Skip to main content

Type B Behavior Pattern

  • Living reference work entry
  • First Online:
  • 131 Accesses

Synonyms

Low coronary-risk behavior pattern; Noncoronary prone behavior pattern

Definition

A pattern of overt behavior that was traditionally felt to be associated with a decreased risk of coronary heart disease and which is characterized by a lack of urgency, decreased competitive drive, and unhurried movements and speech.

Introduction

Type B behavior pattern was originally proposed as the natural antithesis of type A, a set of behaviors felt to predispose a person to coronary heart disease. A type B person is a relaxed, noncompetitive individual who is not driven by ambition or time urgency. There has been significant controversy as to the utility of type A and B in defining heart disease risk, and interest in the behavior pattern has waned considerably as a result, leading to a relative paucity of more recent investigations on the subject.

History

Type B behavior pattern was initially conceptualized by two cardiologists, Friedman and Rosenman (1959), after they identified a...

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

References

  • Bortner, R. W. (1969). A short rating scale as a potential measure of pattern A behavior. Journal of Chronic Diseases, 22(2), 87–91. doi:10.1016/0021-9681(69)90061-7.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Davis, S. F., Grover, C. A., Sadowski, C. J., Tramill, J. L., & Kleinhammer-Tramill, P. J. (1986). The relationship between type A behavior pattern and process versus impact achievement motivation. Bulletin of the Psychonomic Society, 24(6), 441–443. doi:10.3758/BF03330576.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eaker, E. D., Abbott, R. D., & Kannel, W. B. (1989). The frequency of uncomplicated angina pectoris in type A compared with type B persons (the Framingham study). The American Journal of Cardiology, 63(15), 1042–1045. doi:10.1016/0002-9149(89)90075-1.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Friedman, M., & Rosenman, R. H. (1959). Association of specific overt behavior pattern with blood and cardiovascular findings. The Journal of the American Medical Association, 169(12), 1286–1296. doi:10.1001/jama.1959.03000290012005.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Friedman, M., & Rosenman, R. H. (1960). Overt behavior pattern in coronary disease. The Journal of the American Medical Association, 173(12), 1320–1325. doi:10.1001/jama.1960.03020300032011.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Friedman, M., Byers, S. O., Diamant, J., & Rosenman, R. H. (1975). Plasma catecholamine response of coronary-prone subjects (type A) to a specific challenge. Metabolism, 24(2), 205–210. doi:10.1016/0026-0495(75)90022-0.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Haynes, S.G., Levine, S., Scotch, N., Feinleib, M., & Kannel, W.B. (1978). The relationship of psychosocial factors to coronary heart disease in the Framingham study. I. Methods and risk factors. American Journal of Epidemiology, 107(5), 362–382. http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/.

  • Jenkins, C. D., Rosenman, R. H., & Friedman, M. (1967). Development of an objective psychological test for the determination of the coronary-prone behavior pattern in employed men. Journal of Chronic Diseases, 20(6), 371–379. doi:10.1016/0021-9681(67)90010-0.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • McGregor, L., Eveleigh, M., Syler, J. C., & Davis, S. F. (1991). Self-perception of personality characteristics and the type A behavior pattern. Bulletin of the Psychonomic Society, 29(4), 320–322. doi:10.3758/BF03333931.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rosenman, R. H., Friedman, M., Straus, R., Wurm, M., Kositchek, R., Hahn, W., & Werthessen, N. T. (1964). A predictive study of coronary heart disease. The Journal of the American Medical Association, 189(1), 15–22. doi:10.1001/jama.1964.03070010021004.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rosenman, R. H., Brand, R. J., Jenkins, C. D., Friedman, M., Straus, R., & Wurm, M. (1975). Coronary heart disease in the western collaborative group study: Final follow-up experience of 8½ years. The Journal of the American Medical Association, 233(8), 872–877. doi:10.1001/jama.1975.03260080034016.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Shekelle, R. B., Hulley, S. B., Neaton, J. D., Billings, J. H., Borhani, N. O., Gerace, T. A., … Stamler, J. (1985). The MRFIT behavior pattern study. II. Type A behavior and incidence of coronary artery disease. American Journal of Epidemiology, 122(4), 559–570. http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/.

    Google Scholar 

  • Šmigelskas, K., Žemaitienė, N., Julkunen, J., & Kauhanen, J. (2015). Type A behavior pattern is not a predictor of premature mortality. International Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 22(2), 161–169. doi:10.1007/s12529-014-9435-1.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Warner, D. J., & Block, R. A. (1984). Type A behavior and temporal judgement. Bulletin of the Psychonomic Society, 22(3), 163–166. doi:10.3758/BF03333793.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Weiss, J., Gilbert, K., Giordano, P., & Davis, S. F. (1993). Academic dishonesty, type A behavior, and classroom orientation. Bulletin of the Psychonomic Society, 31(2), 101–102. doi:10.3758/BF03334151.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Spencer Haze .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Section Editor information

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2016 Springer International Publishing AG

About this entry

Cite this entry

Haze, S. (2016). Type B Behavior Pattern. In: Zeigler-Hill, V., Shackelford, T. (eds) Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28099-8_1115-1

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28099-8_1115-1

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-28099-8

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Behavioral Science and PsychologyReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences

Publish with us

Policies and ethics