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THE CONDUCT OF MIND SERIES

EDITED BY

JOSEPH JASTROW

VOCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY




VOCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY

ITS PROBLEMS AND METHODS

BY

H. L. HOLLINGWORTH

ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF PSYCHOLOGY, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY

WITH A CHAPTER ON
THE VOCATIONAL APTITUDES OF WOMEN
BY LETA STETTER HOLLINGWORTH, PH.D.
CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST, BELLEVUE HOSPITAL,
NEW YORK CITY

D. APPLETON AND COMPANY
NEW YORK    LONDON
1922


COPYRIGHT, 1916, BY
D. APPLETON AND COMPANY

Printed in the United States of America

TO

THADDEUS L. BOLTON

FRIEND AND VOCATIONAL

COUNSELLOR OF YOUTH

       *       *       *       *       *

_It is our business to make both a science and an art of human nature. As
in the physical world we select first the material suited to our purpose,
then turn the iron into steel and temper the steel for the knife, so in the
world of human action we must learn to select the right man, to educate him
and to fit him for his exact task. This indeed we try to do in all our
social institutions, religions, commerce, systems of education and
government. But we work by the rule of thumb--blind, deaf and wasteful. The
nineteenth century witnessed an extraordinary increase in our knowledge of
the material world and in our power to make it subservient to our ends; the
twentieth century will probably witness a corresponding increase in our
knowledge of human nature and in our power to use it for our welfare._--J.
MCKEEN CATTELL, "<DW25> