Given the substantial findings in the area of control and cancer, it is important to explore the construct of control in greater depth. It has been argued (Shapiro, Schwartz, &Astin, 1996) that the relationship between control and health is not a simple linear one: “control is good, and the more control one has the better.”Acceptance (positive yielding) is a unique feature of control that is often overlooked in Western psychology (Shapiro & Astin, 1998), and yet, the literature demonstrates that acceptance is a crucial component in gaining an optimal sense of control. For example, Astin and colleagues (1999) found that women with breast cancer using a balanced.
