Personality is the set of characteristics that define us as human beings, as they differentiate us and also serve to predict our attitudes and behaviors. Psychology understands that personality is the pattern of feelings, emotions, thoughts and behavioral tendencies that remain stable over time and make the individual different from others. While there are many types, in this article we will discuss specifically the type A personality.
The first thing to clarify is that there are different classifications and theories of personality, but basically almost all theories focus on the classification of personality in types, others in profiles, others in a central group of characteristics that define the entire structure. of personality. In this article, as mentioned above, we will focus on Friedman and Rosenman’s theory of personality types.
- These authors (who were cardiologists) conducted a series of research in the 1950s on personality types and found two: Type A and Type B (and later Type C).
- While the type A personality is a model characterized by very strong and rigid features.
- Model B is characterized by greater flexibility and docility in its behavioral and attitude trends.
Type A personality is defined by three characteristics: competitiveness, sense of urgency and hostility. These three facets would manifest themselves mainly in situations of stress, demand and challenges.
That is, a person with Type A standards will not always be competitive and impatient in different aspects of their personal life, but will show these characteristics in certain situations, let’s see them one by one.
Type A people are on the road to success, that is, they try to give their best and stand out positively from others, they want to be the best in their field, show the best performance in stressful or challenging situations and not give give up easily.
The competitiveness of the Type A standard also leads to strong personal demands and the pursuit of success in practically everything that is done. Because for someone with a type A personality, achieving a goal is a satisfying experience in itself and very empowering for their brain; in fact, achieving a goal activates the brain reward path in these people.
Another feature that defines the Type A standard is impatience or a sense of urgency; These people want everything instantly. Type A people have difficulty waiting and have a great need to solve problems right away.
This, of course, causes them to make bad decisions out of impulsiveness and recklessness. They are people who have a hard time waiting and who have a different perception of time. They may even prefer to reduce the quality of their task to complete it faster.
In stressful situations, the Type A personality model is distinguished by easily showing a high level of hostility in the form of verbal, gestural and even physical aggression.
Type A hostility is also observed because they are people who quickly raise their voices and use a threatening tone, almost inadvertently, automatically, in addition, hostility causes these people to have a basic state of hypervigilance, as they feel the need to defend themselves and expect any sign of a possible threat.
Type A personality is identified and defined as a result of the study of a group of people’s stress response, while some subjects in this study group responded with a reactive and proactive response to stress (type A), others responded with reflection, passivity, and calm (type B). That’s why the type A personality model is a risk factor for the development of cardiovascular disease.
What does this mean that the type A personality profile is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease?This means that a stressed person with a type A pattern is more likely to have a dangerous heart attack or maximum hypertension than a person who does not have this pattern. Pattern.
Hence the importance of acting to regulate this personality pattern with psychological work in therapy, because, while they are personality traits, they can soften or alter in their intensity.
In addition to influencing our health, the Type A personality influences the relationship we have with others, as it is a personality model that hinders life and teamwork.
In fact, type A people generally prefer to work alone or on more independent tasks, because they have difficulty identifying with others because of their level of demand and impatience.
In any case, this personality model can be worked on in therapy; In addition, there are workplace intervention programmes that specifically aim to modulate the Type A Trait Triad.
In conclusion, it is important to note that type A personality requires psychological support, as it is essential that these people develop emotional management strategies because of its health consequences, yet another example of how the psychological regulates and affects it?Physical?.