Type A Personality Inventory

Rate the extent to which each of the following statements is typical of you most of the time. Focus on
your general way of behaving and feeling. There are no right or wrong answers.

3 = The statement is very typical of me

2 = The statement is somewhat typical of me
1 = The statement is not at all typical of me

1 I get great satisfaction from doing things better than others

2 I tend to bring the theme of a conversation around to things I am interested in

3 In conversations, I often clench my fist, bang on the table, or pound one fist into the
palm of the other for emphasis
4 I move/eat rapidly

5 I feel as though I can accomplish more than others

6 I tend to feel guilty when I relax or do nothing for several days or hours

7 It doesn’t take much to get me to argue

8 I feel impatient at the rate at which many events take place

9 Having more than others is important to me

10 One aspect of my life (e.g. work, family) dominates all others

11 I often regret not being able to control my temper

12 I hurry the speeches of others by saying “uh-uh”, “yes, yes” or by completing their
sentences for them
13 I am very competitive when I meet someone new

14 To do something well, I have to concentrate on it alone and screen out all distractions
15 I feel that others’ mistakes cause me needless aggravation

16 I find it irritating to watch others perform tasks I know I can do faster

17 Getting ahead in my career is a major personal goal

18 I simply don’t have enough time to lead a well-balanced life

19 I often find fault with or criticise others

20 I frequently try to do two or more things simultaneously

21 People who avoid competition have low self confidence

22 I tend to fill up my spare time with thoughts/activities related to my major interest

(e.g. work, family)
23 I often get irritated by the unfairness of life

24 I get impatient when waiting in queues or traffic jams

Scoring:
Competitiveness Life Imbalance

Item: Score: Item: Score:

1 2
5 6
9 10
13 14
17 18
21 22

Total: Total:

Hostility / Anger Impatience / Urgency

Item: Score: Item: Score

3 4
7 8
11 12
15 16
19 20
23 24

Total: Total:

Adapted from ‘Developing Management Skills in Europe’ by D A Whetten, K S Cameron & M F Woods
(2000) Addison-Wesley Longman.