Type A behaviour pattern, the recall of positive personality information and self‐evaluations

This paper reports on two studies of how Type A and B subjects perceive themselves. Both studies investigated differences in self‐ratings of personality by Type As and Bs, and differences in the recall of positive and negative personality information. As predicted, a modest significant positive correlation was found in both studies between Type A scores and number of positive traits remembered, suggesting that Type A behaviours are associated with a tendency to process information about the self in such a way as to bolster self‐esteem. Self‐ratings of positive and negative personality traits showed that Type As tended to rate themselves much more negatively than Type Bs. This provides support for a self‐evaluative model of Type A behaviour. The results are discussed in terms of the paradoxical nature of the Type A behaviour pattern. 1986 The British Psychological Society