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Personality characteristics have been linked to various health outcomes. Personality characteristics and rheological parameters have been found to be independent correlates of cardiovascular diseases. The present study aimed to explore the possible relationship between the two independent factors, personality characteristics (Big Five traits and Type A behaviour pattern) and rheological parameters (blood viscosity, plasma viscosity and red cell rigidity), and it was expected that the factors would be positively correlated to each other. The study was conducted on the sample of 68 healthy young adults. Personality assessments and biomedical analysis of the blood sample of participants were carried out to test the possible correlates. Descriptive statistics and Pearson correlation analysis did not show any significant relationship between the factors. The findings indicate that personality characteristics and changes in rheological factors are independent of each other, and hence rheological parameters do not explain the relationship between personality and cardiovascular disease. Limitation and implications of the study are discussed.

The aim of this study was to assess quality of performance of attention-demanding task of Type A and Type B individuals and their emotional reactivity during the task. 38 individuals were selected to participate in a study from 226 undergraduate students and classified as Type A (n=19) or as Type B (n=19) on the basis of their scores on the Adolescent/Adult Type A Behavior Scale – 3. They performed ABQ test to measure their focus and attentiveness in three different situations: when giving basic instructions, when giving the instructions with time limitations and stimulus to compete and when criticizing while doing the task. The emotional reactivity during the performances of the task was evaluated using Emotional Assessment Scale. The results of the study showed better Type A students’ performance on tasks in all three situations comparing to Type B students. Students having Type A behaviour pattern reported higher level of competiveness when being given the instructions of time limitations and stimulus to compete and when criticizing their performance than Type B students. Moreover, Type A students reported having more anger while performing the task when being criticized than Type B students.

The prevalence of coronary–prone behaviour, Type A, was investigated in a representative sample of all Finnish adults comprising 1941 men and 2168 women aged 30–64 years. The behaviour pattern was assessed by the Jenkins Activity Survey. The mean of the Type A scores was –5.7 for men and –5.8 for women. Among men, 28.2%, and among women 26.8% had scores greater than or equal to 0. Type A was positively associated with the level of education. The prevalence of Type A in Finnish men and women seems to be lower than that found in most other surveys.

This study examines the relationship among job stressors (role ambiguity, role overload, role conflict, resource inadequacy, skill underutilization), Type A behaviour pattern and employees' psychosomatic complaints, life and job satisfaction, unproductive time at the job, and absenteeism among middle managers (N = 227) and among blue-collar workers (N = 285). Job stressors were found to be significantly related to all outcome variables, except life satisfaction. Type A behaviour was associated with a number of job stressors and outcome variables. In addition, Type A behaviour was found to be an important moderator of the stress-outcome relationships. Implications of the findings for management and for future research are highlighted. Resume Cette etude examine la relation entre les facteurs de stress au travail (ambiguite des roles, surcharge de travail, conflits relies au role, ressources inadequates, sousutilisation des competences), le comportement de type A et les plaintes psycho-somatiques, la satisfaction au travail, la faible productivite au travail et l'absen-teisme chez les cadres moyens (N = 227) et les cols bleus (N = 285). Les resultats demontrent que les facteurs de stress sont definitivement relies a toutes les variables sauf le degre de satisfaction generale. Le comportement de type A est associe a un certain nombre de facteurs de stress et de variables resultantes. De plus, le comportement de type A semble etre un moderateur important dans les rapports stress / resultat. L'impact de ces decouvertes dans le domaine de la gestion et pour la recherche future est mis en relief.

During the last 50 years, many studies have analysed the correlations between personality factors, behavioural pattern, personality type, psychiatric disorders and coronary artery disease (CAD). Although consistent evidence of causal association between CAD and major depressive disorders does exist, the role and importance of personality factors and character traits in CAD development and manifestations are still debatable. We reported the most important studies from the literature on type A behaviour pattern (TABP), the first correlated to CAD. After the initial enthusiasms, large clinical trials raised doubts about the role of TABP as CAD risk factor. We reported subsequent researches aimed at extracting from TABP components predisposing to atherosclerosis, such as hostility and anger. Finally, we analysed a recent personality type (type D) introduced in 1995 and identified as a negative prognostic factor in CAD patients.

