According to Wikipedia, Type A individuals can be described as impatient, time-conscious, controlling, concerned about their status, highly competitive, ambitious, business-like, aggressive, having difficulty relaxing; and are sometimes disliked by individuals with Type B personalities for the way that they're always rushing. Type B individuals, in contrast, are described as patient, relaxed, and easy-going, generally lacking an overriding sense of urgency.
For as long as I've heard the terms Type A and Type B, I've associated Type A people as uptight and no fun, and Type B people as easy-going and fun. Therefore, I have known all along I was a Type B kind of person.
However, several years back my friend Maria started teasing that I was a closet Type A personality (she also said I was a closet Republican--and that's just wrong). But she may have had a point about me being a closet Type A. I do have some Type A leanings, but they are swirled in with some very Type B traits. I think I have a dual personality!
For example, I love to camp. And I have no problems being disheveled and grimy for several days at a time if it means beautiful hikes and adventures. At the same time, I'm an obsessive planner, so it will drive me a little crazy if that camping trip isn't planned ahead of time and I don't know what we're eating each night of the trip so I can do the proper shopping for it.
Mark likes to make reservations at the last minute so we can get a deal. And I totally understand that logic. I try my hardest to go with the flow. But the closer the trip gets, the more stressed I feel without reservations. And it's not like I have every minute of every day of our vacations planned, but I'm afraid if we don't plan out at least some of our activities ahead of time, we'll end up sitting in a hotel room discussing what we want to do--wasting precious time.
I come from a family of planners. I can tell you the day, time and place my family will celebrate Christmas in 2017, and Thanksgiving in 2018. On the other hand, we usually aren't sure when my husband's family will celebrate until a few days before. I'm learning to work with that (really...I'm trying).
There are other examples:
Type B: I'm messy. There's dirty laundry all over the floor. The pantry has no organization to it whatsoever, and there are cat toys all over the living room floor.
Type A: I can't stand it when the stray bowls (the ones I can't get my husband to get rid of) get mingled in with the bowls that go with our dish sets (we actually have three different dish sets--that's drives me a little bonkers too). I like the glassware lined up very neatly and orderly. And it drives me crazy when the dishwasher isn't loaded in an organized manner.
Type B: If I send out invites for a party and nobody can make it--no problem. I'm fine with canceling or just having a small gathering.
Type A: It drives me crazy when they don't tell me whether they can make it or not. I wish I could remove the "maybe" button on the Facebook invites. Just tell me "yes" or "no" so I can PLAN!
Type B: I run slow. I don't like that I'm a slow runner, but I've learned that trying to run fast just isn't enjoyable for me. It takes the fun out of exercise--and if I don't enjoy it, I won't do it.
Type A: Even though I know I will never be a competitive runner, it really bogs me down when I don't beat my last time. I hate that my pace has slowed over the last several years, and I can't seem to get that old pace back again--no matter how hard I try.
Type B: I'm okay with other people running late unless it's to the point of total disrespect.
Type A: I cannot be late. Not even two or three minutes late. Tardiness in myself is unacceptable.
I could go on and on with examples of my mixed up personality. I guess most people are a blend of personality types. The older I get, the more I am coming to terms with my Type A personality traits. In fact, the older I get the more Type A traits I must assume in order to function (i.e. making lists, keeping a calendar).
So Maria, this is for you: My name is J.J. and I have a Type A (partly Type A) personality.
(It really bugs me that I can't get the graphic in this blog to line up neatly with the first line of text).
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