Moderating role of Type-A personality on stress-outcome relationships

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the moderating role of Type A/Type B personality on job stress-work and non-work outcomes. While research on the etiology of this predisposition has become important in recent years, there seems to be a lack of agreement regarding its exact moderating effects on important work and non-work outcomes. Design/methodology/approach – Data collected from US-based organizations were analyzed using moderated regression analyses. Findings – The results of the study reveal that Type A personality moderates the relationships between job stress and job satisfaction, job involvement and personal life satisfaction. Findings indicate that individuals with Type A personalities do not necessarily experience concomitant decreases in these outcome measures when organizational stress increases. Originality/value – Although there has been an increased interest on the significance of Type A/Type B personality in the area of human stress and cognition, there is no consensus in the literature as to how it might act as a moderator or buffer of the effects of work stress on organizationally and personally valued outcomes. By examining the moderating role of these personality dispositions, our study provides important insights for organizational stress literature.