Type A personality has become a well-used phrase, and stems from research many years ago to look at risk factors for heart disease. In a nutshell, Type A personality is generally understood as high-strung, while Type B personality, a term to look at what contrasts with Type A, is generally understood as easy-going.
The three major “symptoms” of Type A personality are listed as: free-floating hostility or aggressiveness, time urgency and impatience, and a competitive drive. It is also important to note that high blood pressure is linked to Type A personalities. Type B personality individuals, in contrast, generally live at a lower stress level, don’t mind losing, and tend to be more creative and reflective. The following information about the two contrasting personality types was found on You Tube:
Among the personality theories that attempt to incorporate the concept of Type A and Type B personalities, there is a proposal that there is a continuum, with Type A being at one pole, and Type B being at the other pole. The suggestion is that few people are ultra-Type A or ultra-Type B; that most people fall somewhere along the continuum, with tendencies either one way or the other.
Perhaps another way to think of it could be relating the personality types to divisions of the ANS, or autonomic nervous system, which is sub-divided into sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. In a nutshell, the sympathetic nervous system is understood to oversee “fight or flight” processes, while the parasympathetic nervous system oversees “rest and relax” processes. Does this sound something like the difference between Type A and Type B personalities? It is also important to note that activation of the sympathetic nervous system increases blood pressure, as with Type A personalities who tend to have high blood pressure. The following information about the contrasting autonomic nervous systems was found on You Tube:
The parts of the brain that are involved in autonomic nervous system control include the Hypothalamus and the Reticular Formation. It is also interesting to note that slow-wave EEG patterns of sleep are linked with parasympathetic dominance, while REM sleep is linked with sympathetic dominance.
Is it possible that some people are more hard-wired to function toward the sympathetic pole of a sympathetic – parasympathetic continuum, while others are more hard-wired to function toward the parasympathetic pole? Is a sympathetic – parasympathetic continuum the body’s scaffold that supports a Type A – Type B personality continuum? If so, then suggestions of stress relief for people who operate near the Sympathetic/Type A pole to learn to become more Parasympathetic/Type B, or vice-versa (such as in a workplace environment) may have short term success, but may not have lasting success.
It is not to be assumed that the antidote to Type A personality is to learn Type B behaviours. For example, calming techniques no doubt have a role to assist a person to alleviate Type A consequences, however, I believe it is not necessarily the calming or Type B in itself that brings the benefit; rather calming is a way for a person to gather himself to be able to form the constructive mindset. It is the constructive mindset that works out free-floating hostility or aggressiveness, and time urgency and impatience into a satisfying conclusion for all concerned, and as well focusses the competitive drive toward courage, boldness, and respect.
On the other hand, for a Type B person who is under pressure to performance achievement in the workplace, the challenge to learn Type A personality characteristics is very difficult. And with the lower metabolism that goes with living at a decreased stress level and tendency to be reflective, the Type B person may be at risk of depressiveness if she forms a destructive mindset against herself, especially in the context of an aggressive Type A boss who is bullying her to perform better.
Whether you are a person who operates as a Sympathetic/Type A, as a Parasympathetic/Type B, or anywhere in between the opposite poles of the continuum, you may find greater success to address any risks inherent by training yourself to form and live life within the constructive mindset. The point is, regardless of where your scaffolding operates, the challenge is not to find the mid-point of the continuum for well-being; rather it is to learn to form the constructive mindset. With this goal in mind, the competitiveness of Type A and the reflection of Type B can be understood constructively, with the possibility of incorporating the strengths of all unique individuals to work together toward mankind’s collective well-being rather than trying to find a way for all to be the same, favouring one personality type over the other.
Addendum: Of note, is it possible that a consequence of the destructive mindset for a person who operates at the Sympathetic/Type A pole is that it becomes a risk factor for an anxiety disorder, while the destructive mindset for a person at the Parasympathetic/Type B pole is that it becomes a risk factor for a depressive disorder? Could there as well be a physical disease process that leads to dysregulation of sympathetic and parasympathetic function, with inappropriate dominance of one over the other as a factor in mood or anxiety disorders? Perhaps these are wild questions without a lot of backing, but worth looking into more closely. When it comes to research regarding depression and anxiety, much attention is given to adverse structural and functional effects on cerebral cortex and limbic structures. But perhaps in the same way that nerve damage to muscles leads to muscle atrophy, so nerve malfunction or damage to Reticular Formation projections may lead to atrophy of cerebral cortex and limbic structures, such as the Hippocampus. The Reticular Formation also regulates the sleep/wake cycle. Are the delusions and hallucinations seen in schizophrenia a result of sleep/wake cycle abnormalities and/or sympathetic/parasympathetic dysregulation as applied to REM and non-REM dreams?
When there is muscle atrophy, we do not limit our research to the muscle only; we research what is going on with the nerves and nerve cells that are damaged. Perhaps research toward understanding the basis of depression, anxiety, and psychosis such as in schizophrenia ought also to include looking at what is happening to the Reticular Formation and Midbrain, whose nerve cells are the source of the neurotransmitters serotonin, norepinephrine, and dopamine. Is the Reticular Formation the seat of human consciousness and the self? Perhaps the complex cerebral cortex of the brain merely exists to refine what we consciously perceive. And for humans our sizable cerebral cortex adds much discernment and refinement to how we perceive and interact with the world around us. We do not lose consciousness with loss of cortical function, such as blindness and deafness, but do so with damage to Reticular Formation structures.
For my part, I find observations of Hippocampal atrophy in psychiatric disorders fascinating, but as with muscle atrophy, I would like to see more research into the source of nerve innervation to the Hippocampus and other limbic structures, i.e. the Reticular Formation (such as the Raphe Nuclei), to really have a complete understanding of what is going on that leads to the psychiatric illnesses. And if the destructive mindset plays a role as a risk factor for psychiatric illness, then it behooves us to train ourselves to live our lives within the constructive mindset to be as mentally fit as we can.
(The You Tube content is used for illustrative purposes only. The views and opinions within the videos is not necessarily that of Edmonton Emoti-Games Ltd.)