79 male and 16 female residents in anesthesiology at six training centers took the California Psychological Inventory (CPI) and Strong Interest Inventory (SII) in Year 1 and were rated for performance two years later. Descriptively, the total sample scored highest on CPI scales for Dominance, Social Presence, and Achievement via Independence, and on SII scales for investigative, mathematical, and medical science interests. Scores from a four-scale CPI cluster of Empathy. Socialization, Achievement via Conformance, and Achievement via Independence correlated .39 with ratings for men and .31 with ratings for women. In another sample of 20 residents, the cluster score correlated .30 with ratings gathered three years after testing. These findings, consonant with prior research, suggest that attributes such as empathy, strong internalization of pronormative values, and the ability to work well within either structured or open settings are conducive to superior performance in the specialty.

The psychological indices of the CPI scales differed by level of unprofessional behavior, which leads one to wonder whether the use of personality measures should be considered during the admissions process to medical school.

The revised California Psychological Inventory was studied in samples of 272 delinquent or criminal men vs. 1,088 controls, and 400 delinquent or criminal women vs. 2,266 controls, which gave delinquency base rates of 20% for men and 15% for women. Of the 27 scales evaluated, significant (p ⩽ .01) mean differences were found on 25 for men and 26 for women. The best differentiator was So (Socialization), with point‐biserial correlations of .54 for men and .58 for women. The new CPI theoretical model of personality structure also revealed significant differences. Persons in the Gamma and Delta lifestyle categories manifested higher rates of delinquency than did those in the Alpha and Beta. Low levels of ego integration were associated with greater incidence of delinquency in all four lifestyles.

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