Abstract
The Type A and Type B personality theory defines people with Type A personality as impatient, impulsive, ambitious, and even hostile or aggressive. People with Type B personality are the opposite of people with Type A personality, which makes them relaxed and easy-going. Because Type A behavior patterns are associated with higher stress levels, researchers have been investigating the association between those behaviors and physical health. This paper examines the association between illnesses and Type A behavior patterns. It also addresses the criticism regarding the role of the tobacco industry in funding Type A behavior patterns research and identifies the within-group differences that contribute to coronary heart disease and unhealthy habits. Although genetic studies indicate that behavioral traits are not associated with coronary disease, the roles of behavioral patterns and environmental influences in determining physical health cannot be disregarded.
Keywords: Type A, Type B, personality, coronary heart disease, psychosomatic
The Type A and Type B personality theory describes two opposite types of personality. Type A is characterized as ambitious, impatient, and competitive. People with Type A personality are also described as aggressive or hostile, and they care a lot about their social status and how others perceive them. Type B personality is the opposite of Type A, which means those people will be more relaxed and patient. While they also set goals and achievements, they are not as hard-pressed as Type A personalities to achieve them and are not negatively affected if they fail to achieve them. Because people with Type A personality are significantly affected by stress because of their behaviors, the majority of research was dedicated to the health problems associated with their behavioral patterns. While previous findings indicated that Type A behavior patterns increased the risk for coronary heart disease and psychosomatic disorders, current research indicates that personality traits may not be a suitable predictor for heart disease and other stress-related health issues.
The distinction between Type A and Type B personality was first proposed by Friedman and Rosenman (1959), who conducted a longitudinal study on middle-aged men between 35 and 59 years of age and found that men with Type A personality are at a significantly higher risk for coronary heart disease than men with Type B personality. Even though the original research was criticized because the targeted population consisted of middle-aged men only, subsequent research in the field found similar effects of stress and ambiguity on women with Type A personalities. A study by Dearborn and Hastings (1987) found that women with Type A personalities are more likely to complain than women with Type B personalities about both physical and psychological symptoms they experience when dissatisfied with their job. Another study by Williams et al. (1980) found that Type A behavior patterns are associated with coronary atherosclerosis in both men and women equally. Therefore, the distinction between Type A and Type B personalities in their behavior is clearly not limited to the sex of an individual.
In addition to heart disease, various other disorders induced by stress were studied and associated with the Type A behavior pattern. A study by Caplan and Jones (1975) found that increased workload and role ambiguity in the workplace increase anxiety among Type A personalities than they do in Type B personalities. A study by Jamal (1990) found that nurses with Type A behavior patterns experience more conflicts and stress at work, which eventually result in high burnout rates and psychosomatic health problems. Overall, Type A behavior patterns appear to be associated with various health issues, including coronary heart disease, anxiety, and psychosomatic disorders.
Even though the findings indicate that Type A behavior patterns may account for certain health problems, the Type A and Type B personality theory has been criticized because of the involvement of the tobacco industry in the funding of the early research on the topic. According to Petticrew, Lee, and McKee (2012), the tobacco industry did not fund all of the research on the topic of Type A behavior patterns, but most of the research papers reporting a positive correlation between Type A personality and coronary heart disease were funded by the tobacco companies. However, it is not possible to disprove findings based on the funding source alone, even though such conflicts of interest must be disclosed. A more detailed analysis of the Type A personality studies might reveal that different sampling strategies or models can account for the inconsistency in research findings.
It is also important to consider that there are different subtypes of Type A personalities. As a general rule, the risk for coronary disease and other issues is prevalent among people with Type A personality that display higher levels of hostility and neuroticism (Williams et al., 1980; Irvine, Lyle, & Allon, 1982). According to Smith (1992), hostility is associated with lower levels of social support and higher levels of conflict, but it is also associated with unhealthy habits. A study by Scherwitz et al. (1992) identified a statistically significant relationship between hostility and habits like alcohol abuse, illicit substance use, smoking, and overeating. Therefore, within-group differences can also account for predispositions to coronary disease and psychological issues associated with Type A personalities.
While studies show that hostility can determine behaviors associated with physical and psychological illnesses, genetic studies argue that there is no correlation between personality and coronary functions because the role of genes in determining behavior traits is estimated at 10-20% (Bates, 2006). Even though some health predispositions are genetic and may be influenced by genes as the body ages, it is possible to suggest that gene-environment interactions are required to trigger various physiological disorders. Therefore, while genes may not account for human behavior, it is certainly possible to learn behavioral patterns through social influences. People who learn Type A behavior patterns and develop a high level of hostility will more likely have stress-related health problems and engage in unhealthy habits, in which case the development of their genetically predisposed illnesses will be accelerated with those behaviors.
Type A behavior patterns have been associated with a variety of health issues. Most of the research available in the field focuses on coronary heart disorders, but some researchers also found the association between Type A behavior patterns and psychological disorders and psychosomatic disorders. More importantly, hostility has been identified as a key determinant of high risk for coronary and psychosomatic disorder because it is associated with unhealthy habits and poor social relationships. That means Type A personalities are not necessarily at risk for illness as long as they do not show high levels of hostility in their interpersonal interactions.
References
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