Type A personality

Jump to navigation Jump to search

WikiDoc Resources for Type A personality

Articles

Most recent articles on Type A personality

Most cited articles on Type A personality

Review articles on Type A personality

Articles on Type A personality in N Eng J Med, Lancet, BMJ

Media

Powerpoint slides on Type A personality

Images of Type A personality

Photos of Type A personality

Podcasts & MP3s on Type A personality

Videos on Type A personality

Evidence Based Medicine

Cochrane Collaboration on Type A personality

Bandolier on Type A personality

TRIP on Type A personality

Clinical Trials

Ongoing Trials on Type A personality at Clinical Trials.gov

Trial results on Type A personality

Clinical Trials on Type A personality at Google

Guidelines / Policies / Govt

US National Guidelines Clearinghouse on Type A personality

NICE Guidance on Type A personality

NHS PRODIGY Guidance

FDA on Type A personality

CDC on Type A personality

Books

Books on Type A personality

News

Type A personality in the news

Be alerted to news on Type A personality

News trends on Type A personality

Commentary

Blogs on Type A personality

Definitions

Definitions of Type A personality

Patient Resources / Community

Patient resources on Type A personality

Discussion groups on Type A personality

Patient Handouts on Type A personality

Directions to Hospitals Treating Type A personality

Risk calculators and risk factors for Type A personality

Healthcare Provider Resources

Symptoms of Type A personality

Causes & Risk Factors for Type A personality

Diagnostic studies for Type A personality

Treatment of Type A personality

Continuing Medical Education (CME)

CME Programs on Type A personality

International

Type A personality en Espanol

Type A personality en Francais

Business

Type A personality in the Marketplace

Patents on Type A personality

Experimental / Informatics

List of terms related to Type A personality

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]

Overview

In some psychological theories, the Type A personality, also known as the Type A Behavior Pattern, is a set of characteristics that includes being impatient, excessively time-conscious, insecure about one's status, highly competitive, hostile and aggressive, and incapable of relaxation.[1] Type A individuals are often highly achieving workaholics who multi-task, drive themselves with deadlines, and are unhappy about the smallest of delays. Although they may exhibit some or all of these characteristics, it does not mean that people with the type A personality are incapable of showing love, affection or other types of non-pessimistic behavior. Many are also capable of "couching" some of these behavior attributes with proper treatment and medication. Those who do not seek treatment have been described as stress junkies, and often display some of the following characteristics:

  1. An intrinsic insecurity or insufficient level of self-esteem, which is considered to be the root cause of the syndrome. This is believed to be covert and therefore less observable.
  2. Time urgency and impatience, which causes irritation and exasperation.
  3. Free floating hostility, which can be triggered even over little incidents.[2]

The Type B personality, in contrast, is patient, relaxed, and easy-going. There is also a Type AB mixed profile for people who cannot be clearly categorized and have a combination of both types of personality.

Assessment

Type A personality was originally assessed by a 15 minute, structured interview that examined both verbal and nonverbal behavior. This time-consuming method has been largely replaced by the Jenkins activity survey, a paper-and-pencil questionnaire first published in 1979. Some researchers have suggested that the questionnaire lacks the validity of the structured interview.

Type A traits can be measured by the Bortner Rating Scale[3]. The Bortner has two subscales:

  • competitiveness
  • speed

Type A can also be self-administered with the Blumenthal survey[4][5].

Health implications

Type A behavior was first described as a potential risk factor in coronary disease in the 1950s by cardiologists Meyer Friedman and R. H. Rosenman. After a nine-year study of over 3,000 healthy men, aged 35-59, Friedman & Rosenman estimated that Type A behavior doubles the risk of coronary heart disease in otherwise healthy individuals. This research had an enormous effect in stimulating the development of the field of health psychology, in which psychologists look at how a person's mental state affects his or her physical health.

Athletic injuries

Type A personality may have more running injuries[5].[6] and possibly longer time to rehabilitate[5].

Criticism

Type A theory has been criticized on a few grounds. Psychometrically, the behaviors that define the syndrome are not highly correlated, indicating that this is a grouping of separate tendencies, not a coherent pattern or type. Researchers have also found that Type A behavior and coronary heart disease do not share a common genetic marker in Sardinians.[7] According to research by Redford Williams of Duke University, the hostility component of Type A personality is the only significant risk factor.[8] Thus, it is a high level of expressed anger and hostility, not the other elements of Type A behavior, that constitute the problem. For these reasons, Type A theory is considered to be obsolete by many researchers in contemporary health psychology and personality psychology.

See also

References

  1. Friedman, M. & Rosenman, R. H. (1974). Type A behavior and your heart. New York: Knopf.
  2. Friedman, M. (1996). Type A Behavior: Its Diagnosis and Treatment. New York, Plenum Press (Kluwer Academic Press).
  3. Bortner RW (1969). "A short rating scale as a potential measure of pattern A behavior". J Chronic Dis. 22 (2): 87–91. doi:10.1016/0021-9681(69)90061-7. PMID 5795891.
  4. Blumenthal JA, Herman S, O'Toole LC, Haney TL, Williams RB, Barefoot JC (1985). "Development of a brief self-report measure of the type A (coronary prone) behavior pattern". J Psychosom Res. 29 (3): 265–74. doi:10.1016/0022-3999(85)90053-4. PMID 4032325.
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 Fields KB, Delaney M, Hinkle JS (1990). "A prospective study of type A behavior and running injuries" (PDF). J Fam Pract. 30 (4): 425–9. PMID 2324695.
  6. Nigorikawa, T., Oishi, K., Yasukawa, M., Kamimura, M., Murayama, M., & Tanaka, N. (2003). Type A behavior pattern and sports injuries. Japanese Journal of Physical Fitness and Sports Medicine, 52(4), 359-367. doi:10.7600/jspfsm1949.52.359
  7. "Bates, K. L. (2006). Type A personality not linked to heart disease". Retrieved 2006-11-05.
  8. Williams, R. B. (2001). Hostility: Effects on health and the potential for successful behavioral approaches to prevention and treatment. In A. Baum, T. A. Revenson & J. E. Singer (Eds.) Handbook of Health Psychology. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.

Template:WH Template:WS