A Factor Analytic Study of Job Perceptions in a State Psychiatric Hospital

Abstract

Semantic differential ratings of their own and one another's jobs were made by 12 trainees in social interaction therapy and 20 psychiatric aides before and after they worked together as peers for 1 wk. Subsequent factor analyses of these ratings, which did not change over time for either group, revealed marked differences in cognitive orientations between them. As hypothesized, trainees perceived evaluation and potency as 2 distinct personality characteristics; aides, however, organized their perceptions in an idiosyncratic semantic space. Viewing the 2 traits as unidimensional for themselves, they saw the leniency of trainees as their most salient characteristic. Both substantive and methodological implications are discussed.