Personality Differences between Levels of Psychology Majors

Abstract

The purpose was to identify personality traits of those individuals who might have the necessary psychological commitment to pursue actively an advanced degree in psychology. 35 graduate students, 39 undergraduates, and 22 applicants to a Master's program were administered the California Psychological Inventory to study personality trait differences at these levels. One-way analyses of variance indicated significantly higher scores for graduates than undergraduates on the scales of Dominance, Social Presence, Self-acceptance, Intellectual Efficiency, and Psychological-mindedness. The only differences between applicants and graduates showed the former to be higher on the Responsibility scale. One-way analyses of covariance, covarying for age of the subject, showed age less important in personality change of the college graduate students than their educational experience. These results suggest a means of identifying potentially successful graduate students in psychology early in their educational experience.