The aim of this study was to determine whether there are differences in personality between hypertension and normotension. Forty‐two male patients with essential hypertension were divided into two groups after self‐assessment of blood pressure, 18 with sustained hypertension and 24 with isolated clinic (white coat) hypertension, and were compared with 25 men with normotension on Spielberger's State‐Trait Anxiety Inventory and the Jenkins Activity Survey. In line with hypotheses, the sustained hypertensive group showed higher levels of trait anxiety, Type A behaviour pattern, and hard‐driving behaviours/competitiveness than the normotensive group, whereas isolated clinic hypertensives occupied an intermediate position between those two groups. Results provide support to the hypothesised relationship between personality and hypertension and stress the need of distinguishing sustained hypertension from isolated clinic hypertension. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Unlike biology textbooks, psychology textbooks do not present autonomous facts of psychology but introduce students to the need for evidence in accounts of psychological knowledge. This paper concerns the range of ways in which textbooks deal with areas where there is knowledge in many sites in addition to academic psychology, using four examples from stress and health. Type A behaviour pattern is presented in detail in textbooks but not as established psychology; coping and health in students are dealt with by a change of genre which allows the readers’ concerns and knowledge to be placed outside science; stress is given origins in the psychological laboratory with other origins diminished, and then treated as an established entity; only post-traumatic stress disorder is taken for granted and not questioned, that is, it is given entity status without origins being provided and has no history of making within the textbooks themselves.

L'exercice a des effets prononces benefiques sur l'humeur; cependant, pour les individus ayant un comportement de type A les effets positifs de l'exercice sur l'humeur peuvent ne pas etre uniformes compte tenu de leur tendance a percevoir les situations d'exercice comme etant une competition. Cette etude a examine si la competition (et l'effort qui s'ensuit) influence la reaction affective des individus ayant un comportement de type A lorsqu'ils font de l'exercice. Les resultats indiquent que les individus ayant un comportement de type A qui font de l'exercice dans une condition competitive ont une reaction affective moins favorable que ceux dans une condition non competitive. Les effets sont les plus apparents pour l'affect general, la depression et la colere et moins notables pour l'anxiete chronique. Il y a une tendance pour les individus ayant un comportement de type A dans la condition non competitive a manifester des benefices affectifs tandis que l'affect de ceux dans la condition competitive ont tendance a ne pas etre influences par l'exercice.

This paper reports some data on socio-demographic correlates of the Type A behaviour pattern (TABP) based on a sample of employed individuals in Papua New Guinea (PNG). A total of 356 participants aged 21–51 years (mean=33.9, S.D.=6.84) representing managerial, administrative, and technical jobs in two public sector organisations completed the Jenkins Activity Survey (JAS) and a questionnaire on the socio-demographic profile of the participants. The results showed that participants, on average, self-reported much more as Type B's than Type A's compared to the JAS norms as is reported in the literature. However, the results on the effects of socio-demographic factors on the expression of the TABP revealed greater consistency with normative data and with expectations based on the literature. This finding minimised potential cultural considerations in favour of the theory that the ambient situation in which an individual dwells exerts stronger influence on the expression of the TABP. In this regard, socio-demographic factors play an important role in promoting the expressions of the TABP.

To examine the relationship between type A behavior pattern and hypercholesterolemia, we recruited 109 primary hypercholesterolemic patients without treatment for hyperlipidemia (30 males and 79 females) and then classified them according to Maeda's questionnaire into two groups; type A group (16 males and 35 females, aged 73.1 +/- 8.7) and type B group (14 males and 44 females, aged 71.3 +/- 8.7). We studied serum total cholesterol, serum triglyceride and BMI. Serum total cholesterol was shown significantly higher in type A group than that in type B (233.0 +/- 22.8 vs 223.9 +/- 14.2 p < 0.01) and BMI lower (24.0 +/- 3.9 vs 25.4 +/- 3.9 p < 0.05), however, there was no significant difference in serum triglyceride between two groups (148.96 +/- 8.2 vs 134.0 +/- 48.8). Although there was no significant difference in BMI, serum total cholesterol was significantly higher in the women's group and in the 60s. This study suggests that type A behavior pattern is related to lipid metabolism, however we should take gender and age into consideration to study the relationship between type A behavior pattern and lipid metabolism.

