By Steven G. Mehta
We have all heard of Type A personalities. We may have even heard of type B personalities (the lesser known cousin because it is the type that has a healthy expression of feelings, commitment to something, and desire) but have you heard about a Type C personality? A new book discusses this new type of personality and its effects on the person.
Michael Jawer in the book he wrote with Marc Micozzi, M.D, Ph.D., called “The Spiritual Anatomy of Emotion: How Feelings Link the Brain, the Body, and the Sixth Sense,” discusses the new Type C Personality. Here is a brief excerpt of their description of that personality type:
In recent years, a cluster of personality characteristics has come to be identified as the Type C personality, someone who is at heightened risk for a slew of afflictions, from colds to asthma to cancer. In contrast with the Type A person (who angers easily and has difficulty keeping feelings under wraps) and the Type B person (who has a healthier balance of emotional expressiveness), the Type C person is a suppressor, a stoic, a denier of feelings. He or she has a calm, outwardly rational, and unemotional demeanor, but also a tendency to conform to the wishes of others, a lack of assertiveness, and an inclination toward feelings of helplessness or hopelessness.
This is the sort of personality that Canadian physician Gabor Mate has studied extensively. Over his years of family practice, Mate relates, he began to notice a pattern: individuals who were unable to express anger, who didn’t seem to recognize the primacy of their own needs, and who were constantly doing for others, appeared to be the ones most susceptible to a slew of ailments, from asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, and lupus to multiple sclerosis and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. These conditions are all autoimmune disorders. Mate claims that, when an individual engages in a long-term practice of ignoring or suppressing legitimate feelings–when he or she is just plain too nice–the immune system can become compromised and confused, learning to attack the self rather than defend it.
Emotional expression, in Mate’s view is absolutely essential because feelings serve to alert the individual to what is dangerous or unwholesome–or, conversely, to what is helpful and nourishing–so that the person can either take protective action against the thread or move toward the beneficial stimulus. If someone never gets angry, this reflects an unhealthy inability or unwillingness to defend personal integrity. Such “boundary confusion” can ultimately become a matter of life and death. If someone just cannot say no, Mate argues, his or her body will end up saying it in the form of illness or disease.
I have seen this personality type in mediation, and the expression of emotion is a very important one for resolution of the case. If that emotion is not expressed, often the case cannot get settled because the person doesn’t recognize that they need to let go or express the emotion. As a mediator, it is important for you to be able to recognize this personality type and help them understand their own needs, which will in turn help them resolve the case.
15 comments
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April 1, 2011 at 1:58 pm
BOB
I think that this is fake… otherwise we would be studying it in our psychology courses.
April 1, 2011 at 2:02 pm
stevemehta
Bob. That could be the case. I researched it as cited. However, it is possible that it hasn’t reached the psychology classes yet. Many times I have seen that academia (specifically textbooks) aren’t always on the cutting edge. Thanks for your thoughts.
June 5, 2011 at 12:42 pm
Juli
I’m a metaphysician who believes that the entire body is a physical manifestation of a belief system (that bodies are temporary and help us to “see” our projected beliefs in a lifetime experience for the purpose of spiritual growth). Having had to release a lot of emotions long held in order to overcome things like post-traumatic stress disorder including severe chronic gastroinestinal distress, I tend to agree with the premise of this article very much. I see a whole country (the U.S.) suffering from “political correctness” as things like Abu Ghraib come to revelation. I see an inability to healthfully express emotions in a materialistic outcome, ranking a person’s quality with their possessions. I see multiple authorities being brought to their knees from revelation of behind-the-scene misconduct, certainly to include the presidence, congress, sheriffs, judges, lawyers, doctors and religious “leaders” — to include institutions (Catholic Church, etc.)
Without a way to learn how to emotion healthfully, I don’t believe people ever really grow up. They grow shells, instead, and then spend the rest of their days knee-jerk reacting (“I don’t know what came over me”! or “What the hell were you thinking?”)
I think the premise of this article is important stuff, and am glad to see it written of, and so I thank you!
August 21, 2011 at 3:20 am
Charles
I feel sorry for Bob apparently believing that everything taught in a university course is everything known about a subject. This attitude is sadly too common.
I appreciate your input about the Type C Personality Type. Thank you. This book adds to our quest to understand ourselves and our consciousness. Understanding science is not about defending present consensus paradigms, but expanding those paradigms. We need to discuss openly different and conflicting viewpoints.
As Juli pointed out, emotional development and understanding our psyche is the key to a healthy society.
October 8, 2011 at 2:29 am
Dr Arun Kumar
Thanks for this key information. It is upcoming topic of clinical importance.
