Sage Journals: Discover world-class research

Abstract

This study considered the possible moderator effects of three cognitive variables—repression, awareness of defense, and breadth of scanning—upon the relationship between Type A behavior and stress. Type A college subjects of both sexes did not report significantly more stress than Type B students. However, (1) repression, (2) lack of awareness, and (3) narrow scanning served moderator roles for Type A subjects; each, considered singly or in combination, contributed to higher stress levels. These evasive cognitive qualities were not associated with higher stress in Type B subjects. The results, in combination with those from several previous studies, were interpreted within the context of a model relating coping strategies to management of stress in which evasive defensiveness that impedes direct action upon sources of stress is maladaptive.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Defares

B. P.

(1982) Coping with stress. Cited in A. J. J. M. Vingerhoets, & P. J. M. Flohr (1984), Type A behaviour and self-reports of coping preferences. British Journal of Medical Psychology, 57, 15–21.

Diller

R. S.

(1985) An examination of the effects of role conflict on young women. Unpublished Master's thesis, Emory Univer.

Garner

D. M.

Garfinkel

P. E.

(1980) Socio-cultural factors in the development of anorexia nervosa. Psychological Medicine, 10, 647–656.

Gough

H. G.

Heilbrun

A. B.

(1980) The Adjective Check List manual. Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists Press.

Heilbrun

A. B.

(1981) Gender difference in the functional linkage between androgyny, social cognition and competence. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 41, 1106–1118.

Heilbrun

A. B.

(1984) Cognitive defenses and life stress: An information-processing analysis. Psychological Reports, 54, 3–17.

Heilbrun

A. B.

Chefitz

(In press) Repression and other forms of cognitive evasiveness: Implications for stress symptoms in college students. Journal of American College Health.

Heilbrun

A. B.

Harris

(In press) Cognitive differences between anorexic and bulimic college females: Psychological defense against stress in anorexia. International Journal of Eating Disorders.

Heilbrun

A. B.

Pepe

(1985) Awareness of cognitive defenses and stress management. British Journal of Medical Psychology, 58, 9–17.

10.

Jenkins

C. D.

Rosenman

R. H.

Zyzanski

S. J.

(1972) The Jenkins Activity Survey for Health Prediction. Boston, MA: Authors.

11.

Krantz

D. S.

Glass

D. C.

Snyder

M. L.

(1974) Helplessness, stress level, and the coronary-prone behavior pattern. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 10, 284–300.

12.

Lazarus

R. S.

(1975) A cognitively oriented psychologist looks at biofeedback. American Psychologist, 30, 553–561.

13.

Matthews

K. A.

(1982) Psychological perspectives on the Type A behavior pattern. Psychological Bulletin, 91, 293–323.

14.

Palermo

D. S.

Jenkins

J. J.

(1964) Word association norms: Grade school through college. Minneapolis, MN: Univer. of Minnesota Press.

15.

Price

V. A.

(1982) Type A behavior pattern: A model for research and practice. New York: Academic Press.

16.

Scherwitz

Berton

Leventhal

(1977) Type A assessment and interaction in the behavior pattern interview. Psychosomatic Medicine, 39, 229–240.

17.

Selye

(1976) The stress of life. New York: McGraw-Hill.

18.

Smith

L. W.

Brehm

S. S.

(1981) Cognitive correlates of the Type A coronary-prone behavior pattern. Motivation and Emotion, 5, 215–223.

19.

Vickers

R. R.

Hervig

L. K.

Rahe

R. S.

Rosenman

R. H.

(1981) Type A behavior pattern and coping and defense. Psychosomatic Medicine, 43, 381–396.

20.

Vingerhoets

A. J. J. M.

Flohr

P. J. M.

(1984) Type A behaviour and self-reports of coping preferences. British Journal of Medical Psychology, 57, 15–21.

Type a Behavior,Cognitive Defense,and Stress

Abstract

Get full access to this article

References