Type A behavior in women: A review.

This review focuses on characteristics of the Type A behavior pattern in women in studies of demographic characteristics, physiological responses, laboratory performance, and personality. With some exceptions, these characteristics parallel those previously described for Type A men. The incidence of Type A behavior in the United States is comparable for men and women when socioeconomic factors are controlled. Type A behavior in women is positively correlated with socioeconomic status, occupation, education, and incidence of coronary heart disease. Type A women tend to show greater autonomic arousal to laboratory stressors as well as greater time urgency and speed, more goal directedness, a preference to work alone under stress conditions, and more competitiveness/aggressiveness than Type B women. Type A positively correlates with various estimates of anger, hostility, and masculine sex role orientation. Depression and anxiety in Type A's are found to vary as a function of sex role orientation and locus of control. Methodological problems in the existing studies are discussed.