Self-abasement as it relates to cancers in men and women
Date
1993
Authors
Ellis, Marion Jeanne
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
The relationship between the personality trait of self-abasement and cancer was systematically investigated. This relationship was initially observed in my clinical practice with male and female adult clients with cancer. The main trait behaviour was characterized by constant downgrading of self; even to the extent of sabotaging their preferences in order to avoid hostility.
Studies by Grossarth-Maticek, Kanizir, Schmidt and Vetter (1985) of healthy people showed common characteristics which have a predictive power for cancer incidence. They called for re-evaluation of the role of psychosocial risk factors in the etiology of cancer.
My research tested the hypothesis that the disease of cancer was associated with the trait of abasement in women and men. Since norming data for the demographic group was not available prior to this research, an initial hypothesis was that, within a healthy group, women would show a higher level of abasement than men. Further, it was hypothesized that the abasement trait had levels which were different for people with cancer as opposed to people without cancer. The effect of abasement would be dependent on all three: sex, age, and cancer. I posited that the traits of dominance and need-for-approval were independent of sex, age, and cancer.
The following research question was investigated: Are there any mean scores for abasement, need-for-approval, or dominance that were different in non-cancer as compared to cancer patients?
A total of 82 male and female adult voluntary participants, referred by their family medical doctors, were selected from two groups: medically diagnosed with cancer and no-cancer. Age range (40 to 85 years) was subdivided into 65 or younger and older than 65. Control and cancer subjects were matched for age and sex. Volunteers completed an adaptation of Jackson's Personality Research Form-E and Marlowe-Crowne's social desirability scale.
MANOVA found a significant interaction for abasement across age by sex by cancer state, F = 5.487, p <.05. There were main effects on dominance for both sex, F = 10.719, p <.05, and age, F = 8.090, p <.05. Adapted Marlowe-Crowne scores for need-for-approval are dependent on age and cancer state, F = 5.064, p <.05, with a main effect of sex on need-for-approval, F = 5.725, p <.05.
This research supports the need for further studies in health psychology regarding psychosocial risk factors with attention to generalizability of patterns of self-abasement and their relationship to cancer state.