Type A Personality Test - Sample report

According to scientific literature, the Type A Personality construct describes someone who is aggressively involved in a chronic, incessant struggle to achieve more and more in less and less time. The defining characteristics of the Type A Behavior Pattern (TABP) are a strong drive to succeed, hostility, competitiveness, perfectionism, a desire for recognition, wealth and advancement, difficulty talking about feelings, and a sense of urgency and impatience.

Overall results  49

Achievement Striving 51

Impatience / Irritability 48

You seem to fall in the middle between a Type A and Type B personality. Sometimes you are as laidback as a Type B; in other situations, you can be a high achiever or express impatience and hostility like a Type A. Either you adjust your behavior depending on the situation, or you tend to have a moderate attitude. In other words, you have some of the good and the bad associated with the Type A Personality. With a bit of drive, perfectionism and competitiveness to keep you going, you likely are able to achieve many of your goals in life without pushing yourself to the point of exhaustion. However, you also have some of the negative emotionality associated with the TABP as well - you may find that you becoming a bit hostile, impatient, or stressed in the face of obstacles and frustrations. Your moderate score however, means that you possess a healthy balance, so long as you keep your negative emotions in check.
Research has shown that Type A people tend to work longer hours.

According to scientific literature, the Type A Personality construct describes someone who is aggressively involved in a chronic, incessant struggle to achieve more and more in less and less time. The defining characteristics of the Type A Behavior Pattern (TABP) are a strong drive to succeed, hostility, competitiveness, perfectionism, a desire for recognition, wealth and advancement, difficulty talking about feelings, and a sense of urgency and impatience.

When researchers first conceptualized the Type A Personality, all of the above traits were grouped together into one overall pattern of behavior. More recently however, this one-dimensional approach has been criticized. More up-to-date research has found that there are actually two main types of behaviors in the TABP: Achievement Striving, made up of things like perfectionism, competitiveness, and drive, and Impatience-Irritability, which consists of elements such as hostility, impatience, and what we refer to as tough-mindedness (lack of ability to relate to others in terms of emotions). It also includes the need for wealth and status. These two groups of traits, while correlated with one another, have been shown to be statistically distinct and, not surprisingly, they predict different effects on the lives of the people who experience them. Moreover, several researchers have suggested that inconsistent results in the scientific literature in areas like performance on the job and health effects of the TABP could be explained by the early problems defining this pattern.

The behaviors and traits that make up Achievement Striving, such as competitiveness and drive, are often quite positive and can make for super-achievers and high-powered people. Individuals with these more constructive traits of TABP have immense reserves of drive and energy. They are traits associated with greater potential for success in life. However, everything at its most extreme can be unhealthy, and this is the case with Achievement Striving as well. Anyone who pushes him or herself too hard is at risk for emotional and physical burnout.

The Impatience-Irritability trait of TABP on the other hand, is characterized by a tendency to react to unpleasant situations with responses that reflect anger, frustration, irritation and disgust. An inability to trust others, communicate feelings, and a general sense of discontent also characterizes people with this aspect of TABP. Individuals with this group of traits are motivated by external factors such as material reward and recognition rather than by inner motivators. They experience a constant sense of opposition, wariness and apprehension - they are always ready for battle. This constant and very exhausting presence of negative emotions depletes reserves of energy, impacts heavily on health, and disrupts personal equilibrium.

The Impatience-Irritability aspect of TABP has been linked to a number of health problems. Although the literature is somewhat inconsistent because of the problems with the conceptualization and definition of Type A behavior, studies have shown that Type A people run higher risks of cardiovascular disease, cancer and other stress-related evils such as frequent colds, anxiety disorders, burnout and depression. The risks seem to be reduced with intervention aimed at reducing Type A behavior. Indeed, those with pronounced Type A characteristics would be happier and healthier if they were to file down the jagged edges of their personality. By learning how to control the negative behavior patterns while preserving their drive, Type A people can be successful without sacrificing their emotional and physical well-being.

This test describes people on the opposite side of Type A Personality characteristics as Type B. Although difficult to define, Type B people are generally stress-avoiders who know how to take things easy. Two types of people fit this very unperturbed and laidback profile: the spiritually minded folks that adopt an "everybody must win" attitude to life, and those that have a more passive and blasé "don't care much about anything" attitude. Although it's good to be cool and relaxed, Type B people simply don't get much done. In any case, all persons with Type B personality characteristics can benefit from a more ardent approach to reaching their goals. Their very laidback way of life may put them at risk of missing out on great opportunities.

Overall results

49

Achievement Striving

51

Competitiveness

46

Drive

41

Perfectionism

66

Impatience / Irritability

48

Hostility

41

Time Urgency

42

Tough-mindedness

53

Reward Orientation

54

Overall results

Overall tendency to exhibit Type A characteristics.
49

You seem to fall in the middle between a Type A and Type B personality. Sometimes you are as laidback as a Type B; in other situations, you can be a high achiever or express impatience and hostility like a Type A. Either you adjust your behavior depending on the situation, or you tend to have a moderate attitude. In other words, you have some of the good and the bad associated with the Type A Personality. With a bit of drive, perfectionism and competitiveness to keep you going, you likely are able to achieve many of your goals in life without pushing yourself to the point of exhaustion. However, you also have some of the negative emotionality associated with the TABP as well - you may find that you becoming a bit hostile, impatient, or stressed in the face of obstacles and frustrations. Your moderate score however, means that you possess a healthy balance, so long as you keep your negative emotions in check.