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between individual differences in personality and susceptibility to stress in the workplace. Stress in lecturers employed by a computer training organization was assessed by means of self-report and measurement of salivary cortisol output during lecturing and non-lecturing weeks. Neuroticism, Type A behaviour pattern and locus of control were measured. Self-reported stress was found to be much greater during lecturing weeks, but cortisol levels were unaffected by working conditions. There was a significant positive correlation between neuroticism and locus of control and a negative correlation between locus of control and Type A behaviour pattern that approached significance. Multiple regression was employed to explore relations between personality and stress. Subjects with lower neuroticism scores yielded a bigger increase in reported stress, in the lecturing compared with the non-lecturing week, than subjects with high neuroticism scores...

The relationship between Type A Behaviour Pattern (TABP) and performance on an in-basket task was examined. Some of the subjects (n=40) were told that they would be recognized for superior performance, while others (n=22) were not given this information. Results indicated no relationship between a global TABP measure and all the measures of in-basket performance. Achievement Strivings (AS), a component of TABP, was positively related to overall effort, overall quality of performance, and interpersonal sensitivity. None of these relations was moderated by recognition. However, it was found that the relation between AS and use of delegation was moderated by recognition. AS was strongly and negatively related to delegation only among those who were told they would be recognized for superior performance. Impatience-Irritability (I–I), another component of TABP, was unrelated to measures of in-basket performance, although the relation between I–I and interpersonal sensitivity was moderated by recognit...

This paper gives empirical treatment to the new theoretical Type E construct proposed by Braiker (1986) as an explanation for multiple role stress, by 1) documenting the prevalence of Type E behaviour In career women 2) Investigating the validity of the concept in relation to the Type A behaviour pattern 3) examining the relationship of type E stress to Illness symptoms and 4) studying any stress-buffering effects of social support. Women (N = 166) from the professions of nursing, teaching, business and management, medicine, accountancy, psychology and other helping professions answered a questionnaire relating to type E behaviours and cognitions, social supports available to them and prevalence of psychophysiological Illness symptoms. All women were Involved in multiple roles relating to work, marrlagelpal1nership and chlldrearing. Support was found for the type E construct being independent of the Type A construct, the only overlap occuring for the speed-impatience component or Type A. Type E personality was strongly related to illness symptoms, the cognitive aspect or the syndrome being an even better predictor of symptoms than type E behaviours. No stress-butTering effects of social support were found, though esteem support was found to have a beneficial effect on health independent of type E stress. Implications of the present findings for the family and helping professions are discussed.

Measures of actual and reported physiological functioning were obtained from 39 white-collar workers under rest and bogus ultrasound conditions, with the latter condition being designed to focus their attention on internal physiological functioning. The actual physiological measures consisted of changes in heart rate, respiratory rate, skin resistance, and peripheral temperature, and there were corresponding self-report measures, as well as an assessment of reported stress. There were only modest relationships between actual and reported changes in physiological functioning, and there were very few effects of Type A and neuroticism on actual physiological changes. The attentional manipulation had more effect on Type As than on Type Bs for changes in reported heart rate, respiratory rate, sweat, and stress; it also had more effect on those low in neuroticism than those high in neuroticism for changes in reported sweat and stress, and there were similar (but non-significant) effects in the reported heart rate and respiratory rate data. Theoretical accounts of these findings for Type A behaviour pattern and neuroticism are discussed.

A total of 11 1 chernical emergency response team members were evaluated on the effective use ofpersonal protective equipment (PPE) and self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) whde participating in a series of simulated hazardous material accidents. Performance ratings of PPE and SCBA use were conducted via behaviourally anchored rating scales (BARS), self-estimates of effectiveness, and cohort ratings. Subjective distress was assessed via the Subjective State Change Measure (SSCM), State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and the Framingham Type A Behaviour Scale. Results indicated that effective use ofprotective breathing apparatus was correlated with prior emergency response experience and state anxiety. BARS scores were negatively related to state anxiety when controlling for experience. Self-ratings for effectiveness was positively related to both type A behaviour pattern and state anxiety.

