Type A vs Type B Personality – 12 Major Differences 

Do you want to differentiate between type A vs type B personality?

Well, that’s a great idea… especially if you have such people in your workplace. If you know about how each one excels or doesn’t, you can appoint the perfect task to them… and reach the required goals.

But that’s not all, you can also put this knowledge to good use at school or even your home.

So, let’s just quickly get to know them here…

Type A Vs Type B Personality

Individuals with type A and type B personalities are pretty different… or even polar opposites… in lots of areas in their life. 

Their behavior, their responses to situations, and even the way they manage their life and tasks differ. So, let’s first take a quick glimpse here…

But, don’t jump to conclusions just yet and dig deep into the differences here…

1. Type As feel time urgency whereas type Bs are relaxed about time

People with Type A personality are always in a hurry. They feel an immense urge to cover their tasks before the given time. They value time and punctuality so much that they can’t devote reasonable time to other areas of their life. They have good time management skills but it causes major stress levels.

For instance, type As dislike waiting. If they get stuck in the traffic or in a long queue, they’re that person who says “What’s taking them so long? Is the traffic controller broken/Is the cashier new?”

They become impatient and restless when they need to wait. They even eat and walk fast. While talking, they talk more and listen less which later may lead to issues.

When compared to type A, type Bs are much more lenient with time. If some unexpected issue comes up, they’re quite flexible. They don’t get ticked off from waiting. They know which task to prioritize at which time and don’t neglect their daily life or try to cut off time from other areas of life for work.

2. Type A prioritize themselves in groups while type B is invested in teamwork

Type A and Type B are polar opposites when it comes to group settings whether in personal or professional life.

Suppose a type A personality and type B personality are appointed to a team where they must come up with ideas and solutions for problems.

The type A individuals will always think from their individual viewpoint to reach the goal. They won’t wait for others to agree with them or give their opinion. Their competitive side overpowers them and they forget that they’re supposed to work together as one unit.

On the other hand, the type B people won’t hurry to conclude all alone. They won’t hurry past others to shine individually. They’ll take their time to discuss all possible solutions with the team. They try their best to find solutions that get the OK from everyone on the team.

In personal life, people with type A behavioral patterns (TABP) take charge without considering others’ needs. But type Bs keep an eye out for everyone’s personal preference and meet in the middle.

3. As leaders, type As are controlling while type B people are flexible

When a person with type A personality traits lead a team, they try to keep everything under their control. In professional settings, they delegate tasks they deem fit for each person.

If the team member or anyone outside the team asks to reconsider their choices regarding task delegation, they don’t entertain it. They act pretty stubbornly and don’t change their decisions easily.

They follow the path only in which they seem fit and aren’t ready to consider others’ standpoints. They’re never ready to entertain difficult people.

On the other hand, people with type B behavior patterns (TBBP) aren’t as strict as leaders. They like to proceed with their people. They don’t mind reconsidering task delegations or decisions.

They welcome proposed ideas and thoughts.  They believe they can reach the best solutions and ways together only. This makes type Bs much more approachable to others. They can even deal with tough people aptly.

4. Type As are achievement-oriented while Type Bs focus on creativity

When it comes to motivation, achievement is the greatest driving force for type As. They’re extremely ambitious and want nothing but the first position. They’re ready to follow any path to reach their goals. If they get good returns, they don’t mind the risks.

They believe that money, status, reputation, and achievement are the most precious things in life. They judge those who don’t have similar values harshly. They feel that people that don’t have high aims are lazy. They’re ready to go the extra mile to not fall into that category.

On the other hand, Type B behavioral patterns are completely opposite. They don’t pressurize themselves or others to come first. They focus more on the process and the lessons from it.

They’re relaxed yet extremely focused simultaneously. They’re devoted to their responsibilities and tasks… but they feel more motivated to awaken their and others’ creativity. They definitely desire to win, but they prioritize the entire process of reaching the endpoint rather than just the results.

5. Type As might act hostile while Type Bs might become procrastinators

As mentioned before type As are competitive and they always hurry everything. They want to win at every possible place and are ready to give their utmost… especially in professional or academic life.

However, when things don’t go accordingly, they can’t handle it. For instance, when a type A person is a part of a team where there aren’t many like-minded people, they can’t stand it.

They become aggressive and hostile towards others that don’t devote their entire life to work or school. They think that those group members are an obstacle between them and their dreams.

On the other hand, type Bs get in trouble due to their relaxed nature. They’re flexible and laid-back, but sometimes they overdo it. They keep their tasks for later… until it becomes too late.

Their procrastination leads them to hurry at the last moment. This naturally drops their efficiency level.

6. Type As overwork themselves but type Bs might have low-efficiency

Human beings only have 24 hours every day, so it’s always a question of how type As are much more productive. Due to the desire to reach the top in type As they work excessively. They cut off their break, lunch, and even socializing time to complete their work.

