[Personality and aggressiveness in cancer patients]

The authors studied the Personality and Aggressiveness of fifty-three cancer patients by using MMPI and the Instrument I for the Aggressiveness Measurements. The common characteristics in all of then were that they suffered solid tumors, were submitted to hospital treatments and had an absence of psychiatric illness in their personal history. Among the results that stand out most is the sensations of change that the patients experience due to their own illness, the hospitalization and the treatments which they undergo. There exists on increase of self-aggressiveness or a decrease of hetero-aggressiveness which predominates the scales of depression and social introversion, with a decrease of inner strength. In any case, the neuroticism and the dependence are increased and there are decreases in the scales of psychopathic deviation and domination. The four psychosis is staying normal, the hysteria is decreased in men and the hypochondria is increased in women. The defence mechanism that predominates are the denial and the avoidance reaction.