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Old 10-06-2014, 11:53 AM
 
Location: La Jolla, CA
7,284 posts, read 16,640,397 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Escort Rider View Post
It is quite amazing that you take good qualities such as drive, organization, commitment, and decisiveness and wish to turn them into pathologies. Would their opposites then (in your mind) become desirable traits? Disorganization, lack of commitment, indecisiveness, and lack of drive?
+1

The pathological assessment of personality traits is also extremely common when introversion and extroversion are discussed.
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Old 10-06-2014, 12:24 PM
 
7,492 posts, read 11,802,433 times
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I try to avoid them. And if I have to work with one, I surely don't let them boss me around. Sure that's gotten me in a little trouble in my life, but it doesn't matter.
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Old 10-06-2014, 12:56 PM
 
1,971 posts, read 3,036,527 times
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I'm a type A. Sometimes it's hard to deal with myself.
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Old 10-06-2014, 02:20 PM
 
Location: Kirkland, WA (Metro Seattle)
6,031 posts, read 6,114,923 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by stava View Post
My father was hardly type-A. But that's besides the point.

You're overreacting to what I said. I did not say that hard working or conscientious people were fundamentally pathological. Possessing positive qualities such as those does not equal a type-A personality.

We most likely have a different definition of what the type-A personality is. But yes, people who are high-strung and hold themselves to impossible standards and MUST control everything all the time - yes, those people have a problem. And it's rooted in insecurity, as ANY controlling behavior is.

A type-A personality cannot let go. They cannot ALLOW themselves to go with the flow because they do not TRUST that things will turn out ok if they do. They are operating from a place of fear. That is not healthy. It might end up producing positive results, but I guarantee you that person is not fundamentally happy.
Good, clear retort btw (I am not the person being retorted-to, but makes sense).

I'm high performance, but not the old school version of Type A. High performance is necessary in some professional roles, indeed, to drive for results and get the details right. Most of those I work with who are what I would call non-scientifically "the Modern Type A" do have a lot of drive, and may have a bit of trouble letting go and delegating. They wrestle with the letting-go part. But the bulk of those who have NOT hit a glass ceiling have consciously learned to let some of that go.

A peer and I were just discussing this morning: old company (1990s) vs. new company (previous five years to current). The new way seems to have better work/life balance and doesn't ruffle as many feathers, yet still gets results through individual empowerment minus the arrogance-part so prevalent in the old days. It's a delicate balance! Executive management watches for these qualities, nowadays, and promotes accordingly. Old school Type A are being left behind, in my industry at-least (or at-minimum here in Seattle's tech scene). They burn out, destroy others, and cause more trouble than they're worth.

Old school Type A don't stay married terribly long, or the spouse is a wallflower/abused and feels powerless to escape. Or spouse is glutton for it and thrives in such a hostile camp: I've seen a few of those, too. Thus, a modern and enlightened woman (usually, though could be a husband too) won't stand for all of that too long. A few years, they're usually done being married to (so-called) control freaks.

I'm a "Modern Type A," btw. Consider this last point, however: the amusing argument a friend of mine and I had with our respective partners the other year was, "the very qualities you regard is a bit controlling are what makes (us) successful in business, able to afford the lifestyle you don't seem to hesitate in exploiting!"
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Old 10-06-2014, 03:29 PM
 
17,389 posts, read 11,938,010 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by HTY483 View Post
You know these people. Pushy, controlling, rude, inflexible, impatient, many times perfectionists and often times difficult to deal with. There's someone in my life that I can't avoid and I don't know how to deal with them. So how do you deal with these A-holes?
The same way that we Type A's deal with Type B's. You know those people, slower than molasses, head in the clouds, never finish anything, can't focus, sloppy, always late and often times difficult to communicate with. Just do your job and they'll do their's.
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Old 10-06-2014, 03:42 PM
 
17,389 posts, read 11,938,010 times
Reputation: 16137
Quote:
Originally Posted by stava View Post
My father was hardly type-A. But that's besides the point.

You're overreacting to what I said. I did not say that hard working or conscientious people were fundamentally pathological. Possessing positive qualities such as those does not equal a type-A personality.

We most likely have a different definition of what the type-A personality is. But yes, people who are high-strung and hold themselves to impossible standards and MUST control everything all the time - yes, those people have a problem. And it's rooted in insecurity, as ANY controlling behavior is.

A type-A personality cannot let go. They cannot ALLOW themselves to go with the flow because they do not TRUST that things will turn out ok if they do. They are operating from a place of fear. That is not healthy. It might end up producing positive results, but I guarantee you that person is not fundamentally happy.
Unless you have a degree in psychology, you probably shouldn't be making assumptions you know nothing about. Assuming Type A's operate out of fear and a low self worth means you know nothing about what makes a Type A tick. And I can guarantee, that person could very well be happy.
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Old 10-06-2014, 03:44 PM
 
17,389 posts, read 11,938,010 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ivory Lee Spurlock View Post
I've worked with many those types of people over the course of my 44 years of being in the work force. By my very nature I'm a laid back easy going guy. The way I learned to deal with pushy overbearing controlling people, is first to realize its nothing personal. Thats how they are with everybody. I just let them be their selves , and under my breath I just kinda laugh at them because I realize thats just who they are. They are not gonna change their annoying ways, and since I have to work with th. em and I dont want any confict with anybody at work, I have no choice but to accept it, and thats what I did. Once I realized the types of people I was dealing with, they became so much easier to deal with on an ongoing daily basis, and I came to really like many of them.

They can be entertaining. Especially if a supervisor is out, there will be 2 of those types of people that are left in charge, and nearly everytime theres a real power struggle between the two. Makes for some really good entertainment at an otherwise extremely tedious mind numbing job.

Its all about accepting things you cannot change. At least thats what works for me.
It really goes both ways, with all Types having to work together. I've worked with many people like you over the years also. You're the type I most want to strangle. Nothing personal.
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Old 10-06-2014, 07:19 PM
 
Location: London
12,275 posts, read 7,113,068 times
Reputation: 13660
I have very little patience for super type-As. Nobody, except the boss at work, gets to order me around. And if my boss is ordering me around and micromanaging, that's when I'd look for another job. I get things done much more effectively when people aren't getting in my way trying to dominate me.

Type A's can go ahead and give themselves a heart attack if they want, but don't try to give me one too. You'll be promptly instructed to hop off my dick.

Last edited by ohhwanderlust; 10-06-2014 at 07:45 PM..
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Old 10-06-2014, 07:48 PM
 
28,896 posts, read 54,045,943 times
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Typically? Gin.
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Old 10-06-2014, 09:18 PM
 
Location: Myrtle Creek, Oregon
15,293 posts, read 17,624,485 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by LivingLikeAGradStudent View Post
Type A's also make plans and stick to them, and they are not afraid to make decisions. The world can't exist with Type B's alone.
Also, don't confuse jerks with type A personalities. My wife is a classic Type A executive, and she is very socially skilled. People love her. She just retired from running her last company, and has been CEO, board chair and Executive Director a dozen times in her career. She has been the CoC Woman of the Year, has won so many leadership awards that we have lost track, and is the easiest person to live with in the world. We have been married 28 years, and still haven't had our first fight.

You don't have to be a butthead to make good decisions and inspire people.
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