The origin, development, and current state of the literature on type A behavior.

Coronary heart disease remains the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States today. Type A behavior pattern has emerged as an important contributor to coronary heart disease. This review describes the development of the concept of type A behavior, definitions, and measurement. Early research that led to the prominence of type A behavior is reviewed, as are recent trends in the literature. Supporting theories such as the Western civilization work ethic, enhanced need for control, self-involvement, and ambiguous standards of evaluation are presented. The controversy over changing type A behavior is also discussed.