival in Cancer Patients: New Evidence and a Simple Theory”, Alastair J. Cummingham and Kimberly Watson, both doctors at the Ontario Cancer Institute, look to Temoshok’s pioneering work and thorough methods of data collection for the cancer trials. Unlike many studies on psychological factors influencing the progression of cancer that simply look to statistics of survival, Tamoshok used markers of disease progression and severity such as tumor thickness, level of invasion, mitotic rate, and number of lymphocytes located near the tumor (Cunningham and Watson 217). This provides further evidence that the results are legitimate and measurable, again providing great insight into the power that psychological factors have over the physical body.

Cunningham, Alastair J., and Kimberly Watson. “ How Psychological Therapy may Prolong Survival in Cancer Patients: New Evidence and a Simple Theory” Integrative Cancer Therapies 3.3 (2004): 214-229. PubMed. Sage Premier. Cabell Lib., Richmond, VA. 29 July 2009 <http://ict.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/

3/3/214>.

Foreman, Curtis. “The Healing Truth.” Alive: Canadian Journal of Health & Nutrition Apr. 2004: 106-108. Alt HealthWatch. EBSCOhost. Cabell Lib., Richmond, VA. 25 June 2009.

Temoshok, Lydia R. “Connecting the Dots Linking Mind, Behavior, and Disease: The Biological Concomitants of Coping Patterns: Commentary on ‘Attachment and Cancer: A Conceptual Integration’.” Integrative Cancer Therapies 1.4 (2002): 387-391. PubMed. Sage Publications. Cabell Lib., Richmond, VA. 30 June 2009 .

The thing that has jumped out at me as I have been reviewing this and other research of this nature is the fact that the passage of time plays an important role in the development of any psychological factor potent enough to affect the physical body. The passage of time is also important to this research as duration is a key factor in any psychological factor affecting the body. A week, month or even a year perhaps, of someone suppressing their emotions is not particularly going to affect their health in some grand way. This connection is based on prolonged exhibition of specific psychological factors, whose affects compound over time to the point where a recognizable physical difference occurs. I am excited about this realization as the passage of time is a topic I have worked with in the past and is something that I am very interested in exploring still. I feel as though I have opened up another side to my research and series.