The Type A Belief System: Relationships to Hostility, Social Support, and Life Stress

Abstract

Certain core beliefs may underlie the Type A behavior pattern, predisposing individuals to health problems and impaired interpersonal relationships. Previous studies have revealed that the Type A Cognitive Questionnaire (TACQ), a self-report measure reflecting these beliefs, is indeed related to emotional distress. The current study assessed the TACQ's relationship to aspects of the interpersonal environment, including perceived social support and stressful events. It also investigated the TACQ's relationship to subtypes of hostility (ie, cynicism and paranoid alienation). Subjects were 111 college undergraduate volunteers. As hypothesized, the TACQ was significantly related to poor quality of social support and to greater perceived life stress. The TACQ appeared more strongly related to cynicism than to paranoid alienation. Findings were generally more pronounced for males. The discussion suggests that Type A beliefs may predispose individuals to health problems through impaired interactions with their interpersonal environment.

INDEX TERMS:

• cognitions
• hostility
• social support
• stress
• Type A behavior pattern