November 18, 2011 at 8:17 am
Emily Kathryn Witherell
I completely agree- I’ve read dozens of articles about personality types and I’ve never found myself to be either A or B! I’ve wondered instead about this new type since without a name- because I’ve been called “avoidant” or simply misunderstood. I have a hard time with talk therapy because I tend to chat without ever exposing my feelings in anger or sadness which people may find engaging and interesting, but I mask deep-seated guilt, anger and it has come up recently more than ever. Adolescence was unbearable for me- guilty, shameful, just awful. Yet I masked it all and later became a notorious drunk- since I don’t drink anymore or do any drugs, my anger flares at the dumbest things. I’ve repressed anger about everything- from my marriages, to child bearing and rearing- everything. I’ve constantly been a victim, yet I often appear to be surviving, yet the last two years have made no friends and have become increasingly isolated – and of course, more angry! About the only thing that keeps me going is writing- so I tend to do a lot of it. My sister is a psychology major, so I plan to show her this article and follow your studies. Many thanks, Emily
November 18, 2011 at 8:49 am
legalreformactivist
Unlike Emily, I don’t repress my anger. I find that expressing my anger doesn’t necessarily lead to change, and I have learned that most (if not nearly all of it) is really directed at me, but apparently sometimes I need a change and so I try to hand it off onto somebody else! lol!
Being peaceful with my feelings is very difficult to do, but I am trying to sit with my emotions and not judge them or shame myself for them. Carl Jung, I think, said, “That which we resist, persists”, so I try to make jokes about my humanness because humor seems to be a socially acceptable way to let off steam and just know that underneath it all I am a very angry person.
I have so many family members with this issue of repression of real emotions masked by anger (I think real “negative” emotion has to do with shame, sorrow, grief, sadness and fear) and so I am working to allow myself to feel the opposite “postiive” emotion (such as gratitude, appreciation, peacefulness/ serenity, and simple joy) for no reason at all — not attaching those feelings to things like being grateful because I have material goods, rather — simply being grateful, and peacefulness because it feels good, rather than because I “deserve” it.
I need balance in my life. Repression makes everything negative bigger and uglier, but I do find others have a hard time getting things out emotionally and can only go so far with me, and that it exhausts them even more than me so I’m thinking there has to be a balance here somehow.
I was so definitely repressed for my early years, trying to avoid feeling anything.
November 18, 2011 at 9:05 am
stevemehta
thank you both for your honest and reflective thoughts.
February 11, 2012 at 3:44 am
N.Johns
thank you for your info. For many years I simply thought I was going crazy.
I am in my 50’s now. I grew up with not being able to talk, express etc… I was always told “you shouldn’t feel this way” etc… I have 9 siblings and for the past couple of years I tried expressing myself in a calmer manner – now they all say “what’s wrong with her”. Such ancient mentality. As for the students who never heard of type C. They are behind the times. I believe type c is not new. It has always been out there, just that Know one ever tallked about it, like Isaid “it” wasn’t allowed. I tried therapy but don’t have the money to stay long enough to actually get anywhere with it. So I am self teaching which is hard, long and slow going. Thanks for putting this info out there, at least now I don’t feel so crazy.
N.J.
Canada
March 17, 2012 at 4:26 am
From The Patients-Eyes.
Impressive!. Tutus Credible Aver.
March 17, 2012 at 4:39 am
From The Patients-Eyes.
Step 1. Empty The Cup Of Toxic People Tutus From (“Your life”).
Step 2. Never take a “subjective” view!. Only Objective, — based on rational, credible evidence. [As a result, kindly exclude Media, / TV Commentary. Namely, “The Editors 1min view” of an important point…
Thirdly. “We always leave the best to Last;
Read Lillian Glass, Ph.D.
Book, “I Know What You’re Thinking”.
“You’ll be joyfully surprised!”.
July 6, 2012 at 2:27 pm
Dyllan
This is me. Everything from ‘denier of feelings’ to having Crohn’s (an auto-immune disease) and asthma. This entire article is like a case study of my life.
October 5, 2012 at 9:24 pm
Sean
Great work on recognizing the patterns and being able to determine clear and defined characteristics of another personality type. Though I know that most people typically fall into one of these types, I also know that the evolution of these studies will never be complete and there will be many more amendments to the studies and that this one will be a key to many.
There goes my Type C personality, I couldn’t make a negative comment if I wanted to, but of course I wouldn’t want to because of my personality :P
I also exhibit Type A traits pretty clearly as well, but it is most common in settings where I am not communicating face to face and under general anonymity. I also exhibit them in groups where I feel I am the alpha. I switch casually between types depending on who I am with, and also have a tendency towards mimicry as well, where I take on the personality and habits of those I am around or work with, but it is to an unusual level that I don’t believe is just “people pleasing”.
October 11, 2012 at 7:04 am
Michael S. Partyka
Hello. I am in counseling and my therapist and I are working on repressed emotions. I exhibit a number of the characteristics you describe in your article. It is extremely difficult for me to stand up for myself or to be assertive. Thank-you for your article. I really appreciate it.
October 15, 2012 at 9:40 pm
stevemehta
I am glad that it has helped in some way. keep working at it.