Control over stress, type A behavior pattern, and response to stress.

Abstract

This study was conducted to examine (a) differences in physiological response of Type A and Type B individuals to conditions that varied in both controllability and consistency of controllability over an aversive stimulus and (b) whether Type A relative to Type B individuals employ more denial and/or projection in cognitively coping with arousing situations as well as differ in being preoccupied in such situations. Ninety-six college men were randomly assigned to one of four conditions: no control over shock, consistent control over shock, intermittent control over shock, and low stress. The results indicated that relative to Type B subjects, Type A subjects manifested (a) greater pulse rates and systolic and diastolic blood pressure in the consistent control condition, (b) greater systolic blood pressure in the no-control condition, and (c) greater diastolic blood pressure in the intermittent control condition. Type A subjects relative to Type B subjects also employed more of both denial and projection across the three high-stress conditions but did not differ in how preoccupied they were.