Type A: A Proposed Psychosocial Risk Factor for Cardiovascular Diseases

Introduction

One of the main goals of research in psychology and health has been to find a reliable way of identifying those individuals who might have a higher risk of developing cardiovascular diseases. Focusing on personality research, since the late 1950s, a higher incidence of cardiovascular disorders, and a possible related enhanced cardiovascular responsivity to environmental stimuli, has been linked to distinctive patterns of behaviour mainly characterized by specific ways of coping with stress. More specifically, the Type A Behaviour Pattern (TABP), valued as an independent risk factor in the aetiology of cardiovascular disease (CVD), and, more recently, hostility – defined as a wide behavioural complex – represents the most fruitful area of [Page 1049]study in the search for behavioural aspects that are related to increased ...