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Type D Personality (The "Distressed" Personality) Explained

People who often feel difficult emotions but rarely show them on the outside -- here are the two core traits behind Type D personality.

Negative Affectivity (NA)

A tendency to frequently and intensely experience negative emotions like anxiety, irritation, and low mood. Even when circumstances are not particularly bad, someone high in NA often finds themselves dwelling on worries and staying in an uneasy state of mind. Common signs: easily worried or anxious over small things, spending a lot of time in a low mood, tending to blow small problems out of proportion.

Social Inhibition (SI)

A tendency to hold back one's emotions or opinions out of fear of being judged negatively by others. Someone high in SI often struggles internally without showing it outwardly, which can make it hard for people around them to notice. Common signs: unusually tense and withdrawn around unfamiliar people, keeps emotions bottled up rather than expressing them, hesitant to ask for help out of concern about burdening others.

What is Type D personality?

Type D takes its name from "Distressed," and was proposed in the 1990s by Belgian health psychologist Johan Denollet. It is an entirely separate concept from the well-known Type A/B behavior theory, which deals with time urgency and competitiveness -- someone is classified as having a "Type D personality" specifically when both Negative Affectivity (NA) and Social Inhibition (SI) run high at the same time.

Why has it drawn attention in health psychology?

Across several studies of heart disease patients, Denollet's research team reported that patients with Type D personality tended to have worse outcomes and lower quality of life after treatment compared to those without it. The core explanation offered is that frequently experiencing negative emotions while suppressing and not expressing them can build into chronic stress. That said, follow-up research has produced mixed results on how strong and consistent this link actually is, so it remains an actively studied topic.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does having a Type D personality mean my health will definitely suffer?

No. Type D describes a personality tendency that has been statistically associated with certain health outcomes in research -- it is not a determining factor of anyone's health on its own. Since studies also disagree on the strength and consistency of that link, it is best treated as one piece of reference information rather than a prediction.

Is being introverted the same thing as having a Type D personality?

No. An introverted person can still be emotionally stable and comfortable. The core of Type D is not introversion itself, but the specific combination of frequently feeling negative emotions while also suppressing and not expressing them.