Abstract
Physiological reactions of male subjects were monitored under conditions of interpersonal competition, blocking of goal-directed behavior during competition, and harassment during competition. Subjects were classified as Type A or B with a structured interview, and completed a battery of measures assessing dimensions of anger and hostility. The major findings were as follows: Harassment elicited marked elevations in systolic blood pressure and heart rate relative to the other two conditions; Type As were more reactive than Bs in the Harassment condition, whereas Bs exceeded As in the competition-only condition; self-reported hostility was modestly related to reactivity; among high-hostile individuals, Type A behavior, outwardly-directed anger, and overt manifestation of hostility predicted reactivity, whereas, among low-hostile individuals, suppression of anger tended to predict reactivity. The findings were discussed with regard to mechanisms mediating psychological variables and cardiovascular disease.