It has been well established that individuals with exercise hypertension are at risk of subsequently developing manifest hypertension at rest. In this regard, there is little data available on psychological aspects which may be related to this transition. Accordingly, this study was undertaken to determine whether persons with exercise hypertension and those with manifest hypertension differ in personality traits. With the aid of a personality inventory (FPI-R), a comparative analysis of personality structure was carried out in 60 patients with coronary artery disease (20 with manifest hypertension, 20 with exercise hypertension and 20 normotensive patients). Three differing personality profiles were found. Hypertensive patients had above average values for inhibition, excitability, suffer from stress, psychosomatic complaints and emotional susceptibility; their values for contentment with life were below the average. Persons with exercise hypertension also had above-average values for excitability while normotensive individuals had higher values for extraversion. With regard to prevention of development of manifest hypertension, it would seem reasonable, in patients with exercise hypertension, to encourage the learning of stress management techniques to suppress excitability.