Beliefs and Fears Underlying Type a Behavior: What Makes Sammy Run—So Fast and Aggressively?

Abstract

Price' has proposed that Type A behavior allows individuals to cope with fears and anxieties engendered by beliefs they develop about their environment through socialization. Three investigations tested her cognitive social learning model of Type A behavior by developing measures of beliefs and fears, and validating them against (1) a standardized Type A measure, the Jenkins Activity Survey (two studies), and (2) measures of Time Urgency, Hostility, Time for Reverie and Self-Centeredness (one study). Respondents provided data by completing questionnaires. Three beliefs and four fears were assessed. Findings indicated that the measures of beliefs and fears had desirable psychometric properties and produced modest relationships with the JAS, Time Urgency and Hostility. Future research directions and practical implications are offered.

Index Terms:

• Type A behavior
• beliefs and fears
• socialization
• social learning
• coronary heart disease