Type A behaviour and types of competitor in young adults

A previous study (Keltikangas‐Järvinen and Räikkönen, 1990a) discovered two different Type A competitors among adolescents, i.e. adjusted and maladjusted competitors. This paper examines whether the same result can be replicated in older age groups. Type A behaviour, self‐esteem, locus of control, and achievement striving were measured in 935 randomly selected young adults. Two different kinds of Type A competitor were found, i.e. aggressive and hard‐driving. Neither of these two could be called ‘adjusted’. Instead, adjusted and maladjusted forms of striving for achievement were found which adequately described the previously found adjusted and maladjusted types of competitors. The results suggest that achievement striving is a very essential dimension of Type A behaviour. However, it may play a different role in different psychological contexts.

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