The relationship of social support in the self-esteem of type A and B individuals.

Abstract

A study on the relationship between social support, self-esteem and Type A and Type B personality was conducted. The Subjects were 76 Introductory Psychology students ( 25 males and 51 females) at a small midwestern university. Subjects were asked to participate in this study during their normally scheduled Introductory Psychology class period. The subjects were given test packets consisting of a consent form and 4 questionnaires, the Jenkins Activity Survey (JAS) to assess personality type, the Texas Social Behavior Inventory (TSBI) to assess self-esteem, the Inventory of Socially Supportive Behavior (ISSB) to assess social support, and a demographic questionnaire. Items on the demographic questionnaire included gender, religion, traditional or nontraditional student status, and socioeconomic status as well as the degree they intended to receive, the highest degree either of their parents had received and 3 questions regarding their perceived pressure to do well in college. The JAS, TSBI and ISSB were analyzed using Multivariate T-tests. A significant effect was found between traditional and nontraditional student status and personality type. Nontraditional students were found more likely to have Type A personality than traditional students. No other significant differences were found among personality type, self-esteem and social support. These findings further validate the on-going need of investigation into these variables. The pairing of Type A and B personality with social support is a relatively new proposal; other sample populations need to be further examined. While this study suggests that there are no differences using Introductory Psychology students, other samples of interest might include a more diverse college sample using graduate and undergraduate students and patients of chronic, non-life threatening illnesses. The lack of significance pertaining to Type A and B personality and self-esteem is another interesting finding, that may be added to the pool of already conflicting research.