Type A Behavior and Social Support among Employed Women

Abstract

The current study investigated the relation between Type A behavior and social support among working women. The research design closely paralleled a previous study of employed men. A convenience sample of 89 employed women (age range, 22–58 years) completed the Jenkins Activity Survey (JAS), a short aggression scale, a questionnaire designed to measure their proneness to seek support in problem situations, and a questionnaire assessing both structural and functional aspects of their social network. As was true with their male counterparts, the Type A women were less inclined than were Type B women to consider family as important members of their social network. Unlike Type A men, however, Type A women did not appear to close themselves off from their social network. Instead, Type A women were more likely to report feeling that they were not sufficiently cared for or loved.

Index Terms:

• social support
• Type A behavior pattern