Being Therapied

So I'm seeing this therapist.  This means I'm "in therapy."  There is a verb here, too, although it's rarely used.  Nonetheless, I'm being therapied.

As I expected, as a sane person, I'm not all that insane.  I'm not saying I'm sane, rather than I'm only mildly insane.  I have some insane tendencies.  I offer Savings So Low They're Insane!!

Anyway, because I'm obsessed with myself I'm not floored with a lot of the conclusions that my very nice and quite excellent therapist has come up with - unless she totally sucks at what she does.  What do I know about therapy?  I pretend like I'm a illustrator or an event planner or a scrivener, and people believe it.  Maybe this woman doesn't even have a degree.  Maybe she's squatting in this office and not paying any rent.  How would I know?

Be that as it may two terms that have repeatedly come up are INTJ and Type A.  I have written at length about my INTJ tendencies and must say that I agree with a lot of the characterization. This Type A stuff is somewhat perplexing.  So I do some research and here are some conclusions from a variety of sources . . . 

Behavior pattern characterized by aggressiveness, ambitiousness, restlessness, and a strong sense of time urgency. New research suggests that it's hostile behavior and associated with increased risk for coronary heart disease.

Type A personalities are described as people who exhibit a tendency towards being ambitious, organized, impatient, status-conscious, anxious, proactive; type A personalities also put an emphasis on using time efficiently.

There are many advantages to having a type A personality.  Type A people tend to be motivated, are more likely to become leaders, and generally get a lot done.  They are usually more reliable, likely to act on their promises, arrive on time, and able to meet your needs quickly and efficiently.  People with a type A personality are also great at planning and therefore decision-making.

However there are disadvantages too.  Type A personalities tend to be associated with hostility, even in response to minor events; impatient with people who aren't as fast, competent, or efficient as them; and have big, fat egos.

Type A individuals tend to be easily aroused to anger or hostility, which they may or may not express overtly.  Such individuals tend to see the worst in others, displaying anger, envy, and a lack of compassion.

Type A individuals tend to be very competitive and self-critical.  They strive toward goals without feeling a sense of joy in their efforts or accomplishments.  

Type A individuals are easily ‘wound up’ and tend to overreact.  They also tend to have high blood pressure (hypertension).

Type A personalities experience a constant sense of urgency: Type A people seem to be in a constant struggle against the clock.  Often, they quickly become impatient with delays and unproductive time, schedule commitments too tightly, and try to do more than one thing at a time, such as reading while eating or watching television.

So there's a ton of shit in there that really describes me.  Not perfectly but there are some things in there that really hit close to the bone.  Competitive and self-critical.  Time sensitive, wow.  Impatient with The Incompetent.  The one I wish I could say I didn't have is my hostility to other people and I say this in a kind way.

My conclusion is this: if I call my wife in one more time to talk about why I am like I am she is going to fucking murder me.  If you don't hear from me for a while please call the police and tell them to look for freshly mounds of dirt behind my home.