Goal Orientation,Type A Behaviour and Telic Dominance in Middle-aged Men

Reversal theory is proposed as a psychological basis for the reduction of Type A behaviour. Specifically Telic Dominance (a construct used in Reversal theory) is proposed to explain goal orientation in Type A behaviour. As an initial test of this hypothesis Jenkins Activity Survey and Framingham Type A scores were correlated with Telic Dominance Scale (TDS) scores for a sample of 99 men aged 45-59 years selected from the Caerphilly Collaborative Heart Disease Study population. The hypothesised pattern of associated between Type A and TDS scores was found only with the Jenkins Activity Survey. Evidence is also presented that sample composition may affect the TDS Arousal Avoidance subscale scores which may in turn affect inter-subscale correlations and factor structure.