THE SCIENTIFIC STUDY OF PERSONALITY: A Note on the Review

Abstract

Originally published in 1952, The Scientific Study of Personality contains an account of experiments carried out at the Institute of Psychiatry (University of London) during the five years which had elapsed since the publication of Dimensions of Personality. These experiments were integrated into a consistent conceptual scheme of personality, description and development, covering neurotic and psychotic as well as ‘normal’ people. The first chapters give an introduction to the principles of dimensional analysis as a scientific method; the central part of the book makes use of these principles in attempting to answer some of the main problems of personality analysis; the last part presents the application of the findings to a variety of practical problems. Among the fundamental problems submitted to experiment are the relation between neurosis and psychosis, the inheritance of emotional instability, the relative usefulness of ‘atomistic’ and ‘gestalt’ methods of approach, the verification of typological schemes, such as those of Kretschmer and Jung, the possibility of exact measurement of dimensions of personality, and the validity and reliability of the statistical method as compared with techniques using ‘insight’ and interpretation. Among the practical problems to which the results of these researches have been applied are the psychological after-effects of leucotomy, the prediction of work-efficiency of paroled mental defectives, the selection of students and nurses, and the work adjustment of factory workers. This book is a re-issue originally published in 1952. The language used and views portrayed are a reflection of its era and no offence is meant by the Publishers to any reader by this re-publication.