Friday, January 13, 2006

Totally Type A

We all have a type. I don't mean blood type, although we all do have one of those (hopefully). I'm talking about personality type. And if you've ever taken a psychology class, you find out some interesting things about personalities.

Oh sure, we've all taken personality tests that tell us we're a golden retriever, a combination of the letters DISC, or some such nonsense. If you believe those, I'm a "high D" or a Beaver/Lion. I'd hate to actually see that creature. Much worse than a Liger, I'm guessing ("Half lion, half tiger, bred for its skills in magic."). But I think the most commonly referred to personality types are the letter types.

Hi, I'm Superchikk, and I'm a Type A.

Sometimes labels, phrases, and stuff like that are so commonly used that they lose their punch and don't really mean what everyone thinks they mean. So I looked it up. And I basically found out that it means what I think it means. Here's some of the questions to distinguish "Type A Behavior."

Do you eat fast and leave the table immediately? Yes.
Does your partner or a close friend tell you to slow down, become less tense, or take it easy? Yes.
Does it bother you a lot to wait in line at a cashier's counter? Yes.
Do you usually watch TV or read while eating? Yes.
Do you examine the mail or do other things while listening to someone on the telephone? Yes.
Do you often think of other things while listening to someone? Yes.
Do you believe that you are usually in a hurry to get things done? Yes.
And here's my favorite one...
Does the car-driving errors of other drivers, the indifference of store clerks, or the tardiness of mail delivery upset you significantly? Yes, yes, and yes.

There were some other indicator questions, but I won't go into all of that. Basically I've discovered, well, what I already knew. But one thing I wasn't aware of is that Type A personalities have very high instances of heart disease. Probably because we're wound so tight all the time.

So, what are we Type A's supposed to do about it? By our very nature we want to fix things - they MUST be right. I couldn't, in all of my internet searching, find a website that tells Type A's how to chill out or loosten up. So, I suppose you learn to chill the Type A way.

Learning to chill the Type A Way: Make a list of things to do. Make yourself actually do those things, and like it.

So I guess that'll be my next list...things to do to not be so Type A. But by the very nature of it, making that type of list is very Type A.

It's a vicious cycle. Pin It

2 comments:

  1. Well, having 7 kids probably helped my Type A personality a LOT!

    Aren't ya'll glad I have mellowed???

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous10:54 AM

    So... according to nineranchmom, to make a Type A be not so Type A they should have 7 kids!?!?!

    Well I'm no Type A!

    ReplyDelete