Journal of Behavioral Medicine

, Volume 14, Issue 6, pp 567–580 | Cite as

Type A behavior and marital interaction: Hostile-dominant responses during conflict

  • Jill D. Sanders
  • Timothy W. Smith
  • James F. Alexander
Article
Accepted:

Abstract

Previous research has indicated that the risk conferred by men's Type A versus B behavior depends, in part, on the personality characteristics of their spouses. In the present study of 60 married couples, we found that couples consisting of two Structured Interview-defined Type A's showed a larger increase in hostile/dominant behavior during discussions of marital conflicts than did couples consisting of two Type B's or a Type A husband and a Type B wife. Couples consisting of a Type B husband and a Type A wife displayed an intermediate level of hostile dominance. These results are consistent with previous speculations about interpersonal dynamics in Type A behavior and interaction patterns which might underlie spouse effects on Type A behavior and coronary risk.

Key words

Type A behavior marital interaction marital satisfaction 
This is a preview of subscription content, log in to check access.

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  1. Alexander, J. F. (1970). A systems approach to family interaction. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Western Psychological Association, Los Angles, April.Google Scholar
  2. Bernhardson, C. S. (1975). Type I error rates when multiple comparison procedures follow a significantF test.Biometrics 31: 229–232.Google Scholar
  3. Blaney, N. T., Brown, P., and Blaney, P. H. (1986). Type A, marital adjustment, and life stress.J. Behav. Med. 9: 491–502.Google Scholar
  4. Brown, P., and Smith, T. W. (in press). Social influence, marriage, and the heart: Cardiovascular consequences of interpersonal control in husbands and wives.Health Psychol. Google Scholar
  5. Burke, R. J. (1982). Type A behavior of administrators and spouses' reports of marital satisfaction and well-being: Only a partial replication.Psychol. Rep. 50: 315–325.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  6. Burke, R. J., Weir, T., and DuWors, R. E., r. (1979). Type A behavior of administrators and wives' reports of marital satisfaction and well-being.J. Appl. Psychol. 64: 57–65.Google Scholar
  7. Carmelli, D., Swan, G. F., and Rosenman, R. H. (1985). The relationship between wives' social and psychological status and their husbands' coronary heart disease.Am. J. Epidemol. 122: 90–100.Google Scholar
  8. Chesney, M. A., Black, G. W., Chadwick, J. H., and Rosenman, R. H. (1981). Psychological correlates of the Type A behavior pattern.J. Behav. Med. 4: 217–229.Google Scholar
  9. Dembroski, T. M. (1978). Reliability and validity of methods used to assess coronary-prone behavior. In Dembroski, T. M., Weiss, S. M., Shields, J. L., Haynes, S. G., and Feinleib, M. (eds.),Coronary-Prone Behavior, Springer-Verlag, New York, pp. 95–106.Google Scholar
  10. Eaker, E. D., Haynes, S. G., and Feinleib, M. (1983). Spouse behavior and coronary heart disease in men: Prospective results form the Framingham Heart Study. II. Modification of risk in Type A husbands according to the social and psychological status of their wives.Am. J. Epidemol. 118: 23–41.Google Scholar
  11. Ewart, C. K., Taylor, C. B., Kraemer, H. C., and Agras, W. S. (1984). Reducing blood pressure reactivity during interpersonal conflict: Effect of marital communication training.Behav. Ther. 15: 473–484.Google Scholar
  12. Fincham, F. D. (1985). Attribution processes in distressed and nondistressed couples: 2. Responsibility for marital problems.J. Abnorm. Psychol. 94: 183–190.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  13. Glass, D. C. (1977).Behavior Patterns, Stress, & Coronary Disease, Erlbaum, Hillsdale, NJ.Google Scholar
  14. Gottman, J. M. (1979).Marital Interaction: Experimental Investigations, Academic Press, New York.Google Scholar
  15. Houston, B. K. (1988). Cardiovascular and neuroendocrine reactivity, global Type A, and components of Type A behavior. In Houston, B. K., and Snyder, C. R. (eds.),Type A Behavior Pattern: Research Theory, and Intervention, Wiley, New York, pp. 212–253.Google Scholar
  16. Houston, B. K., and Kelly, K. E. (1987). Type A behavior in housewives: Relation to work, marital adjustment, stress, tension, health, fear-of-failure, and self-esteem.J. Psychosom. Res. 31: 55–61.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  17. Kelly, K. E., and Houston, B. K. (1985). Type A behavior in employed women: Relation to work, marital, and leisure variables, social support, stress, tension, and health.J. Personal. Soc. Psychol. 48: 1067–1079.Google Scholar
