Rejuvenating type a behavior awareness: strategic imperative for global human resource preservation.

• Author: Kunnanatt, James Thomas
• Position: Report

1. INTRODUCTION

   Type A behavior pattern or TABP is a behavioral lifestyle which when present in an individual could lead to the deadly disease called coronary heart disease (Friedman and Rosenman, 1974). While some researchers refute this linkage the WHO reports that 80% to 90% of people dying from CHD have one or more major risk factors associated with their lifestyle (WHO 2010). Research also shows that Type A lifestyle is mostly found among executives, employees and entrepreneurs engaged in competitive avocations.

   Being a product of industrialization and modernization, TABP was the nightmare of the western societies during 70s and 80s, but today Type A behavior has begun spreading into the developing parts of the world where the waves of globalization and modernization have gained momentum. Unless prevented on time TABP can cause perennial damage to global human resources in the future. This paper suggests that rejuvenating awareness about type a behavior pattern and disseminating knowledge about its psycho-socio-biological dynamics among the public, particularly executives, employees and all those individuals leading busy-schedule lifestyle, is a strategic imperative for all nations concerned about preserving the health of their human capital.

2. APPROACH AND METHODOLOGY

   The objective of this paper is to relive the concept of Type A behavior pattern and spread its awareness among the so called busy-scheduled populations across the world with a view to help them guard against the health hazard posed by this behavioral menace. The paper reviews and integrates past research literatures on TABP and provides a portrait of its socio-psycho-biological dimensions and implications for personal wellbeing. The contents go beyond popular literature on TABP to discuss the biological roots of Type A behavior--a dimension often ignored in TABP discussions. The paper also discusses how TABP differs from achievement orientation and emotional intelligence--two concepts most frequently discussed in HRD circles. Finally, the paper provides an abridged set of guidelines for people to keep themselves aloof from the Type A behavior syndrome.

   2.1 Type A Behavior Pattern--Origin and Importance

   During the post-World War II boom period in USA there was a sudden and unexplained rise in coronary heart disease, particularly among middle-aged US citizens, that confused both medical researchers and practitioners alike. More than half-a-million people died annually of heart attack. A large percentage of these deaths occurred between the ages of thirty-five and fifty and were classified as premature deaths. Traditional risk factors such as high blood pressure, serum cholesterol, smoking, obesity, lack of physical activity, etc. failed to account for many of these premature deaths. The question posed was: "Are there nonphysical risk factors involved?"

   While the medical community remained puzzled, two US cardiologists, Drs Meyer Friedman and Ray Rosenman, came out with a stunning revelation during their clinical observations that a large number of their coronary heart disease patients shared a characteristic pattern of behaviors and emotional reactions, which they labeled as type A behavior pattern (TABP). They defined TABP as an action-emotion complex that can be observed in any person who is aggressively involved in a chronic, incessant struggle to achieve more and more in less and less time, and if required to do so, against the opposing efforts of other things or persons (Friedman and Rosenman, 1974). The cardiologists believed that TABP was influenced by western cultural values that rewarded those who could produce in any capacity with great amounts of speed, efficiency and aggressiveness (Friedman and Rosenman, 1974; Rosenman and Chisney, 1980). The most common victims were people engaged in active employment or leading very busy life schedule and included executives, entrepreneurs and those living under severe conditions of life stress.

   2.2 Spread of Research Interest in TABP

   Research interest in TABP soon began to diffuse across the US and parts of Europe. Researchers began contradicting as well as confirming findings linking Type A and CHD. While certain researchers and authors contradicted and criticized the findings (Denollet, 1993) a large number of researchers agreed with the observations on TABP and its linkage with CHD (Caplan and Jones, 1975; Kornitzer et al., 1981). In research that ensued, after careful confirmation of the evidences, the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of USA, concluded, in 1981, that TABP was associated with increased risk for CHD in employed, middle-aged US citizens over and above that conferred by the traditional risk factors. More importantly, the risk conferred by Type A was comparable to the relative risk associated with the traditional (physical) risk factors. TABP, thus, received authoritative recognition in USA as an independent risk factor for CHD (The Review Panel, 1981).

   2.3 Lifestyle Changes in the US

   The new revelation linking heart disease and TABP shook the entire western world. The result was aggressive mass education and lifestyle awareness programs initiated by the print, radio, TV and mass media. The impact was widespread restructuring of people's life styles resulting in stabilization of the incidence of coronary heart disease. After such prolonged awareness creation and promotion of lifestyle management programs that started during the 70s and 80s coronary disease-related deaths in USA and Europe have begun to decline in recent decades.

   Perhaps due to these positive happenings, public awareness about TABP has begun disappearing in the western world and media attention on TABP is almost nonexistent today. The consequence perhaps is that heart disease still remains a top killer disease in the western world (WHO, 2002; WHO, 2004; American Heart Association, 2008) suggesting that awareness about TABP and its adverse coronary consequences needs to be resurrected and kept live in public memory as was done during the 70s and 80s. This is especially so as globalization is causing escalating stresses in the lives of people.

   2.4 TABP situation in the East

   While the west has already fell victim to TABP, research evidences indicate that the distressing behavior pattern has begun permeating the populations of the newly industrializing/urbanizing oriental societies too. In Japan, an early participant of industrialization, TABP appears to have made wider inroads into the society with a parallel growth in CHD statistics (Fukuoka et. al., 2005; Hisashi, 1999; Satoshi and Teruo 1990; Song, et. al. 2007; Yoshimasu, 2001). In the other societies of East European, Asian, Latin American and African countries despite advances in medical awareness and health consciousness among city dwellers CHD statistics have suddenly shot up in the industrial/urban regions (WHO 2004) possibly indicating the diffusion of coronary-prone behavior into the urban populations. In a recent multi-country case-control design study covering 24767 subjects from 52 countries in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Australia, and North and South America (Rosengren, et. al., 2004) it has been observed that the behavioral roots of CHD are firming up in many countries outside the US and Europe. In a study held in India, Type A behavior was found to have taken deeper inroads into the lifestyles of executives, especially among those in the highly competitive service sector segments of the country (Kunnanatt, 2003). Research outputs from other oriental regions such as China, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan and the Middle East also indicate the growing incidence of Type A behavior among managerial and working populations (Cha et. al 2005; Jong, et. al. 1998; Lee and Park 1997; Muhammad, 2005; Muhammad, 2006; Sarath and Daniel, 2004).

   These research observations may be read in combination with the World Health Organization's recent observation that coronary heart disease is now the leading cause of death worldwide and that more than 60% of the global burden of coronary heart disease occurs in developing countries (WHO 2010). Moreover, the WHO observes that though genetic factors are associated with coronary heart disease, 80% to 90% of people dying from coronary heart disease have one or more major risk factors that are influenced by lifestyle (WHO 2010).

   The deteriorating CHD situation in these non-western societies, thus, appears to be akin to what occurred in the US and Europe during the post-World War II economic boom period when those societies were fast industrializing and urbanizing. The inference discernible here is that the rising coronary statistics in the oriental world could be...