

That is, although Type A employees make successful managers (and salespeople), the most successful top executives tend to be Type B. One irony of Type A is that although this behaviour is helpful in securing rapid promotion to the top of an organization, it may be detrimental once the individual has arrived. Hence, Type A behaviour very clearly leads to one of the most severe outcomes of experienced stress. The rapid rise of women in managerial positions suggests that they, too, may be subject to this same problem. Similarly, Jenkins studied over 3,000 men and found that of 133 coronary heart disease sufferers, 94 were clearly identified as Type A in early test scores. Rosenman and Friedman studied 3,500 men over an 8 1/2-year period and found Type A individuals to be twice as prone to heart disease, five times as prone to a second heart attack, and twice as prone to fatal heart attacks when compared to Type B individuals. The role of Type A personality in producing stress is exemplified by the relationship between this behaviour and heart disease. It has been suggested that Type A personality is most useful in helping someone rise through the ranks of an organization. Indeed, one study found that 60 percent of managers were clearly identified as Type A, whereas only 12 percent were clearly identified as Type B. Type A personality is frequently found in managers. Table 3: Profiles of Type A and Type B Personalities These differences are summarized in Table 3.

Type b personality free#
Type B people, on the other hand, experience fewer pressing deadlines or conflicts, are relatively free of any sense of time urgency or hostility, and are generally less competitive on the job. Work activities are particularly important to Type A individuals, and they tend to freely invest long hours on the job to meet pressing (and recurring) deadlines.

Type A personality is characterized by impatience, restlessness, aggressiveness, competitiveness, polyphasic activities (having many “irons in the fire” at one time), and being under considerable time pressure. Type A and Type B personalities are felt to be relatively stable personal characteristics exhibited by individuals. Figure 3: Consequences of High Personality Control This characteristic was first introduced by Friedman and Rosenman and is called Type A personality. Research has focused on what is perhaps the single most dangerous personal influence on experienced stress and subsequent physical harm.
