The concept of Type A personality has become a ubiquitous part of modern culture, with its roots dating back to the 1950s. Dr Ray Rosenman and Dr Meyer Friedman's groundbreaking research claimed that individuals who exhibited competitive and productivity-driven tendencies were more likely to suffer from heart attacks. However, the process behind their discovery was far from straightforward.
Initially, it was a simple observation made by a secretary at a San Francisco medical office: some chairs in the waiting room required more frequent reupholstery than others. She noted that patients with coronary disease would always arrive on time and prefer hard, upholstered chairs over comfortable sofas, often pacing back and forth before being called.
This insight sparked a chain of events that would see Rosenman and Friedman's work take center stage, inspiring the concept of Type A personality. The idea was initially used to help cardiologists better understand their patients' behavior patterns, but it soon found its way into the mainstream, with the authors publishing a bestselling book on the subject.
However, as time went on, the idea began to be co-opted by corporations seeking to exploit it for their own gain. In one infamous case, tobacco companies used Rosenman and Friedman's research to argue that smoking didn't cause cancer, claiming instead that smokers were more likely to be Type A personalities – a finding that would ultimately have devastating consequences.
Fast-forward to the present day, where videos of TikTok teens obsessing over personality classification are going viral. It's a familiar story: someone notices something peculiar and is subsequently monetized by others. In this case, author Arwa Mahdawi finds herself caught in the vortex of Type A personality obsession after seeing a recent headline about it.
Mahdawi's conclusion after delving deep into the world of personality tests and theories? That most personality "science" is largely bunk – but we're willing to indulge in it because it offers a sense of organizational systems to make sense of ourselves. Her main takeaway, however, is that she needs to work on her procrastination problem.
The implications of Type A personality are complex and multifaceted, and while its origins may be murky, one thing remains clear: the pursuit of order and understanding in our chaotic world drives us all to seek answers – even if they're not always reliable.
Initially, it was a simple observation made by a secretary at a San Francisco medical office: some chairs in the waiting room required more frequent reupholstery than others. She noted that patients with coronary disease would always arrive on time and prefer hard, upholstered chairs over comfortable sofas, often pacing back and forth before being called.
This insight sparked a chain of events that would see Rosenman and Friedman's work take center stage, inspiring the concept of Type A personality. The idea was initially used to help cardiologists better understand their patients' behavior patterns, but it soon found its way into the mainstream, with the authors publishing a bestselling book on the subject.
However, as time went on, the idea began to be co-opted by corporations seeking to exploit it for their own gain. In one infamous case, tobacco companies used Rosenman and Friedman's research to argue that smoking didn't cause cancer, claiming instead that smokers were more likely to be Type A personalities – a finding that would ultimately have devastating consequences.
Fast-forward to the present day, where videos of TikTok teens obsessing over personality classification are going viral. It's a familiar story: someone notices something peculiar and is subsequently monetized by others. In this case, author Arwa Mahdawi finds herself caught in the vortex of Type A personality obsession after seeing a recent headline about it.
Mahdawi's conclusion after delving deep into the world of personality tests and theories? That most personality "science" is largely bunk – but we're willing to indulge in it because it offers a sense of organizational systems to make sense of ourselves. Her main takeaway, however, is that she needs to work on her procrastination problem.
The implications of Type A personality are complex and multifaceted, and while its origins may be murky, one thing remains clear: the pursuit of order and understanding in our chaotic world drives us all to seek answers – even if they're not always reliable.
, always chasing after the next big thing. Anyway, I'm so over the whole Type A personality thing. It's like, we get it, some people are high-strung and competitive, but do we really need to label them? It's just another excuse for corporations to sell us stuff 
. And don't even get me started on the tobacco companies using this stuff to deny reality - come on, that's just basic logic 
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. Arwa Mahdawi's right on point when she says most personality tests are bunk, but at the same time, I can see why they'd be appealing - who doesn't want to be told they're just a certain type? 
. It's like, I know I need to work on my procrastination problem too... 
. Like this whole Type A personality thing, it's just so...interesting, but also kinda shallow? I mean, we need to understand ourselves, but do we really need some fancy test to figure that out? 
? I mean, their avocado toast is TO DIE FOR 
! Anyway, back to this Type A personality thing... I think it's kinda funny how we've taken something meant for helping cardiologists understand their patients and turned it into a TikTok meme 
. But hey, if it makes us feel more organized in our crazy lives, who cares? I mean, have you seen my messy closet? 
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. But at the end of the day, I guess that's just human nature – we're all desperate for some kind of order in our crazy lives 
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. And now we have these new generation of "experts" on TikTok making vids about it and selling personality tests online 
? It just feels like they're making money off our curiosity 
Anywayz mahdawi's point about personality "science" being kinda sketchy is lowkey relatable tbh I mean who hasn't taken a quiz and been like "oh i'm a total Type A" only to realize it's all just a bunch of made up stuff? 
It's like, every time someone notices something weird and suddenly everyone wants a piece of the action 
. Newsflash: it's not always about finding answers, sometimes it's just about existing in a world that's already messy 
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. Let's stop trying to fit into these neat little boxes and start embracing our messy, imperfect selves 
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. We should all do that – just own our stuff and move on with our lives 
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. But let's keep a critical eye out for any ulterior motives behind these studies - we don't need more ways to justify being perfect or something 
It's like our personalities are always in flux, even if we don't realize it.
but at least Mahdawi is callin' out the "science" for what it is - fake news 
. Like, what even is the point of knowing your personality type if it's just gonna be used against you? And honestly, I'm low-key concerned about the impact of all these tests on mental health 
. We need to be careful not to get too caught up in trying to fit into some neat little box 
