MARRIAGE AND TYPE A PERSONALITIES: IMPACT

The impact of Type A behavior pattern on marriages is a relatively unresearched area (a peculiar and unfortunate fact). I am convinced that the greatest and most accurate source of information about the inner workings of Type A personalities is not cardiologists or psychologists or psychiatrists or physiological researchers. The inexhaustible (and relatively untapped) fount of information about these driven people is the people who live with them.
Spouses see beyond the Type A's intimidating bravado. Family members grow to understand the often sensitive and brittle cores of such personalities. But these same family members are also the most frequent targets (victims?) of the Type A person's style of reacting.
In keeping with the theme of this book, the following pages explore the topic of how to manage the cardiac risk factor of Type A behavior pattern from a marital perspective. As you read on, remember that these descriptions probably apply, to some degree, to one or both of you. No one exhibits all these characteristics, and everyone exhibits some of them.
The important point is not to label your partner or yourself in some categorizing way. The important point is to learn to recognize and modify any Type A coping patterns that may be generating distress in your relationship or for you as individuals and that may therefore be interfering with cardiac rehabilitation.
In exploring this topic, I first give a brief overview of specific factors that are helpful in understanding the Type A individual and that should be addressed by anyone trying to change Type A patterns. I then discuss the underlying psychological and physiological causes and operations of Type A responsivity. Finally, I discuss the impact of Type A-ness on marital and family life.
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