Personality Factors in the Formation of Occupational Choice

S ummary . Ninety‐six boys and ninety‐six girls selected from the third to seventh forms of eight grammar schools were given a questionnaire about their interests, behavioural traits, and reasons for choosing their desired occupation. Intelligence test scores were available for half the group. Interests were compared where possible with the type of jobs desired; practical spare time interests were related to job choices which involved these interests. Intelligence was found to have a limiting effect on choice; the most intelligent in this group made a free choice, but those of low intelligence tended to choose office work. The answers to the personality questionnaire were factor analyzed, giving two unrelated factors of confidence and sociability. Choice of office work was related to low confidence scores in the case of girls, and high sociability scores in the case of boys. The reasons for choice given by the subjects were factor analyzed; two unrelated factors were isolated. Vocation was related to the choice of occupations requiring further training, and unadventurousness to choice of office work. The importance of these results in relation to choice of occupation is discussed

Big Five personality traits · Developmental psychology · Grammar school · Humanities · Limiting · Mathematics education · Personality · Spare time · Test (biology) · Work (physics) · Psychology · Social Psychology · Teacher Professional Development and Motivation

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  Angela L Duckworth, Christopher Peterson et al.•Journal of Personality and Social…•2007

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