Which type of personality is characterised by proneness to depression?

Answer & explanation

Correct answer: option 4

The correct answer is Option (4) → Type-D

Option (1) Type-A — Incorrect. Friedman and Rosenman described Type-A people as highly motivated, impatient, always short of time and burdened with work. This type is prone to high blood pressure and coronary heart disease, not to depression.

Option (2) Type-B — Incorrect. Type-B is the absence of Type-A traits: a relaxed, easy-going person.

Option (3) Type-C — Incorrect. Morris suggested Type-C, a personality prone to cancer. Such people are cooperative, unassertive and patient, and suppress negative emotions such as anger.

Option (4) Type-D — Correct. The more recently suggested Type-D personality is characterised by proneness to depression.

Note: A similar question was also asked in CUET (UG) 2026 on 15-05-2026 (Slot 1).

NCERT (2025-26): “Type Approaches … Friedman and Rosenman have classified individuals into Type-A and Type-B personalities. The two researchers were trying to identify psychosocial risk factors when they discovered these types. People characterised by Type-A personality seem to possess high motivation, lack patience, feel short of time, be in a great hurry, and feel like being always burdened with work. Such people find it difficult to slow down and relax. People with Type-A personality are more susceptible to problems like hypertension and coronary heart disease (CHD). The risk of developing CHD with Type-A personality is sometimes even greater than the risks caused by high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, or smoking. Opposite to this is the Type-B personality, which can be understood as the absence of Type-A traits. This typology has been further extended. Morris has suggested a Type-C personality, which is prone to cancer. Individuals characterised by this personality are cooperative, unassertive and patient. They suppress their negative emotions (e.g., anger), and show compliance to authority. Mor e recently, a Type-D personality has been suggested, which is characterised by proneness to depression.…”