Personality Type A, B, C and D: How Do Behavioral Patterns Affect Our Health?

What does the theory of type A, B, C and D personality consist of? How do behavioral patterns affect our health and quality of life? Discover this theory of personality.

People respond differently to stress. So much so that we can define our personalities through how we behave in stressful situations. In fact, cardiologists Meyer Friedman and RH Rosenman observed different patterns: personality type A, B, C and D Discover which of these behavior patterns you have and how this can define you.

What is the theory of behavioral patterns?

The personality theory type A, B, C and D was created by cardiologists Friedman and Rosenman while they were researching the possible causes behind coronary heart disease. After a study with three thousand healthy men between 35 and 59 years old, they speculated that there were certain behavioral patterns that carried a greater risk of suffering from this type of pathology.

Initially, studies observed that those who had a type A personality tended to experience more concern about social status and achieve more. Besides, the type A behavior It used to be related to workaholism, as well as self-esteem problems and impatience.

On the other hand, the people with type B personality They reported higher levels of life satisfaction, as well as being more patient in the face of stressful situations.

This theory about types of personalities It developed over time and increased to four personality patterns that allow us to know how we react to external factors.

The 4 personality types

According to this theory about the different Personality types Depending on the reaction to stress or external events, there are four behavioral patterns.

Type A personality

He type A behavior pattern It is defined by the following characteristics:

• Competitiveness: Individuals with these behavior patterns They tend to tend to be more competitive and self-critical. People with these personality types strive to achieve their goals even though they do not feel satisfied with the achievements or the effort they make to achieve them. In fact, this means that they are easily upset and tend to overreact.
• Poor time management: The people with a type A personality They are usually in constant fight against the clock. So much so that they tend to get impatient in addition to always having a very tight schedule full of commitments.
• Hostility: Those people who define themselves by a type A behavior pattern They tend to be more likely to experience irritability and hostility towards others. This happens because they do not have good skills to express themselves openly to others.

On the other hand, this pattern of behavior is more associated with coronary diseases, such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes and stress (Ray and Bozek, 1980).

Type B personality

The pattern of type B behavior It usually has the following characteristics:

• relaxed demeanor: The type B personality He is usually more tolerant of people in addition to having a more relaxed type of personality when faced with events.
• They seek support: When a person with type B personality suffers from stress usually seeks support from others to cope with it.
• Postponement: These personality types tend to have a greater tendency to procrastinate their tasks since they tend not to push themselves in the face of challenges due to their calmer attitude.
• Calm in the face of stress: Although those who define themselves with the type B behavior pattern They are not very ambitious, the reality is that they face stressful situations with more calm and confidence.

Type C personality

The people with the type C behavior pattern They are defined by the following characteristics:

• Perfectionism: This behavior pattern It is usually very similar to type A. The key difference is in the tendency towards perfectionism that this personality type has.
• Inability to express your feelings: They tend to be people who have a hard time expressing their own feelings, in fact they tend to ignore them instead of facing them.
• Tendency to please others: The type C personality They have a tendency to please other people instead of themselves.

According to studies, due to these characteristics this behavior pattern It may be a risk factor for the development of cancer. In fact, research shows how personality can affect our immune system.

Type D personality

The type D personality It is also called distressed personality. Within this personality pattern these two basic traits are included:

• Negative affectivity: It is the tendency to experience negative emotions over time and situations. In fact these personality characteristics They are related to neuroticism.
• Social inhibition: The type D personality It is usually related to introversion, that is, they are people who inhibit their emotions and behaviors in the face of social interactions.

These types of behavior They are usually related to a greater likelihood of coronary heart disease or an increase in depressive symptoms.

Why is it important to know our personality?

The studies around personality psychology They point out that our way of acting when faced with stress as well as our coping mechanisms play an important role in our health and longevity. Therefore, understanding our personality, with the help of a professional psychologist, can help us improve our quality of life.