Temporal Personality of Psychology Students According to their Preference for a Theoretical Orientation

Abstract

The choice of a theoretical orientation often starts early during studies in psychology, and may guide the entire work of clinical psychologists. The aim of this study is to unveil associations between the temporal personality of university students in psychology, their personality traits and their preferences for each of the four main theoretical orientations recognized by the Ordre des Psychologues du Québec [Professional Order of Psychologists of Quebec]: psychodynamic-analytic, cognitive-behavioural, existential-humanistic and systemic-interactional. One hundred and twenty-nine students in psychology completed three online questionnaires assessing temporal personality, personality traits and theoretical orientation. Canonical correlations reveal that there are significant correlations between personality traits, temporal personality and preference for a theoretical orientation. More specifically, a preference for the existential-humanistic and systemic-interactional orientations is associated with weaker tendencies on the following temporal features: proximity of the results, consciousness of time on vacation and planning at home. Also, a preference for the cognitive-behavioural orientation is associated with stronger planning skills, time awareness and a propensity for conscientiousness. Those findings invite further investigations to better clarify the relations between time, theoretical orientation and personality.