Jenkins Activity Survey (JAS) data on samples of executives are reviewed first, followed by data on non-executive samples. A strong possibility exists of an unusually high incidence of the Type A behaviour pattern, as measured by the JAS Type A scale, among white managers in business and industries characterized by a strong marketing orientation and in occupations characterized by fast, personalized feedback on performance. Afrikaans speakers tended to obtain higher mean Type A scores than English speakers, in some cases significantly so. Patterns of scores on the Factor S, J and H scales suggest that the high Type A scores do not necessarily imply a high risk for coronary heart disease. However, the possibility of other ill-health as a consequence should be considered.

The Type A Behaviour Pattern (TABP) and the Jenkins Activity Survey (JAS), as a means of operationalizing it, are described. The JAS is a measure of the ‘pressured drive’ component of the TABP and is related only poorly to the Structured Interview, which is usually considered as the standard méasure of the TABP. Literature on the JAS and coronary heart disease (CHD) is reviewed first. Cross-sectional studies provided favourable validation but not so prospective studies. A number of large-scale prospective studies with consistently negative findings are viewed as inconclusive for sampling reasons. Overall, the results discourage use of the JAS as a predictor of CHD. Next, data on the JAS and illness in general, as well as accidents and injuries, are reviewed and moderate support for the relationship is found. Lastly, the relationship of the JAS to occupational and productivity criteria is reviewed and fairly strong ties are highlighted. A number of alternative measures and more sophisticated research designs are proposed.

Emotional styles and coping strategies related to Type A behaviour in 364 healthy young men were examined. It was found that a global index of Type A behaviour was not a useful concept but the psychological nature of Type A behaviour could be understood through its different dimensions. At least two different sets of Type A components were found. The first represented a person who scored high on the Engagement-Involvement factor of Type A behaviour. He was characterized by a positive attitude toward emotions and an ability to perceive and express them adequately. When faced with stress he used problem-focused coping. The other type scored high on the Hard-driving factor of Type A behaviour. He was characterized by high discomfort with emotions and a proneness to express emotions through somatic symptoms. In stressful situations he used withdrawal. Depression was strongly included in that combination. It may be that rather than tha whole Type A behaviour pattern the last mentioned combination represents coronary-prone behaviour.

The relationship between the Type A Behaviour Pattern and heart-rate reactivity to the onset of a typical stressor was investigated with a sample of Australian boys and girls from three age-grade levels: preschool, middle-elementary, and upper-elementary. Behaviour Pattern was measured with the Matthews Youth Test for Health (Matthews & Angulo, 1980), and data were collected on children's second-by-second heart rate during rest and the stressor tasks. Reactivity to the onset of the stressor task (a puzzle game or mental arithmetic), was assessed. Results indicated that there were expected age differences in resting and stressor task heart rates, but that there was no significant difference in heart-rate reactivity between children classified as Type A or B Behaviour Pattern, either for the entire sample, for two extreme subsamples, or within each of the three age groups.