They rush their work to maintain deadlines… even if they have flexible and lenient deadlines. This is mainly due to their fear of missing deadlines or disappointing their own or others’ expectations. So, their productivity is always high and they stay updated on all tasks.

However, type B people don’t feel such urgency. This might mingle with their workflow. They obviously don’t produce as much work in the same time period. The lack of urgency might even lead to missed deadlines.

7. Type As aren’t empathetic at all, but type Bs are the opposite

Whether in private or professional life, type As can’t stand lengthy discussions. They want the gist of everything important and get done with communication. They talk more and listen less due to their impatience.

Especially they can’t hold emotional conversations because they’re time-consuming. They don’t like to understand others’ emotions whether at home or work. Their lack of compassion makes them unapproachable at the workplace and in their personal life.

On the flip side, type Bs are extremely compassionate. This is great for their personal life as they’re open to understanding complex emotions, and others’ troubles, and think by putting themselves in others’ shoes.

However, this can mingle with their authority in the workplace. Their overfriendliness might hamper their professional life. They might get manipulated by lazy workers’ excuses. If they’re a leader, their leniency might lead them to lose respect for them.

8. Type As might suffer from heart diseases, but it’s complicated for Type Bs

In the 1976 studies of American Cardiologist Meyer Friedman and Rosy Rosenman, they found some probable issues that might arise in type A people due to basic personality traits like time urgency, punctuality, overworking, and aggression.

According to the findings, type As are more likely to suffer from coronary heart disease, high blood pressure, and other heart issues in their later years due to internal pressure.

On the other hand, type Bs might not suffer from similar issues because of their laid-back and relaxed traits. They don’t put extreme pressure on themselves to work more. Rather they enjoy the process.

However, that alone doesn’t promise them a healthy life. Since type Bs are laid back, they might also treat their health lightly.

The American Journal of Public Health, 2012, however, says that they didn’t find any link between personality types and heart diseases.

9. Type Bs produce more unique projects than type As

Type As are always in a hurry, so they dislike putting extra effort into artistic or creative efforts. They’re more straightforward in their academic or professional projects.

They make sure that everyone understands their aim and objectives. Their only goal is to meet the expectations of their professors or clients.

On the other hand, type Bs are keen on the process and love to create something unique. They often think out of the box to add to their creativity. Their projects are eye catchy as they don’t follow the crowd. They don’t stress about missing deadlines or not meeting expectations.

10. Type As have poor stress management skills than type Bs

Type As prioritize their work over themselves. They forget to draw the line between their health and work. Moreover, by their personality traits, they get stressed a lot yet don’t make time to heal or practice self-care.

Type As easily react to stressful situations with constant finger tapping, and sweating around the forehead and over the upper lips. They always fear something going wrong, harming their reputation, and losing everything.

They even undertake multiple responsibilities at once. They take care of all the responsibilities at once when in a pinch.

On the other hand, type Bs can always deal with stress and pressure properly. They never give up their personal needs or space for work or anything else. They can stay level-headed in any situation.

They’re always positive in any situation which helps them deal with their academic and professional life better. They never try to multitask and only undertake one task at once.

11. Corporates always feel more satisfied with a type A than a type B

Type As are simply workaholics, who submit their work much before their deadlines, and work more than they’re supposed to. This makes their bosses more than just impressed. They can always count on them whenever things don’t work out. They recommend their promotion to leadership positions.

However, type Bs don’t mind missing deadlines. Their laid-back nature makes their higher-ups assume they’re lazy, indifferent, and unmotivated. They can’t impress their bosses easily and must always work harder to grab any big opportunities or even get recognized.

12. Loved ones feel less satisfied with type A than type B

The undying and extreme devotion to work of a type A person makes their loved ones perceive them as insensitive. They get estranged from their friends and family. They don’t mind it and have their priorities all over the place. They frequently listen to their loved ones’ complaints.

But type Bs can set apart their personal and professional life well. They don’t let work pressure play with their home life. They have plenty of time to socialize and spend time in their personal life.

A word from ThePleasantPersonality

If you keep the differences between type As and Bs in mind, you can appoint them to the perfect department as HR of a company or delegate them tasks accordingly to make your team’s productivity skyrocket.

In the corporate world, knowing the basic differences between these two types and identifying the perfect people accordingly, can make a major difference in your business. So, start evaluating your employees right away and make wonders for your business.

Article Sources

1. https://study.com/academy/lesson/type-a-and-type-b-personalities-in-organizations-definition-characteristics.html
2. https://www.hiresuccess.com/help/understanding-the-4-personality-types
3. https://keydifferences.com/difference-between-type-a-and-type-b-personality.html