The Type C Personality

In this episode, we talk about the possibility that there is a purpose to our struggles, and if we see them differently, a lot of growth can happen. No one escapes pain and suffering, it is part of our shared humanity! When we see that there is a point, we can start to see ourselves differently, and accept that our struggles are important, therefore we are important. 

Why do Type C people lie? No surprises here - we lie so we don't burden someone else, so we don't disappoint someone, we want to be a strong team player. In this episode, Kore and Anna talk about all of the reasons we lie and why it's important to our health to live more honestly.

Excessively conscientious Type C people find making mistakes excruciating since we hate disappointing other people, we hate letting them down. In this episode, Kore and Anna share stories about mistakes from their respective worlds and some strategies for better handling them.

Common issues for Type C'ers in committed relationships are avoiding conflict, not expressing emotions, taking on a partner's problems, and taking on too much domestic labor. On this episode, we talk about all of these issues and which tools we can use to improve the health of our relationships.  We mention two books that we highly recommend: The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work by J...

A common thread with Type C’ers, who do so much for everyone else, is an underlying belief that their needs are more important than ours. Somewhere along the way, we have gotten the message that we were not worthy. Maybe this stemmed from abuse, excessive criticism, or significant invalidation from people early in our childhood. On this episode, we discuss how to overcome this sense of unworthines...

Why do Type C people face such difficulty unplugging? We can be pathological when it comes to checking emails and texts, worried that we are letting someone down. In this episode, we share stories about the costs of not unplugging and talk about how to take small steps to practice doing it.

For Type C people, the strength of connections and relationships can be a challenge.  We often feel lonely because we are afraid to express our opinions or because we can’t be vulnerable with other people because we don’t want to upset them. We also might feel guilty about burdening other people with our problems.  This wonderful New York Times article is a great resource. It's especiall...

Type Cer's often struggle with falling and staying asleep. Suppressing emotions, focusing on others, staying busy trying not to upset people – this can all increase adrenaline in our bodies. Sometimes sleep issues relate to negative stress, though positive stress can also contribute - like not recognizing that we’re doing too much. In this episode, Kore and Anna discuss strategies for getting bett...

Money is a complicating factor in a lot of relationships, and Type C people can find this dynamic extra challenging given the propensity to default to “yes” and feel like a bad person when saying “no”.  In this episode, Kore and Anna discuss many examples of sticky situations for Type C when it comes to money, and how to handle them.

For Type C people, it's very easy to get caught up in doing things for other people and not being intentional with our precious time. We can fall into a trap of “I will do that when I finish this,” or “Let me just finish this one thing” - and we end up with a to-do list that never ends!  It’s so important to really evaluate what we are spending time on - are there things that we have really t...

Alcohol has several benefits in the short term for people with Type C traits - it can help us feel emotions like stress and guilt less intensely, and it can create a feeling of distance from challenging situations and other stressors. It can help us make time for ourselves - which is such a struggle when sober - and it can help us be more expressive and more assertive. In this episode, Kore and An...

Type C people - who avoid conflict and always maintain a pleasant facade - can find navigating the medical system very challenging, especially those dealing with chronic or invisible illnesses. It can be difficult to advocate for ourselves and to argue with respected physicians. Women are particularly vulnerable to being ignored by doctors; there is a long history of women being viewed as hysteric...

Many of us have narcissists in our lives, either within close relationships or as acquaintances, and for Type C people, these relationships are incredibly challenging to navigate. Type C'ers are particularly vulnerable to abuse from narcissists because they have trouble standing up for themselves and are less likely to leave the relationship. In this episode, Kore & Anna discuss practical stra...

With difficult, toxic, or pushy people, sometimes it's best to end the relationship - which can be very hard for Type C'ers who are likely to avoid the inevitable conflict and keep kicking the can down the road. In this episode, Kore and Anna discuss when it's time to move on as well as different tactics for getting out safely.

Type C people hate disappointing people and struggle with saying no - so dealing with pushy, aggressive people is a big challenge! In the episode, Kore and Anna share stories and give practical advice on how to push back.

Self care is quite a buzzword right now, and for Type C people, it’s more than just taking the odd bubble bath or getting a massage. It’s a deep commitment to recognizing our own needs and prioritizing health - things that require awareness, routine, and practice. In this episode, we talk in depth about Anna's chronic health issues stemming from poor self care and how she overcame them.

Many of us made the switch to some level of remote work during the pandemic, which inevitably led to specific struggles for excessively conscientious, pathologically nice Type C people! In the episode, Kore and Anna talk about the difficulties of sticking to a beginning and end of the workday, an elevated need to show output and prove ourselves, feelings of guilt about doing personal things during...

For excessively conscientious, pathologically nice Type C people, taking vacation or sick days is hard. Companies usually have well-defined guidelines around time off, so why is it difficult to ask for it? Generally this relates to guilt! People with Type C feel like they are letting down the team, they don’t want to burden other people with extra work when they are out, and/or they should be supe...

Type C pathologically nice people can be a dream to work with - they are strong team players, like to do good work, and are generally easy to get along with. They hate letting people down, so are super conscientious and take their responsibilities seriously. These are great qualities - but can cause harm if taken too far. In this episode, Kore and Anna talk about overdoing it, making mistakes, han...

You’ve heard of “Type A” and “Type B”, what is Type C personality? Common Type C traits include: excessively conscientious, avoids conflict, feels powerless, carries others’ burdens, wants to please others, doesn’t set sufficient personal boundaries, internalizes toxic emotions, maintains a constant facade of pleasantness. Many people fall into this “pathologically nice” category and lack skills t...