El presente estudio se propone analizar la posible relación existente entre el acoso psicológico y determinados factores psicosociales como el burnout con sus factores cansancio emocional, despersonalización y realización personal, el patrón de conducta tipo A y sus factores impaciencia, competitividad, sobrecarga y hostilidad, el bienestar psicológico en el ambiente de trabajo o el estrés general en el ámbito socio - laboral. Con una muestra de 220 profesores (93 hombres y 127 mujeres) se recoge, mediante diversos cuestionarios estandarizados, información sobre los factores anteriormente descritos y otros datos de tipo epidemiológico. Los resultados muestran la existencia de una relación significativa entre el acoso psicológico y la mayoría de los factores predictores. Además se establece un modelo capaz de predecir el 24,3% de la varianza con respecto al acoso psicológico, compuesto por las variables despersonalización, hostilidad y estrés. The present study tries to analyse the possible relationship between psychological harassment and determined psychosocial factors such as burnout, with its related factors of emotional tiredness, depersonalisation and personal fulfilment, type A behaviour pattern and its factors related to impatience, competitiveness, overload and hostility, psychological wellbeing in the work setting or general stress in social and work settings. Different standardised questionnaires were given to a sample of 220 teachers (93 males and 127 females) so that information could be collected about the aforementioned factors and other epidemiological data. The results revealed the existence of a significant relationship between psychological harassment and most predictive factors. A model able to predict 24.3% of variance regarding psychological harassment, consisting of variables regarding depersonalisation, hostility and stress was also established. Cette étude analyse le rapport potentiel existant entre le harcèlement psychologique et certains facteurs psychosociaux tels que le burnout et les facteurs de fatigue émotionnelle, dépersonnalisation et réalisation personnelle, le modèle de conduite type A et les facteurs d'impatience, compétitivité, surcharge et hostilité, le bien-être psychologique en milieu de travail ou le stress général en milieu socio professionnel. Au moyen d'un échantillon de 220 professeurs (93 hommes et 127 femmes) une information est recueillie par le biais de différents questionnaires standardisés, sur les facteurs décrits précédemment et d'autres données de type épidémiologique. Le résultat montre l'existence d'un rapport significatif entre le harcèlement psychologique et la plupart des facteurs prédicteurs. En outre, un modèle est établi avec une capacité de prédiction de 24,3% de variation, en ce qui concerne le harcèlement psychologique, composé des aspects variables de dépersonnalisation, hostilité et stress. O presente estudo propõe-se a analisar a possível relação existente entre o assédio psicológico e determinados fatores psicossociais com o burnout com seus fatores cansaço emocional, despersonalização e realização pessoal, o padrão de conduta tipo A e seus fatores impaciência, competitividade, sobrecarga e hostilidade, o bem-estar psicológico no ambiente de trabalho ou o estresse geral no âmbito sócio-laboral. Com uma amostra de 220 professores (93 homens e 127 mulheres) coleta-se, mediante diversos questionários padronizados, informação sobre os fatores anteriormente descritos e outros dados de tipo epidemiológico. Os resultados mostram a existência de uma relação significativa entre o assédio psicológico e a maioria dos fatores sintomáticos. Além disso, estabelece-se um modelo capaz de predizer 24,3% da variação com respeito ao assédio psicológico, composto pelas variáveis despersonalização, hostilidade e estresse.

This exploratory study examined the characteristics of Type A behaviour pattern (TABP) among 341 undergraduates of three different faculties of a university in Singapore. It attempted to show if differences in faculty choice of males and females could be attributed to TABP. The findings of the article indicated that the choice of the faculty differs between male and female and that these differences are explained by the hostility trait of the TABP. The sample showed a high proportion of a Type A behaviour pattern. The tendency towards TABP was higher among females than males. It would appear that increased urbanization, such as in Singapore, is a Type A-promoting social contingency.

The present study examined several hypotheses concerning behavioural and physiological differences between Type A and B individuals when involved in a competitive driving game. The results showed Type As expressed a greater desire to win the competition than did Type B Ss and were more erratic and more careless in performing the task. This distinct style was salient when Type As were involved in competition. Furthermore Type As increased heart rate (HR) more than Type Bs during both competition and practice. Results are discussed in terms of assessing the Type A behaviour pattern for predicting driver performance and improving road safety. Possible implications of the present results for the modification of Type A are also discussed.

El presente trabajo es un estudio experimental cuyo objetivo es comprobar si la congruencia entre las características del individuo y las características de la tarea tiene consecuencias positivas para el rendimiento y la satisfacción. Los resultados obtenidos ponen de manifiesto que los individuos con patrón de conducta tipo A obtienen mejores resultados en los casos de ajuste o congruencia que en los casos de desajuste o incongruencia, mientras que el rendimiento de las personas con patrón de conducta tipo B no está relacionado con el ajuste/desajuste entre sus necesidades-metas personales y las demandas de la tarea. Además, las personas con patrón de conducta tipo A también presentan mayores niveles de satisfacción en los casos de congruencia que en los casos de incongruencia. Sin embargo, las personas con patrón de conducta tipo B presentan los mismos niveles de satisfacción en ambos casos. This paper is an experimental study whose basic aim is to check whether the congruence between personality characteristics and task characteristics has positive effects for performance and satisfaction in individuals. The results reveal that Type A Behaviour Pattern individuals get better results in cases of adjustment or congruence than in cases of disadjustment or incongruence, whereas the performance of Type B Behaviour Pattern individuals is not related to the adjustment or disadjustment between personal needs / aims and the task's demands. In addition, we have found that Type A Behaviour Pattern persons also have greater levels of satisfaction in cases of congruence than in cases of incongruence. However, Type B Behaviour Pattern persons show the same level of satisfaction in both cases.

