Open AccessHas Speech-Language Pathology Changed? Personality Types of Contemporary Students
Author(s) -
Terry Baggs
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
the internet journal of allied health sciences and practice
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 1540-580X
DOI - 10.46743/1540-580x/2013.1427
Subject(s) - temperament , personality psychology , personality , psychology , preference , clinical psychology , population , big five personality traits , developmental psychology , social psychology , medicine , environmental health , economics , microeconomics
The influence of personality on therapy outcomes is largely unknown. However, clinical success in a broad sense may be influenced appreciably by personality, as persons with differing personalities comprise a therapy team. Purpose: This study assessed the personality traits of a large number of graduate students in speech-language pathology and compared the results to those of a generation ago. This information is valuable in preparing students for both educational and workplace success. Method: A total of 320 graduate students in speech-language pathology at six universities completed the Keirsey Temperament Sorter-II. Frequency and proportional data of personality type and temperament and means for the bipolar constructs were analyzed. Results: A majority of the students preferred a Sensing-Judging (SJ) temperament at a rate that is double that of the US population. (Persons with a SJ temperament tend to be realists who prefer organization and service.) With the exception of one, universities were statistically comparable in their students’ bipolar constructs. Conclusion: This study confirms recent findings of a preference for the SJ temperament in graduate speech-language pathology students. Although these findings indicate a clear shift in the personality of students from a generation ago, clinical educators and workplace managers must be knowledgeable of and diligent in the utilization of all team members’ personalities to facilitate educational and clinical success.