The A's and B's of PR

Posted At: October 24, 2012 4:00 P.M.
by Christina Steward

I have always been a type-A person. When I told my family and friends that I wanted to major in public relations, everyone said, “That’s great! I can definitely see you in that field.”

At first I thought it was a generic response, but the more I got involved in my classes I realized that it was true. I am not shy. I love to talk. I am very organized. I love to write. I like the news and staying up-to-date. I love design. I honestly do not know if I could see myself in any other profession.

I recently took a personality test to determine whether I had a type-A or type-B personality. If you scored high, you were type-A. If you scored low, you were type-B. The test confirmed what I already knew.

After taking the test, I began to wonder if there is a majority in the difference of personalities among public relations professionals. Are there more type-A people in the PR field or more type-B? Or is it pretty even?

The type-A and type-B personality theory was originally published in the 1950s by Meyer Friedman and Ray Rosenman. Essentially, type-A people are very organized, truthful, impatient, caring of others, ambitious and usually want people to get to the point. Type-B people are usually creative, work steadily, less stressed, very reflective and not extremely competitive.

“I believe that creative, energetic, curious, friendly, positive, and optimistic people are well-suited to a career in public relations,” said Patricia Zonta in an article about personalities in the PR field.

Although PR requires many of the type-A personality traits, I feel that a good mix of the two types is most beneficial to the profession. It is always nice to have someone who is very creative and highly organized at the same time.