El presente trabajo es un estudio experimental cuyo objetivo es comprobar si la congruencia entre las características del individuo y las características de la tarea tiene consecuencias positivas para el rendimiento y la satisfacción. Los resultados obtenidos ponen de manifiesto que los individuos con patrón de conducta tipo A obtienen mejores resultados en los casos de ajuste o congruencia que en los casos de desajuste o incongruencia, mientras que el rendimiento de las personas con patrón de conducta tipo B no está relacionado con el ajuste/desajuste entre sus necesidades-metas personales y las demandas de la tarea. Además, las personas con patrón de conducta tipo A también presentan mayores niveles de satisfacción en los casos de congruencia que en los casos de incongruencia. Sin embargo, las personas con patrón de conducta tipo B presentan los mismos niveles de satisfacción en ambos casos., This paper is an experimental study whose basic aim is to check whether the congruence between personality characteristics and task characteristics has positive effects for performance and satisfaction in individuals. The results reveal that Type A Behaviour Pattern individuals get better results in cases of adjustment or congruence than in cases of disadjustment or incongruence, whereas the performance of Type B Behaviour Pattern individuals is not related to the adjustment or disadjustment between personal needs / aims and the task’s demands. In addition, we have found that Type A Behaviour Pattern persons also have greater levels of satisfaction in cases of congruence than in cases of incongruence. However, Type B Behaviour Pattern persons show the same level of satisfaction in both cases.

This investigation explored the conceptual and empirical linkages between the Protestant work ethic (PWE) and the Type A behaviour pattern (TABP). Considering the apparent similarities between these work-related variables, surprisingly little is known about the relationship between them. In one sample ( N = 214), a global Type A measure correlated significantly but weakly with the PWE, while in another ( N = 136) the nature of the PWE-TABP relationship depended on the particular TABP subscale under consideration; i.e. near-zero for “impatience-irritability” but positive for “achievement strivngs”. These findings are consistent with the earlier work of Furnham ( Psychological Reports, 66 , 323–328, 1990). Additional analysis suggests, however, that the overlap between these variables is attributable to the influence of the need for achievement. When the effects of this third variable are held constant, the PWE is orthogonal to the TABP.

The present study assessed the prevalence of the Type A behaviour pattern in a rural and an urban sample of men in Norway. The study was carried through on data collected for other purposes, reported earlier in 1998 and 1999, to evaluate whether there were differences in Type A behaviour pattern between the two environmental settings. The Type A behaviour pattern was assessed in both studies using the Jenkins Activity Survey. Analysis of the data on the Global Type A scale indicated that, on average, participants in both environments reported as Type Bs as opposed to Type As. However, the distribution of scores on the subscales of the Jenkins Activity Survey showed that mean scores on the Type A behaviour attributes were higher in the urban sample than those in the rural sample. The results concerning the expression of the Global Type A from these samples supported expectations about differences in challenges of a competitive environment such as an urban setting, expressed in the literature.

Background: Studies of type A behaviour pattern suggest that it can be promoted as a whole by certain parental rearing styles. However, the association of the different components of the type A behaviour with specific rearing practices has not been clarified. Method: The relationship between parents' rearing style and the different type A behaviour components of their children was analysed in a sample of 312 university students. Parental rearing style was assessed with the EMBU, a Swedish measure originally designed to assess one's recollections concerning one's parents rearing behaviour. Type A pattern was measured by the JAS, a self-administered questionnaire that gives the global type A score and three of its components. Results: Hard Driving was related to Rejection and Favouring Subject in males. Speed-Impatience was related to Rejection and Control in both sexes, and Job Involvement was related to Control and Favouring Subject in females. In a discriminant factor analysis in males, Rejection, Control and Favouring Subject on the part of fathers classified correctly 80% of the subjects identified as having high or low Speed-Impatience and the variables of Rejection and Favouring Subject (also by fathers) classified correctly 69.23% of the subjects identified as high or low Hard Driving. In females, Control and Favouring Subject on the part of mothers and low Rejection by fathers classified correctly 70.37% of the subjects with high or low Job Involvement. Conclusion: These results suggest that different rearing characteristics are related to the various components of the type A behaviour pattern.