  18. Kirk, R. E. (1982). Experimental Design Procedures for the Behavioral Sciences, Brooks/Core, Moneterey, CA.Google Scholar
  19. Krantz, D. S., Contrada, R. J., Hill, R. D., and Friedler, D. (1988). Environmental stress and biobehavioral antecedents of coronary heart disease.J. Consult. Clin. Psychol. 56: 333–341.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  20. Leary, T. (1957).Interpersonal Diagnosis of Personality, Ronald Press, New York.Google Scholar
  21. Locke, H. J., and Wallace, K. M. (1959). Short marital-adjustment and prediction tests: Their reliability and validity.Marr. Fam. Living 21: 251–255.Google Scholar
  22. Matthews, K. A. (1988). CHD and Type A behaviors: Update on and alternative to the Booth-Kewley and Friedman quantitative review.Psychol. Bull. 104: 373–380.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  23. Medalie, J. H., Snyder, M., Groen, J. J., Neufeld, H. N., Goldbourt, U., and Riss, E. (1973). Angina pectoris among 10,000 men: 5 year incidence and univariate analysis.Am. J. Med. 55: 583–594.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  24. Price, V. A. (1982).The Type A Behavior pattern: A Model for Research and Practice, Academic Press, Orlando, FL.Google Scholar
  25. Ragland, D. R., and Brand, R. J. (1988). Type A behavior and mortality from coronary heart disease.N. Engl. J. Med. 318: 65–69.Google Scholar
  26. Rosenberger, L. M., and Strube, M. J. (1986). The influence of Type A and B behavior patterns on the perceived quality of dating relationships.J. Appl. Soc. psychol. 16: 277–286.Google Scholar
  27. Rosenman, R. H. (1978). The interview method of assessment of the coronary-prone behavior pattern. In Dembroski, T. M., Weiss, S. M., Shields, J. L., Haynes, S. G., and Feinleib, M. (eds.),Coronary-Prone Behavior, Springer-Verlag, New York, pp. 55–69.Google Scholar
  28. Rosenman, R. H., Brand, R. J., Jenkins, C. D., Friedman, M., Straus, R., and Wurm, M. (1975). Coronary heart disease in the Western Collaborative Group Study: Final follow-up experience of 8 1/2 years.JAMA 233: 872–877.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  29. Smith, T. W. (1989). Interactions, transactions, and the type A pattern: Additional avenues in the search for coronary-prone behavior. In Siegman, A. W., and Dembroski, T. M. (eds.),In Search of Coronary-Prone Behavior: Beyond Type A, Erlbaum, Hillsdale, NJ, pp. 91–116.Google Scholar
  30. Smith, T. W., and Sanders, J. D. (1986). Type A behavior, marriage, and the heart: Person-by-situation interactions and the risk of coronary disease.Beh. Med. Abstr. 7: 59–62.Google Scholar
  31. Smith, T. W., O'Keeffe, J. L., and Allred, K. D. (1989). Neuroticism, symptom reports, and Type A behavior: Interpretive cautions for the Framingham Scale.J. Behav. Med. 12, 1–11.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  32. Strube, J. J., Turner, C. W., Cerro, D., Stevens, J., and Hinchey, F. (1984). Interpersonal aggression and the Type A coronary-prone behavior pattern: A theoretical distinction and practical implications.J. Personal. Soc. Psychol. 47: 839–847.Google Scholar
  33. Sullaway, M. E., and Morell, M. A. (1990). Marital relationships and Type A-B behavior assessed using the Structured Interview, Jenkins Activity Survey, and Framingham Type A Scale,J. Behav. Med. 13: 419–436.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  34. Suls, J., and Wan, C. K. (1989). The relationship between Type A behavior and chronic emotional distress A meta-analysis.J. Personal. Soc. Psychol. 57: 503–512.Google Scholar
  35. Thoresen, C. E., Telch, M., and Eagleston, J. (1981). Approaches to altering the Type A behavior pattern.Psychosomatics 22: 472–482.PubMedGoogle Scholar
  36. Winer, B. J. (1971).Statistical Principles in Experimental Design, 2nd ed., McGraw-Hill, New York.Google Scholar
  37. Yarnold, P. R., Grimm, L. G., and Lyons, J. S. (1987). The Wiggins Interpersonal Behavior Circle and the Type A behavior pattern.J. Res. Personal. 21: 185–196.Google Scholar

Copyright information

© Plenum Publishing Corporation 1991

Authors and Affiliations

  • Jill D. Sanders
    • 1
  • Timothy W. Smith
    • 1
  • James F. Alexander
    • 1
  1. 1.Department of PsychologyUniversity of UtahSalt Lake City

Personalised recommendations