Are you stressed?

INTERNATIONAL STRESS MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION

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In the 1950’s Cardiologists Friedman and Rosenman were investigating the cause of Coronary heart disease (CHD) in men under 55 years of age. After undertaking various tests on why this was a leading cause of death among men, they proposed the idea of type A personalities which is explained in more detail later. After 10 yrs of research they found that type A personalities were in fact x3 times more likely to develop (CHD).We now know there is also an additional trait in predicting (CHD) in competitive Type individuals, and that is an aggression/hostility aspect to the personality type, that appears to be an important factor in developing heart disease.

To measure type A/B personalities you would use;

THE GLAZER STRESS CONTROL LIFESTYLE QUESTIONAIRE Below;

1 = strongly agree with the statement on the LEFT hand side.

2 = moderately agree with the statement on the LEFT hand side.

3 = slightly agree with the statement on the LEFT hand side.

4 = neither agree nor disagree with EITHER statement.

5 = slightly agree with the statement on the RIGHT hand side.

6 = moderately agree with the statement on the RIGHT hand side.

7 = strongly agree with the statement on the RIGHT hand side.

Statement	Score	Statement
Don't mind leaving things temporarily unfinished	1 2 3 4 5 6 7	Must get things finished once started
Calm and unhurried about appointments	1 2 3 4 5 6 7	Never late for appointments
Not competitive	1 2 3 4 5 6 7	Highly competitive
Listen well, let others finish speaking first	1 2 3 4 5 6 7	Anticipate others in conversations, interrupt finishing their sentences
Never in a Hurry, even when pressured	1 2 3 4 5 6 7	Always in a Hurry
Able to wait calmly	1 2 3 4 5 6 7	Uneasy when waiting
Easy Going	1 2 3 4 5 6 7	Always going at full speed
Take one thing at a time	1 2 3 4 5 6 7	Try to do more than one thing at a time. What's next?
Slow and deliberate in speech	1 2 3 4 5 6 7	Vigorous and forceful in speech, use a lot of gestures
Concerned with satisfying yourself not others	1 2 3 4 5 6 7	Want recognition from others for a job well done
Slow doing things	1 2 3 4 5 6 7	Fast at doing things
Relaxed	1 2 3 4 5 6 7	Hard driving
Express feelings openly	1 2 3 4 5 6 7	Hold feeling in
Have a large number of interests	1 2 3 4 5 6 7	Few interests
Satisfied with life	1 2 3 4 5 6 7	Ambitious
Never set own deadlines	1 2 3 4 5 6 7	Often set own deadlines
Feel limited responsibility	1 2 3 4 5 6 7	Always feel responsible
Never judge things in terms of quantity, just quality	1 2 3 4 5 6 7	Quantity is more important
Casual about work	1 2 3 4 5 6 7	Take work very serious
Not very precise	1 2 3 4 5 6 7	Very precise, careful about detail

Total your scores from above: _________________

Below is how to interpret the result.

Scores in the range of 0 - 29 indicates a TYPE ‘B’ PERSONALITY; you are relaxed and cope well with stress - you are unlikely to develop any stress related illness.

Scores in the range of 30 - 59 indicates a TYPE ‘B’ PERSONALITY; you are generally relaxed and cope adequately with stress.

Scores in the range of 60 - 79 indicates a TYPE A/B PERSONALITY; you are a mixture of both types, which is healthy. YOU CAN HOWEVER FALL INTO TYPE ‘A’ BEHAVIOUR AT TIMES, YOU SHOULD BE AWARE OF WHEN OR IF THAT HAPPENS.

Scores in the range of 80 - 109 indicates a TYPE A PERSONALITY. You DO NOT cope well with stress and are prone to developing stress related illnesses such as cardiac problems. Stress management training is something you should consider, as well as a medical checkup.

Scores between 110 - 140 indicates a TYPE A PERSONALITY; If you are over 40, and smoke, you are EXTREMELY likely to develop a stress related illness. You are in the high-risk group. Please seek a medical consultation along with a stress management consultant / trainer.PLEASE REMEMBER; these results may change/alter over time, so it is often wise to revisit and test yourself again, especially if you have had a rough time.

Personality traits related to a type ‘A’ and a type ‘B’ personality have been listed below. How much do these match your personality?

PERSONALITY TYPE

A typical type A personality may have some of the following characteristics:

Competitive.
Achiever.
Fast worker.
Aggressive.
Impatient.
Restless.
Hyper-alert.
Explosive Speech.
Frequently feels under pressure.

A typical type B personalities have the following characteristics (again these are examples and do not include all traits).
Relaxed.
Easy-going.
Seldom impatient.
Takes time to enjoy pursuits outside the job.
Works steadily.
Not easily irritated.
Seldom short of time.
Moves and speaks more slowly.
Not preoccupied with achievement.

Then there is the mixture of the two types A/B; this is where you have some of the different characteristics from both type A and type B personality.
Type A people tend to have 'time urgency', in that they cannot be late, have to meet deadlines, have problems if they are kept waiting, they often set themselves deadlines, for example even if a task has been given with a week to finish they will have it completed much earlier. This often means they do a number of tasks at once, or have a number of tasks ongoing at the same time. They are very competitive and strive toward goals, but they do not have a sense of achievement or joy in their efforts. They can also be quite hostile and aggressive which may or may not be expressed overtly. Some believe type A are insecure and have low self esteem, highly prone to illness and stress.
A number of research papers show they have a higher probability of heart problems. Type A people tend to respond to stressors far more quickly than Type B, often resulting in seeing events as a threat to their control.
Some researchers have suggested that because of this they are more likely to experience more stress and have more accidents. In today's western society Type A people are considered excellent employees because they work hard and meet deadlines, which translate to being highly productive, all excellent qualities for the commercial culture we live in, but not so good for general life.
Type B persons are less driven and place fewer pressures on themselves. They have lower levels of competitiveness, time urgency, and hostility; they tend to be easy going. They can be just as ambitious as Type A's and are often more successful because they are less likely to be ill. They are also clever in the respect in getting Type A people to work for them so the work is being done in a productive manner, e.g. they are very good at delegating work, something that Type A people MAY find more difficult as they then lose control.
Type B's can relax and work without feeling guilty when they are not working. They enjoy a challenge of meeting and accomplishing a goal and seeing the result of their work. They receive satisfaction from their own work without the need to seek external approval. They can express themselves openly and freely without the aggression and hostility of Type A's.
Type B's tend to work at a pace that gets the job done on time without feeling any added burden. Type A/B's individuals tend to be a mixture of the two extremes, all with different traits. It is worth mentioning that when our personality type is known and understood, one can start to work on any elements that they would like to change to allow for an easier life with less stress. This however, does take time and patience is needed.