So “What’s a Type A personality?”, I hear you ask. One of the more popular theories around personality were defined by Friedman and Rosenman in 1974 where they talk about two different personality types – Type A and Type B. This set of personality archetypes were later expanded to include personality Types C and D.
There isn’t a firm definition of what it means to have a Type A personality, however certain traits and behaviours within this personality system have been linked to an increased risk of coronary heart disease. Specifically, these include anxiety, stress, impatience and sensitivity.
Think of most of us as being somewhere on the spectrum on any given day. Living in an age of technology and hustle where we’re always on the go, you’re likely to find some of the following in yourself.
Here are some clues that you might be embodying the traits of the Type A personality.
- 1. You've been described as a perfectionist or workaholic (or both!). The desire to succeed is strong and you're super goal-orientated.
- 2. You walk fast, and always with purpose. I like to call it PW-ing. Short for Psycho Walking of course!
- 3. You're prone to stress and seem to be more sensitive to it than others.
- 4. You find relaxing hard to do. Forget total enjoyment on that lazy day off. Your mind is constantly running and as much as you'd like to nap, you're thinking of all the thing you gotta do.
- 5. Doing things efficiently is your thing! You hate it when things aren't done well and fast. Control freak much? I feel ya.
- 6. You hate being delayed. Impatience is your middle name. And well, maybe your first and last name too?
- 7. You overbook yourself. Constantly on the run and needing to do #allthethings
- 8. You often compare yourself to others. You hate to admit it, but you're competitive.
- 9. You have nervous habits. Bite your nails? Grind your teeth in your sleep?
- 10. You get shit done. Despite some of the more negative qualities associated with being Type A, you're focused, efficient and driven.
So can you lessen the effects of Type A-ism in your life?
You absolutely can and I’m living proof! The key is in truly understanding yourself (warts and all), tuning in and self-correcting when you’re “Type A-ing” and finding ways to implement physical and energetic balances in your life so you can slow down a little and come to an acceptance that things don’t always have to be perfect.
Stay tuned if you’d like to find out more and of course, if you’d like to make some changes and find a bit more balance, book in a complimentary call so we can have a chat about how we can help you do that.
SKT x