ABSTRACT
Disorders of the cardiovascular system, especially coronary heart disease (CHD) and essential hypertension, have been among the most well-researched topics in health psychology. The heart is in essence a pump, constituted of muscular tissue. Its job in the scheme of things is to ensure that oxygen-enriched blood from the lungs reaches the tissues that require it, and that the spent blood is recycled to the lungs for reoxygenation. In western countries CHD is the most common cause of adult mortality, accounting for up to half of all adult deaths. The chapter presents the concept of type A behaviour. The chapter reviews research in three key areas: prospective studies of healthy populations; studies of populations at high risk for CHD; and studies of atherosclerosis. Prospective studies offer some support for the notion of type A behaviour as an independent predictor of CHD.
