Type A/B and Block's Personality types

Question 1

TypeA, TypeB

Answer 1

Meyer Friedman, gave this term.

He was a cardiologist and his patients were
made to wait in a sitting room where he had put some sofas.

He found that interestingly the patients who were very tense and impatient sat at the edge of the sofas and these areas had become worn out.

He hypothesised that his patients were driven, impatient people, who sat on the edge of their seats when waiting. He labelled these people “Type A” personalities. Type A personalities are workaholics, always busy, driven, somewhat impatient, and so on.

Type B personalities, on the other hand are laid back and easy going.

This term is used quite often in both scientific research and in common parlance.

Question 2

Block’s Personality Types

Answer 2

J. Block (1971) identified 3 personality types based on his work with adolescent boys. The three types were, for instance

i) Well-adjusted or Resilient person: adaptable, flexible, resourceful, interpersonally successful.
ii) Overcontrolling: this is a maladjusted type, uptight, and difficult to deal with person.
iii) Undercontrolled: another maladjusted type, impulsive, risky, delinquent or even criminal behaviour; unsafe sex etc.

Question 3

Strengths

Strengths and Limitations of Personality type

Answer 3

While type theories of personality remained popular for a period of time,

these theories were criticized as being too simple and

that which did not take into consideration the multidimensional aspects and the continuous nature of the personality traits.

A key strength of the personality type approach, is its simple applicability and person centered relevance.

For example one may be able to complete personality type profiles for helping improve how people get along in relationships and at work.

Despite criticisms against type theories of personality, there are yet certain strengths in these types of personality theories even though
considerable weaknesses have been identified.

Question 4

Limitations

Strengths and limitations of personality typing

Answer 4

Type theory in general has been criticised as over simplistic because it overlooks the multi dimensional and continuous nature of personality traits.

Individual differences may be qualitative but not quantitative. In other words, there may be a difference in the qualities of personality traits that people possess rather than how much of a trait that one possesses.

So measurement of these aspects in quantitative terms is rather difficult.

Question 5

Self Assessment Questions
1) What are Type A and Type B personality types?

2) What were the three personality types put forward by J.Block?