Type A and Type B Personality
Another classification system popularly used in Health Psychology is based on the principles of Franz Alexander in 1950. The personality types are: Type A and Type B.
Type A Personality: People with Type A personality are intensely competitive and ambitious persons. These individuals are extremely self-critical, hard working. They are workaholics. They remain active throughout their lives and are emotional. Their emotions tend to border on the aggressive side of the scale. They are restless and get anxious very easily. They may have hostile tendencies too. Characteristically, these individuals cannot wait patiently in a queue and they can’t stand it when people are unpunctual. Incomplete or imperfect work makes them restless, angry and aggressive. In short, they tend to be perfectionists and any violation of their set standards drives them to become highly anxious. These people work speedily, eat fast and drive rapidly. These become readily angry, whether they express it outwardly or not. They often challenge others and react promptly to a stressing situation. They are very impulsive.
Type A behavior have been associated with high blood pressure and cardiovascular diseases. This connection was established by H.S. Friedman & R.H. Roseman in 1974; they termed this association as Type A behavior syndrome.
Type B Personality: Individuals with type B personality are relaxed, peaceful and passive. These individuals are usually inert and idle. They easily backtrack if the conditions are inappropriate or unsuitable. These individuals may work hard but they are not workaholic and recognize the importance of rest and recreation. They lead a balanced life. They have a philosophy of life but are not perfectionists. They are flexible in nature and thus remain calm in adverse situations too. They are usually soft-spoken. They work at their pace and try to lay out time for everything. These people usually tend to be patient, yet are vigilant. They generally respond tolerantly to any stressor and attend to each facet of a problem exhaustively, without criticism.
Thus, personality is a dynamic construct, which can be classified for a given purpose.