Achievement Striving

Achievement Striving assesses the manner in which you strive to achieve your goals.
51

According to your responses, you have a healthy level of Achievement Striving. You push yourself quite a bit, but not to the point where you are likely to burn out. While constantly having your nose to the grindstone is certainly not ideal, neither is living your life without goals and aspirations or simply accepting the status quo. You seem to recognize the importance of walking the line between these two extremes. Perhaps at times you could push yourself more - research does show that there is a connection between the Achievement Striving component of TABP and things like grade point average (GPA) and performance on the job.

Competitiveness

Tendency to compete even in non-competitive situations.
46

You had a moderate score on this scale. This means that you exhibit a healthy amount of competitiveness. It may not be central to your existence, but according to this test, you don't shy away from it. Rarely do you feel it necessary to compare yourself to others; you are not a prisoner of your own image issues. You have the dynamism necessary to outdo others once in a while. You are secure enough in your own position to be able to share in people's good fortune without resentment or damage to your ego. In general, you know when to fight and when to let go. This type of attitude can take you to the very top.

Drive

Tendency to exhibit an aggressive concern or longing for success.
41

You had a moderate score on this scale. This means that you have the drive to succeed and do not suffer from lack of ambition. You like being on top of things and can take on several tasks when necessary. You refuse, however, to totally give up other aspects of your life for your work - you're no workaholic. You approach tasks with determination and energy. You set realistic goals and by means of skill, practice, and perseverance, you achieve these goals. You are able to handle most obstacles effectively and cope with setbacks. In addition, you are able to delay gratification in order to work towards long-term goals. Individuals with a relatively high level of inner drive generally have what it takes to set personal goals and carry through with them. Bravo!

Perfectionism

Tendency to be overly critical and/or demanding of self and/or others.
66

You had a relatively high score on this scale. This means that you are quite critical and too demanding of yourself and others. Realize that in some cases you'll win some and in others you'll lose some; as long as you try your best, you should let go of the idea of perfection. Don't be afraid to give yourself a pat on the back when you give it your all. Accomplishment and doing things well can feel good, as long as you don't make happiness and fulfillment contingent upon them. You have to recognize that people make mistakes and this is only human. It is also important to give occasional kudos to those people around you who are doing their best. Otherwise, they may start to resent the fact that living up to your expectations is so difficult. Being overly critical can also elicit defiant or passive-aggressive behavior from others.

Impatience / Irritability

Assesses the manner in which you comport yourself with others.
48

Your interactions with others, while generally characterized by warmth and tolerance, are also at times tinged with impatience and hostility. When you're stressed or frustrated, you can lash out at others or end up stewing in anger or frustration. Even your moderate score may put you at risk because this aspect of the TABP can not only be extremely harmful to relationships, it is also very damaging to your health. While originally it was thought that global Type A Behavior Pattern was the culprit in coronary heart disease, research now shows that hostility, impatience, and the other related traits are likely the real source of the problem. Based on your results here, you may be at an increased risk of heart disease. Keep in mind however, that there are other causes unrelated to the TABP, such as poor diet, lack of exercise, and smoking, among other things.

Hostility

Tendency to engage in conflict, opposition, and resistance in thought, principle or action, and to display outbursts of frustration.
41

You had a moderate score on this scale. This means that you generally have a peaceful temperament, but on occasion, you let your temper get out of hand. You feel anger in some situations and can usually express it in a healthy way, although there will likely be exceptions. You seem to have found a balance between accepting the occasional flash of temper and not letting yourself get worked up over nothing. Your approach to dealing with tough situations is a healthy one.

Time Urgency

The state of being hurried and under pressure, as well as inclined to be impatient
42

You had a moderate score on this scale. This means that your sense of time urgency is reasonable. You can take on a fair amount of tasks at once but you make sure that you have realistic time limits. This is a healthy and effective way of accomplishing tasks. It allows you to really enjoy your downtime without letting any worries creep up. Even if you may have quite a bit on your plate, you leave yourself enough room to feel confident that you'll get it done. It surely makes your career/education and personal life run much more smoothly, and gives you the reputation of a productive, reliable individual.

Tough-mindedness

Tendency to be cold or unfeeling as well as rigid in thought and conduct; a discomfort in expression of emotion
53

You had a moderate score on this scale. This means that you are fairly comfortable in emotional situations. While some scenarios may leave you tongue-tied or ill-at-ease, the majority of the time, you can navigate emotional waters quite comfortably. Usually flexible and considerate, you have an open mind and can usually be there for those you care about as well as accept others' help. You benefit from the mature, intimate relationships that you are able to form, but could probably be even closer if you became more comfortable dealing with emotions. At times, your moderate tough-mindedness could prevent you from seeing how your actions affect others.

Reward Orientation

Tendency to be motivated by external incentives.
54

You had a moderate score on this scale. While you do not act strictly to obtain external incentives such as wealth, recognition or status, you certainly don't mind such benefits! You aren't overly concerned with the acquisition of goods or money but you see nothing wrong with acquiring them through hard work. In addition, you are able to delay gratification in order to work towards long-term goals. You possess a respectable combination of both intrinsic and extrinsic motivators. Good for you!

The following is a summarized version of your results, categorized as Type A characteristics, Type B characteristics, and those that fall in between the two.

Type A Characteristics

  • No purely Type A characteristics were detected

Characteristics that fall between Type A and Type B

  • Moderate level of achievement striving
  • Moderate level of perfectionism
  • Fairly comfortable in emotional situations
  • Average need for external incentives for motivation

Type B Characteristics

  • Displays several Type B Personality traits
  • Not competitive at all
  • Low level of drive and achievement-orientation
  • Exhibits low levels of impatience and intolerance
  • Low level of hostility
  • Very low degree of time urgency
Our statistics show that men tended to score higher than women on Hostility, Reward Orientation, and Perfectionism.

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