Jenkins Activity Survey (JAS) data on samples of executives are reviewed first, followed by data on non-executive samples. A strong possibility exists of an unusually high incidence of the Type A behaviour pattern, as measured by the JAS Type A scale, among white managers in business and industries characterized by a strong marketing orientation and in occupations characterized by fast, personalized feedback on performance. Afrikaans speakers tended to obtain higher mean Type A scores than English speakers, in some cases significantly so. Patterns of scores on the Factor S, J and H scales suggest that the high Type A scores do not necessarily imply a high risk for coronary heart disease. However, the possibility of other ill-health as a consequence should be considered.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
BarryT.A.B. (1991). Type A behaviour pattern and coronary heart disease in the South African Indian population. Unpublished master's dissertation, University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg.
2.
BennettP.CarrollD. (1989). The assessment of Type A behaviour: A critique. Psychology and Health, 3, 183–194.
3.
BortnerR.W. (1969). A short rating scale as a potential measure of Pattern A behavior. Journal of Chronic Diseases, 22, 87–91.
4.
Booth-KewleyS.FriedmanH.S. (1987). Psychological predictors of heart disease: a quantitative review. Psychological Bulletin, 101, 343–362.
5.
BoydD.P. (1984). Type A behavior, financial performance and organizational growth in small business firms. Journal of Occupational Psychology, 57, 137–140.
6.
BurkeR.J.DeszcaE. (1982). Career success and personal failure experiences and Type A behavior. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 3, 161–170.
7.
ByrneD.G.ReinhartM.I. (1989). Work characteristics, occupational achievement and the Type A behaviour pattern. Journal of Occupational Psychology, 62, 123–134.
8.
ByrneD.G.RosenmanR.H.SchillerE.ChesneyM.A. (1985). Consistency and variation among instruments purporting to measure the Type A behavior pattern. Psychosomatic Medicine, 47, 242–261.
9.
CoxJ.J. (1983). Coronary-prone behaviour and its relationship to stress in a South African environment. Unpublished MBA research report, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg.
10.
ForeshawB.M. (1984). Occupational stress: Type A behaviour as a moderator of relationships between role demands and psychological and behavioural strain. Unpublished master's thesis, University of Cape Town.
HayanoJ.TakeuchiS.YoshidaS.JozukaH.MishimaN.FujinamiT. (1989). Type A behavior pattern in Japanese employees: cross-cultural comparison of major factors in Jenkins Activity Survey (JAS) responses. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 12, 219–231.
13.
HawkeA.O. (1986). Type A behaviour in South African students: a cross-ethnic study. Unpublished master's thesis, University of Port Elizabeth.
14.
IvancevichJ.M.MattesonM.T. (1984). A Type A-B person-work environment interaction model for examining occupational stress and consequences. Human Relations, 37, 491–513.
15.
JenkinsC.D.ZyzanskiS.J.RosenmanR.H. (1979). Jenkins Activity Survey Manual. New York: Psychological Corporation.
16.
JohnstonD.W.ShaperA.G. (1983). Type A behaviour in British men: reliability and intercorrelation of two measures. Journal of Chronic Diseases, 36, 203–207.
17.
KittelF.KornitzerM.ZyzanskiS.J.JenkinsC.D.RustinR.M.DegreC. (1978). Two methods of assessing the Type A coronary-prone behavior pattern in Belgium. Journal of Chronic Diseases, 31, 147–155.
18.
MarrD.J.F. (1985). Self-reported Type A behaviour and family adjustment among urban black employees. Unpublished MBA research report, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg.
19.
MatthewsK.A.HaynesS.G. (1986). Type A behavior pattern and coronary disease risk: update and critical evaluation. American Journal of Epidemiology, 123, 923–960.
20.
McClellandD.C. (1961). The achieving society. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold.
21.
McClellandD.C. (1964). The roots of consciousness. Princeton, NJ: Van Nostrand.
22.
MetlinC. (1976). Occupational careers and the prevention of coronary-prone behavior. Social Science and Medicine, 10, 367–372.
23.
PansariA.L. (1985). Lifestyle and coronary prone behaviour pattern (Type A) in university administrators. Unpublished master's dissertation, University of Cape Town.
24.
PendletonW.K. (1982). Handbook of inspirational and motivational stories, anecdotes and humor. West Nyack, NY: Parker.
25.
RossouwJ.E.du PlessisJ.P.BenadeA.J.S.JordaanP.C.G.KotzeJ.P.JoosteP.L.FerreiraJ.J. (1983). Coronary risk factor screening in three rural communities. The CORIS baseline study. South African Medical Journal, 64, 430–436.
26.
RossouwJ.E.WeichH.F.H.SteynK.KotzeJ.P.KotzeT.J.V.W. (1984). The prevalence of ischaemic heart disease in three rural South African communities. Journal of Chronic Diseases, 37, 97–106.
27.
SharplesP. (1985). Coronary prone behaviour in male school teachers. Unpublished honours research project, Department of Psychology, University of Cape Town.
28.
ShekelleR.B.SchoenbergerJ.A.StamlerJ. (1976). Correlates of the JAS Type A behavior pattern score. Journal of Chronic Diseases, 29, 381–394.
29.
SpielbergerC.D.JohnsonE.H.RusselS.F.CraneR.J.JacobsG.A.WardenT.J. (1985). The experience and expression of anger: construction and validation of an anger expression scale. In ChesneyM.A.RosenmanR.H. (Eds), Anger and hostility in cardiovascular and behavioral disorders. (pp. 5–30). Washington, DC: Hemisphere.
30.
StrümpferD.J.W. (1983). Executive dystress, executive eustress and what makes the difference. Fact and Opinion Papers (Graduate School of Business Administration, University of the Witwatersrand), No. 18.
31.
StrümpferD.J.W. (1989). Do white South African managers suffer from exceptional levels of job stress?. South African Journal of Psychology, 19, 130–137.
32.
StrümpferD.J.W. (1993). The validity of the Jenkins Activity Survey in terms of illness and work. South A frican Journal of Psychology, 23, 120–133.
33.
SwanepoelE. (1984). Coronary-prone behaviour among white South African businesswomen. Unpublished MBA research report, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg.
34.
TobiasP.V. (1991). Images of humanity: the selected writings of Phillip V. Tobias. Rivonia: Ashanti Publishing.
35.
VickersR.P.HervigL.K.RaheR.R.RosenmanR.H. (1981). Type A behavior pattern and coping and defense. Psychosomatic Medicine, 43, 381–396.
36.
WaldronI.ZyzanskiS.ShekelleR.R.JenkinsC.D.TannebaumS. (1977). The coronary-prone behavior pattern in employed men and women. Journal of Human Stress, 3, 2–18.
37.
ZyzanskiS.J.JenkinsC.D. (no date). Short Type A scale from the Activity Survey, Form N. Unpublished paper, Department of Family Medicine, Case Western University, Cleveland, OH.
