Masters Theses

Date of Award

12-2001

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts

Major

Psychology

Major Professor

Michael G. Johnson

Committee Members

John W. Lounsbury, Douglas A. Blaze

Abstract

Thinking styles are described as ones conscious attempt to develop an awareness of stimuli within the surrounding environment. They reflect on the way we perceive, interpret, and integrate information, as well as influence the quality of information we supply to others. At the same time, personality traits have become important factors in understanding the preferences people may feel towards their careers, lifestyles, and quality of life. Furthermore, Myers and Briggs (1984) linked personality to the way we perceive and think about the environment by developing a new model of personality and thinking, which was based on the research and theories of Carl Jung (1927). However, some researchers view personality and thinking styles as being two separate and unrelated entities. Though both are significant to an individual's ability to thrive, they have often been treated as mutually exclusive.

This study explores the relationship between personality and thinking styles, and to what effect the relationship may have on the individual ability to succeed within an environment. The study examined if significant personality differences exist between subjects who have high usage scores in cognitive attributes when compared to those who do not.

The study used Sternberg’s theory of mental self-government to determine the strength of the subject’s thinking style functioning and Cattell’s 16PF to rate the individual personality factors. The instruments were administered to a 73 first-year law students at the University of Tennessee. For analysis, the subjects were divided into two groups. The low usage group (n=50) contained subjects having a usage score of 5 or greater in one or none of the three different thinking style functions. The high usage group (n=23) contained subjects having high usage scores in two or more thinking style functioning categories. Analysis was performed on the 16PF primary and global personality factors. The results showed the groups as having significantly different scores the 16PF Factor E, Q1, and independence.

A second series of analysis was performed by creating two new groups from the study population. The low usage group (n=20) contained subjects having usage scores of 4 or lower in all of the thinking style functions. The high usage group (n=53) contained all the subjects who had a usage score of 5 or greater in one or more thinking style functions. The results of the analysis produced no significant differences between 16PF scores. This would imply that the strength of certain personality traits may have a direct influence on an individual’s ability to readily and effectively obtain information from the environment around them.

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