1. CHAPTER 7: PERSONALITY RACING AGAINST YOUR HEART FRIEDAN,M & ROSENMAN, r.h. (1959)

2. OBJECTIVE This study was conducted in the late 1950’s by two cardiologists, Dr. Meyer Friedman and Dr. Ray Roseman Their objective was to explain how different personality types can lead to serious illness.

3. on the edge When having his office furniture reupholstered Dr. Friedman discovered his patients were literally sitting on the edge of their seats. »The front edges of the seat cushions had worn away faster than the rest had »Dr. Friedman wondered if there was something different about his patients in comparison to healthier people.

4. method The two developed a set of characteristics for an observable behavior pattern which they believed was related to increased levels of cholesterol and coronary heart disease (CHD).

5. Pattern A 1.An intense, sustained drive to achieve one’s personal goals 2.A profound tendency and eagerness to compete in all situations 3.A persistent desire for recognition and advancement 4.Continuous involvement in multiple activities that are constantly subject to deadlines 5.Habitual tendency to rush to finish activities 6.Extraordinary mental and physical alertness

6. Pattern B Described as the opposite of Pattern A These individuals were usually easy going and relaxed. Characterized by a relative absence of the drive, ambition, sense of time urgency, desire to compete, or involvement in deadlines.

7. The Subjects Friedman and Rosenman found 83 men for each group fitting the designated Pattern A and Pattern B behaviors. All subjects were given several tests relating to the goals of the study.

8. Testing First interviews were designed to assess the history of coronary heart disease among the subjects parents; the subjects own history of heart trouble; number of hours spent working, sleeping, and exercising per week; and smoking, drinking and dietary habits. Researchers also determined 69 of 83 men in group A exhibited this fully developed behavior pattern. »58 of 83 subjects in group B were judged to be fully developed Type B

9. Testing Second all subjects were instructed to keep a diary of everything they ate or drank during one week. –These diets were then broken down and analyzed by a dietitian who was not aware of the patients identity or group. Third, blood was taken from all subjects to measure cholesterol levels and clotting time.

10. Testing Finally, the number of subjects with arcus senilis was determined through illuminated inspection of the subjects’ eyes. –Arcus Senilis refers to the formation of an opaque ring around the cornea of the eye caused by the breakdown of fatty deposits in the bloodstream.

11. Results Group A: Showed the men were chronically harassed by commitments, ambitions, and drives. The men were clearly eager to compete in all of their activities, both professional and recreational. They also admitted a strong desire to win.

12. RESULTS Group B: These men appeared to be satisfied with their present positions in life and avoided pursuing multiple goals and competitive situations. They were much less concerned about advancement and typically spent more time with their families and in noncompetitive recreational activities.

13. RESULTS

14. Friedman and Rosenman compared the clotting times for those subjects who exhibited a fully developed Type A pattern (6.8 minutes) with those judged as fully developed Type B (7.2 minutes). The difference in clotting time was statistically significant. Cholesterol levels were clearly and significantly higher for group A subjects. The incidence of arcus senilis was three times greater for group A and five times greater in the fully developed comparison groups.

15. RESULTS The key finding of the entire study was the striking difference in the incidence of clinical coronary heart disease found in the two groups In group A 23 of the subjects (28%) exhibited clear evidence of CHD. In group B only 3 men (4%) exhibited clear CHD.

16. Smoking & chd Freidman and Rosenman found that within group A, an equal number of light smokers (10 cigarettes or fewer per day) had CHD as did heavy smokers (more than 10 cigarettes per day). In group B there were 46 men who smoked heavily, yet only 2 exhibited CHD. These findings led the authors to suggest that cigarette smoking may have been a characteristic of the Type A behavior pattern, but not a direct cause of the CHD that was found

17. Parental history & chd Out of 30 group A men having a positive parental history, only 8 (27%) had heart disease. Of the 53 men in group A without parental history 15 (28%) had heart disease. NONE of the 23 group B men with a positive parental history exhibited clinical heart disease.

18. Research significance & subsequent findings 1.This was one of the earliest systematic studies to establish clearly that specific behavior patterns characteristic of some individuals can contribute in dramatic ways to serious illness. 2.This study began a new line of scientific inquiry into the relationship between behavior and CHD that has produced scores of research articles. 3. It has played an important role in the creation and growth of a relatively new branch of the behavioral sciences called health psychology

19. Conclusions In 1976 Friedman and Rosenman published the results of a major 8 year study of over 3,000 men who were diagnosed at the beginning of the study as being free of heart disease and who fit Type A behavior pattern. Compared with Type B subjects these men were twice as likely to develop CHD, suffered significantly more fatal heart attacks, and reported five times more coronary problems. The Type A pattern predicted who would develop CHD independently of other predictors such as age, cholesterol level, blood pressure, or smoking habits.

20. Conclusion In response to Friedman and Rosenman’s research several successful programs to intervene in the connection between Type A behavior and serious illness have been developed.

21. Follow Up Study Perry & Baldwin in 2000 Studied the relationship between Type A behavior pattern and driving. Study found a clear association between Type A personality and an increase in driving-related incidents: more traffic accidents, more tickets, greater impatience on the road, display of road rage, and overall riskier driving behaviors. “Friends should not let Type A friends drive!”

22. AM I a Type A Personality? Characteristics of those who exhibit Type A Personality are: 1.Frequently doing more than one thing at a time, 2.Urging others to hurry up and finish what they are saying. 3.Becoming very irritated when traffic is blocked or when you are waiting in line. 4.Gesturing a lot while talking 5.Having a hard time sitting with nothing to do. 6.Speaking explosively and using obscenities often. 7.Playing to win all the time, even in games with children. 8.Becoming impatient when watching others carry out tasks.