Previous measures of the Type A behaviour pattern (TABP) fail to assess the multidimensionality of the TABP. This dissertation evaluates the construct validity of the Survey of Work Styles (SWS), a multidimensional self-report measure of the TABP.;In Study 1, the SWS demonstrated (1) moderate to high internal consistency, (2) moderate correlations with the Jenkins Activity Survey and the Framingham Type A Scale, and (3) a significantly higher TABP classification agreement than other self-report measures with the Structured Interview in a sample of 163 middle-aged male business managers. Three bipolar modal profiles were identified and labelled as the Anger/Impatience, Job Dissatisfaction, and Anger/Work Involvement profiles. The three SWS modal profiles were predictive of mean systolic blood pressure during the Structured Interview, and the Anger/Work Involvement modal profile was predictive of diastolic blood pressure.;The results of Study 2 demonstrated that in a sample of 252 middle-aged men the SWS was (1) essentially uncorrelated with traditional coronary risk factors, and (2) incrementally predictive of CHD. Eight-eight percent of men with coronary heart disease scored high on either the SWS Anger/Impatience or the Job Dissatisfaction modal profile.;Study 3, an examination of the psychopathological correlates of the SWS in a sample of 33 male and 76 female employed adults found that the Anger/Impatience profile was related to interpersonal problems. The Job Dissatisfaction profile was negatively related to interpersonal problems. Hypochondriasis, interpersonal problems, persecutory ideas, and anxiety were associated with the Anger/Work Involvement profile. These results indicate that the Anger/Impatience profile, the Job Dissatisfaction profile, and the Anger/Work Involvement profile resemble the angry state, the depressed state, and the Superwoman/Superman state, respectively. These are three Type A states posited by Price (1982).;These results support the reconceptualization of the TABP as a multidimensional construct. Important individual differences were identified in the expression of the Type A components. Differences were also noted in the associations of the SWS profiles with physiological reactivity, prevalence of CHD, and psychopathology
