[Role of the change in social position in readjustment of the motivational-purposeful sphere of oncologic patients].

A psychological analysis of 125 patients with breast cancer showed that cancer, creating a crisis situation for a woman, leads to changes in a life position transforming her motivational sphere. At the diagnostic stage when the position of despondency is predominant, the major motivation is the desire to survive. At the preoperative stage the desire to preserve health and to survive is prevailing. Postoperatively the motive to preserve health becomes prevalent. At the same time it acquires a new sense of social survival. At longterm stages of treatment this motive of social survival becomes predominant. Psychocorrective work with cancer patients should be based on the principle of active mediation of motivational formation of the person. Proceeding from the principle of "involvement" of the person into meaningful activity, it is necessary to consider the process of psychological rehabilitation as a process of transformation of the objective position of the person, which is determined by a definite social role.