Type A Sweaters

The comment dialog yesterday about worry got me to thinking about how different personality types handle stress. My cyberbuddy Mike made this comment about not sweating the small stuff:
When the meteors are plummeting towards my house I do tend to sweat a little more, yes. ;-)

But really if it's out of my hands there's no point in fretting.
I have always enjoyed my online conversations with Mike because we often come at things from different perspectives.. I suspect Mike is a Type B personality and according to the results of this online quiz I am also a Type B.. though I was once a major Type A.. but I think that when it comes to worry I exhibit Type A behavior. Here is a clip from the wiki on personality type theory:
  • Type A individuals can be described as impatient, time-conscious, concerned about their status, highly competitive, ambitious, business-like, aggressive, having difficulty relaxing; and are sometimes disliked by individuals with Type B personalities for the way that they're always rushing. They are often high-achieving workaholics who multi-task, drive themselves with deadlines, and are unhappy about delays. Because of these characteristics, Type A individuals are often described as "stress junkies."
  • Type B individuals, in contrast, are described as patient, relaxed, and easy-going under-achievers, generally lacking any sense of urgency. Because of these characteristics, Type B individuals are often described as apathetic and disengaged.
  • There is also a Type AB mixed profile for people who cannot be clearly categorized.

I certainly don't buy into the negative descriptions of both personality types but I do think that different personality types handle stress differently. There does seem to be a bit of evidence that some people have the ability to naturally not sweat the small stuff.. for others like me it takes a lot of effort to not worry.

What do you think? Do you think that some like me have more of a propensity to stress out and worry? Do you think that some are wired to just deal with stress in healthier ways? Or is it something else?

5 comments:

  1. That is neat! I haven't taken the test, but after reading the results from the 2, I think that I am more B, but do have some characteristics of A.
    Where did you find that test?

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  2. Hmm .. Think I'm naturally type B-ish, and in general I'm pretty laid back about the things I can do nothing about. But there are 2 areas I do reaqlly stress about -- one is situations where I feel responsible but don't know what the right thing to do is, the other is stuff that triggers abandonment rejection issues ..

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  3. I'm def a mixed bag, which is funny because I've never liked being categorized. I'm not a worrier and even find the worry of others annoying. But I'm also one of those people who plan ahead and work ahead of schedule.

    Hmm... I've actually been thinking about this lately because people expect me to be worried this week and I'm not at all. They find it odd and I find it odd that they think I should worry. :)

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  4. Took the test on Facebook Heather.. but I think there are others out there if you google for it.

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  5. I am more B but also have a lot of A. Mike is a cool dude (Hi Mike!)

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