Type a Behavior, Cognitive Defense, and Stress

Abstract

This study considered the possible moderator effects of three cognitive variables—repression, awareness of defense, and breadth of scanning—upon the relationship between Type A behavior and stress. Type A college subjects of both sexes did not report significantly more stress than Type B students. However, (1) repression, (2) lack of awareness, and (3) narrow scanning served moderator roles for Type A subjects; each, considered singly or in combination, contributed to higher stress levels. These evasive cognitive qualities were not associated with higher stress in Type B subjects. The results, in combination with those from several previous studies, were interpreted within the context of a model relating coping strategies to management of stress in which evasive defensiveness that impedes direct action upon sources of stress is maladaptive.