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Characteristics of Type A behaviour:

Examples

1) Time Pressure

Working against the clock

Doing several things at once

Unhappy doing nothing

Irritation and impatience with others

2)Competitiveness

Always oriented towards achievement. Plays to win

3)Anger

Self-critical

Hostile to outside world

Anger directed inwards

“Type ‘A’ behaviour and

Cardiovascular Heart Disease (CHD)”

(Friedman and Rosenman 1974)

Aim:

To find evidence for the role of

non-physiological factors in CHD.

Procedure:

Participants= 3,154 men, aged 39-59.They were

followed over 8 years (Longitudinal study). How

they dealt with stressful situations was assessed in 2 ways:

Structured

interview: Predetermined open-ended questions

Self

assessment test: several multiple-choice

questions.

Findings:

Eight years later at follow up, 257 had

developed CHD. 69% were those previously assessed as type A.

The Hardy personality

According to Kobasa,

hardiness includes a range of personality factors that protect against the

negative effects of stress. With their positive

approach, they perceive life changes as challenges rather than stressors, leading to less

activation of the stress response.

Characteristics

of a Hardy individual:

ØCommited: Deeply involved in anything they do

ØSee

change as a Challenge: Change is an opportunity for personal growth

and development rather than a threat

ØSense

of being in Control:

High internal locus of control (i.e. take responsibility for their own

actions/behaviour). They can affect their environment- what they do will make a

difference

Negative affectivity:

Critics argue the characteristics of Hardy personality (3 C’s) can be more

simply explained by the concept of Negative affectivity. High N/A individuals

are more likely to report distress and dissatisfaction, dwell more on failures

and focus on negative aspects of themselves. N/A and hardiness correlate

reasonably well, suggesting that ‘hardy individuals’ are simply those who are

low on N/A

Problems of measurement:

Most research support for a link between hardiness and health has relied upon

data obtained through self-report questionnaires. Some studies show internal

reliability for the challenge component of hardiness.

Evaluation of Hardy

Personality

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