Type A Behavior - Work Outcomes and Psychological Well-Being: Achievement Striving Versus Impatience

Year 2008, Volume: 10 Issue: 1, 31 - 46, 01.03.2008

Ronald J. Burke Astrid M. Richardsen Monica Martinussen

Abstract

This study investigated the effects of two Type A Behavior Pattern (TABP) dimensions on job and life satisfaction and psychosomatic symptoms: Achievement Striving (AS) and Impatience-Irritability (II), in a large sample of Norwegian human service workers (N=1590). The effects of three job demands (work conflict, work-family conflict, lack of autonomy) were also considered. Data were collected using questionnaires. AS and II were uncorrelated as predicted and had different patterns of relationship with job stressors and the satisfaction and well-being outcomes; II had a negative relationship with job and life satisfaction and a positive relationship with psychosomatic symptoms while AS had a positive relationship with life satisfaction. AS and II contributed additional explained variance on all dependent variables controlling for personal and work situation characteristics. Few TABP dimension X job demands interactions were significant suggesting that AS and II likely influence outcomes directly rather than in interaction with job demands

Keywords

Psychological well-Being, Behavior, Work Outcomes

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