Lexicon of Madness -- Type A Personality

Type A Personality: As originally conceived, a personality type marked by impatience, hurriedness, excessive competitiveness, irritability, and hostility. The Type A won't let his 8 year old beat him at a board game and can't stand waiting in line. Type Bs are more calm, cooperative, and tolerant. Type A Personality was originally thought to be a risk factor for myocardial infarction (heart attack). However, only the hostility component seems to be predictive of cardiac problems. In one study, men who had already had heart attacks had a monitor attached to their cars' steering columns. Participants who used their car horns more frequently had an increased risk of dying from a second heart attack. Psychotherapy has been shown to be remarkably effective with men who have a heart attack, in one study reducing risk of a second heart attack by 25% compared to wait-list controls.