Ten studies, involving a total of 5826 patients, on type A and post-infarct morbidity/mortality are reviewed. Persons who were assessed to be type A before or shortly after infarction appear not to be at greater risk for death or recurrent cardiac morbidity in the first years subsequent to infarction. In fact they may enjoy lower risk. Persons who show large reductions in type A behaviour likely suffer fewer cardiac recurrences than those who do not. A conceptualization of type A as a modifiable cardiac risk factor which people are inclined to lessen after suffering infarction, is consonant with the findings. An intriguing finding that type A MI-survivors have a greater risk for sudden cardiac death than do non-type A persons awaits replication.

The Type A behaviour pattern is a well‐documented, if controversial, risk factor for coronary heart disease. Surprisingly, relatively little work has been reported on ways of modifying this behaviour pattern. Aerobic exercise, with its demonstrated benefits for both cardiovascular reactivity and psychological ‘well‐being’, is a promising treatment. The literature is reviewed and recommendations are made for practical applications and future research.

A comparison of Type A behaviour pattern, hostility and Typus Melancholicus (TM) was examined in a sample of 228 Japanese and 121 American college students. It was found that: the Japanese students expressed Type A, especially hostility, less strongly than American ones; TM was seen to the same degree in both Japanese and American students; Type A was related to hostility and TM in both groups of students; and compared with American students, the Japanese students displayed the defensiveness more frequently, and there appeared to be a strong relationship between defensiveness and hostility. These results suggest the possibility that hostility, a component element of Type A, is manifested under the influence of defensiveness, which is partially related to a variety of different sociocultural contexts.

Participants were 155 insurance representatives and 116 of them who were still in the same position one year later. The performance criterion represented commission on policies and annuities sold; data were obtained for the year of testing and the next year. The Jenkins Activity Survey was administered. The Type A (M === 6.26; SD == 7.90) was not excessively high. The Factor H score correlated r (114) - 0,23, p = 0,05 with the criterion for the second year; no other score correlated significantly with criterion scores. Interventions to reduce Type A behaviour for health reasons seem unlikely to reduce business performance. Opsomming Die deelnemers was 155 assuransieverteenwoordigers en 116 van hulle wat een jaar later nog in dieselfde pos was. Die prestasiekriterium het kommissie op polisse en annuiteite verteenwoordig; gegewens is vir die jaar van toetsing en die volgende jaar verkry. Jenkins se Aktiviteitsvraelys is toegepas. Die Tipe A (X == 6.26; SA - 790) was nie buitengewoon hoog nie. Die Faktor H-telling het r (114) - 0,23, p - 0,05 met die kriterium vir die tweede jaar gekorreleer; geen ander tellings het beduidend met die kriteriumtellings gekorreleer nie. Dit lyk onwaarskynlik dat intervensies om Tipe A-gedrag om gesondheidsredes te verminder besigheidsprestasie sal verlaag.

40 adult subjects completed three measures of the Protestant Work Ethic and a multidimensional measure of the Type A behaviour pattern. The only consistent pattern of correlations was between the “hard-driving” subscale of the Type A measure and all three total PWE scores for Protestant Work Ethic. Results are discussed in terms of the constituent parts of both concepts.

Summary. Introduction. The role of psychosocial factors in cerebral infarct has been little studied and is therefore still undefined. Objective and methods. To evaluate the effect of a pattern of behaviour which predisposes to stress, and of life events, on the occurrence of cerebral infarct, we studied a group and control involving 88 patients with cerebral infarcts diagnosed clinically and on imaging studies, and a control group of 99 persons paired for age and sex who lived in our health district. To evaluate the behaviour pattern we used Jenkins abbreviated questionnaire and for life events the Holmes and Rahe questionnaire. Results. The type A behaviour pattern had a highly statistically significant association with cerebral infarct, which was not associated with the effects of other variables. This relation was the greater the lower the age of the person. It was not seen after the age of 75 years. The behaviour pattern was not related to arterial hypertension or with the aetiopathological mechanisms of the patients. In relation to the life events questionnaire, the number of events was significantly associated in the group of patients, but not with the total score of the questionnaire. However, the latter was significantly related to hypertensive patients and persons with a type A behaviour pattern. The commonest life events in both groups were related to the death or health problems of family members, the previous illnesses of the person and to financial and work problems. Conclusion. The type A behaviour pattern is individually associated with cerebral infarct, whilst stressful life events were involved in the cerebral infarcts of hypertensive and type A behaviour patients. (REV NEUROL 2002; 34: 622-7)