Glossary
Type A Personality
What is Type A personality?
Type A personality describes a historical behavior pattern involving achievement striving, competitiveness, and time urgency. In everyday speech, the label often means driven or impatient.
Characteristics and origins
Friedman and Rosenman's 1959 study compared men selected for contrasting patterns in work and leisure. The Type A idea centers on intense achievement and deadline orientation. It does not establish a separate natural personality type.
Type A and health
The original study reported cardiovascular differences between selected groups. Later prospective evidence was mixed for the broad Type A/hostility grouping.
A 2009 meta-analysis found associations between anger or hostility and coronary outcomes, with indications of publication bias. That does not show that ambition itself causes heart disease.
Example of Type A behavior
Imagine a colleague who turns routine tasks into competitions, watches the clock during every meeting, and becomes impatient when a project slips. Those behaviors illustrate competitiveness and time urgency.
Why it matters
“Type A” can be a quick description of someone's style. Be more specific when the distinction matters: are they impatient, competitive, highly ambitious, or hostile? The broad label cannot predict an individual's health.