Types of Personality

Cardiologists divide us into two types according to how our personality affects our heart. Type A individuals are highly competitive, innately hostile, fast eating and rapid talking, whilst B-type drown in the milk of human kindness and are sublimely indifferent to the passage of time. It is an uncomfortable fact that A's die twice as frequently from heart disease as B's even when the risks of cigarettes, alcohol and cream buns are taken into account.

Personality is to a large extent genetically endowed. A-type parents usually bring about A-type offspring. But the environment must also have a profound effect, since if competition is important to the parents, it is likely to become a major factor in the lives of their children.

One place where children soak up A characters is school, which is, by its very nature, a highly competitive institution. Too many schools adopt the "win at all costs" ethic and measure their success by showing off their achievements. The current craze for making children compete against their mates or against the clock produces a two-layer system, in which competitive A-types seem in some way better than their B-type fellows. Addiction to winning can have dangerous consequences: remember that Pheidippides, the first marathon runner, dropped dead seconds after murmuring: "Rejoice, we conquer!"

By far the worst form of competition in schools is the disproportionate emphasis on examinations. It is a rare school that allows pupils to concentrate on the things they do well. The merits of competition by examination are doubtful enough, but competition in the certain knowledge of inappropriate subjects is positively harmful.

Obviously, it is neither practical nor desirable that all A youngsters change into B's. The world needs both types, and schools have an important duty to try to fit a child's personality to his possible future employment. It is a fallacy, for instance, that people successful in business are full of competitive zeal, there are many B-types in top management.

If the preoccupation of schools with academic work was lessened, more time might be spent teaching children sure values. Perhaps selection for the caring professions especially medicine, could be made less by good grades in chemistry and more by such considerations as sensitivity, charity and compassion. It is surly a mistake to choose our doctors exclusively from A-type stock B's are important and should be encouraged.

Short Answer Questions

1. Why do type-B individuals suffer less from heart disease than type-A?
2. Children develop into type-A rather than type-B individuals because of ____.
3. What does the example of the first marathon runner illustrate?
4. It is suggested in the 4th paragraph that many schools force students to focus on examinations rather than ____.
5. What is the criterion to select medical profession candidates at present?

(Keys.)