A psychological study of eminent psychologists and anthropologists, and a comparison with biological and physical scientists.

Abstract

This is the third and last monograph in a series of clinical studies of research scientists. The series of studies was designed to investigate the existence of relationships between life history, intellectual functions or personality characteristics, and the selection and pursuit of a particular science as a profession. The subjects of the study are men who were selected for their eminence in research, as judged by their peers. The data comprise verbatim life histories, discussion of the work of the men, and results of three tests, a Verbal-Spatial-Mathematical Test, the Thematic Apperception Test, and the Rorschach. The subjects in this study are all men, under 61 years of age, American born, and currently engaged in active research. As in all research with people, the complexity of the situations encountered makes the determination of direct causal relations practically impossible. What has been accomplished, however, is not only the accumulation of test data on a hitherto practically unstudied group, but also the identification of situations which recur with high frequency. It is evident that the family backgrounds of the 64 scientists studied are by no means randomly selected with respect to the population at large. Certain aspects of the data offer evidence on the basic importance of the need to achieve, or to keep independence, which is so well met by a career in research.

The origins and ends of giftedness.

“…However, does this mean that hard work is all that is needed or that anyone can engage in the kind of hard work that will lead to Newton's creative breakthroughs? Second, Roe (1951Roe ( , 1953aRoe ( , 1953b found that outstanding achievement in science was predicted by the participants' capacity for endurance, concentration, and commitment rather than their level of intellectual ability. However, Roe's scientists were all high in intellectual ability to begin with.…”

Making art work: Creative assessment as boundary work

“…Research on creative visionaries, traditionally the "Great Men" of science, attempts to build an average portfolio of their unique type (Roe, 1953), psychological profile, and life-path (Gardner, 1994). For example, through a rich comparison of the lives of Pablo Picasso, Sigmund Freud, and Albert Einstein, among others, Gardner argues that exemplary creators enter a Faustian bargain that requires "masochism and unbecoming behavior towards others" (Gardner, 1994: 362).…”

Relação entre ordem de nascimento e interesses vocacionais

“…O interesse investigativo se refere à preferência por atividades de reflexão e pesquisa científica, o gosto por conteúdos abstratos e teóricos. A associação entre filhos únicos e dedicação à ciência foi salientada em pesquisas anteriores (Bryant, 1987;Helson & Crutchfield, 1970;Roe, 1953). Porém, estes estudos não haviam verificado esta relação a partir da avaliação do interesse vocacional.…”

“…Por exemplo, um número maior do que o esperado de homens primogênitos foi encontrado na advocacia (Very & Prull, 1970), na medicina (Watkins & Savickas, 1990), ou dedicados à pesquisa científica (Helson & Crutchfield, 1970;Roe, 1953). Recentemente, surgiram evidências de que esta relação também é significativa para as mulheres.…”