Type A and Type B (Friedman and Rosenman)

Question 1

Distinguish between Type A and Type B behavior

Answer 1

Type A is more likely to be competitive, organized, aggressive/hostile, time urgent and impatient

Type B is more likely to be relaxed, disorganized, laid back and patient

Question 2

Relation between stress and Type A/B personalities

Answer 2

Type A personalities typically endure more stress and inability to manage stress means the cardiovascular systems are under strain; higher risk of CHD

Type B personalities are able to express their emotions better and cope with stress - less prone to potentially harmful repression of emotion

Question 3

Friedman and Rosenman AMRC

Answer 3

Friedman and Rosenman discovered Type A personality due to signs of stress on furniture. They conducted a longitudinal study to test the hypothesis that Type A personality could predict incidents of heart disease.

Participants were asked to complete a questionnaire regarding competitiveness, health and productivity

Findings demonstrated that Type A personalities developed CHD more than Type B personalities - figures were adjusted for smoking, lifestyle and Type A personalities were still twice as more likely to develop heart disease

Type A personalities are more likely to have ‘fight or flight,’ response to their environment - stress hormones over a long period of time can lead to stress-related illnesses

Question 4

Evaluation of Freidman and Rosenman

Answer 4

External validity: Study used an all male sample - unknown if the results can be generalized to the female population

Control: Important variables such as smoking and lifestyle were taken into account