Competitive Orientations and the Type A Behavior Pattern
Bill Thornton, Richard M. Ryckman, Joel A. Gold
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DOI: 10.4236/psych.2011.25064   PDF    HTML     10,022 Downloads   18,909 Views   Citations

Abstract

Differences in competitive orientations were examined in relation to two components of the Type A behavior pattern, Achievement Strivings and Impatience-Irritability, that have differential implications for achievement performance and health. As expected, hypercompetitiveness was not related to Achievement Strivings, but positively correlated with Impatience-Irritability. In contrast, personal development competitiveness related positively to Achievement Strivings, but was not related to Impatience-Irritability. Hypercompetitiveness was not related to actual academic achievement either, but personal development competitiveness was positively correlated. Hypercompetitiveness was associated with greater self-reported health problems, whereas personal development competitiveness was associated with fewer health problems. Results further corroborate the discriminant validity of the hypercompetitive and personal development competitive construct and suggest negative psychosomatic implications for the hypercompetitive individual.

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Thornton, B. , Ryckman, R. & Gold, J. (2011). Competitive Orientations and the Type A Behavior Pattern. Psychology, 2, 411-415. doi: 10.4236/psych.2011.25064.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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