Read the passage below and answer the following question:
BEHAVIOURAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL CORRELATES OF ILLNESS: THE EFFECTS OF THOUGHTS AND ACTIONS ON HEALTH
- Cancer is actually a group of diseases characterized by a loss of some cells’ ability to function normally. These cells typically multiply rapidly, generating tumours.
- Individual differences in people’s reaction to nicotine, the addictive substance in tobacco, help determine who will become a smoker.
- Both smoking and passive smoking are implicated in many cancers, in cardiovascular disease, and in sickness among children. Poor diet can raise our risks of cancer of the colon and rectum, breast cancer, and cardiovascular disease. Heavy drinking can cause disease of the stomach, liver and intestines. It can also impair mental and sexual functioning, and it can result in fetal alcohol syndrome.
- Inadequate emotional expression can adversely affect the progression of cancer. Emotions also affect high blood pressure.
- Persons who tend to be competitive, aggressive, hostile, and impatient are displaying a pattern of behaviours termed Type A. Cynical hostility puts Type A persons most at risk for heart attacks.
- Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is a reduction in the immune system’s ability to defend itself against foreign matter. AIDS is transmitted primarily through unprotected sex and infected blood.
Individuals who suppress their negative emotions are unassertive and show compliance to authority, are prone to cancer and are classified as __________ personality.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → Type-C
Option (1) Type-A — Incorrect. Type-A people have high motivation, lack patience, feel short of time and are always in a hurry. They are more prone to hypertension and coronary heart disease.
Option (2) Type-B — Incorrect. Type-B personality is understood as the absence of Type-A traits; it is not linked to any illness.
Option (3) Type-C — Correct. Extending the Type A and Type B typology, Morris suggested a Type-C personality, which is prone to cancer. Such people are cooperative, unassertive and patient; they suppress their negative emotions, such as anger, and show compliance to authority.
Option (4) Type-D — Incorrect. The Type-D personality, suggested more recently, is characterised by proneness to depression.
Note 1: The case study is taken from the chapter ‘Meeting Life Challenges’, but this question is based on the chapter ‘Self and Personality’. However, since it is a case-study based question, all the questions on this case study are tagged to the chapter the case study is taken from.
Note 2: A similar question was also asked in CUET (UG) 2025 on 20-05-2025 (Slot 1).
NCERT (2025-26): “Type Approaches … People with Type-A personality are more susceptible to problems like hypertension and coronary heart disease (CHD). The risk of developing CHD with Type-A personality is sometimes even greater than the risks caused by high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, or smoking. Opposite to this is the Type-B personality, which can be understood as the absence of Type-A traits. This typology has been further extended. Morris has suggested a Type-C personality, which is prone to cancer. Individuals characterised by this personality are cooperative, unassertive and patient. They suppress their negative emotions (e.g., anger), and show compliance to authority. More recently, a Type-D personality has been suggested, which is characterised by proneness to depression.…” |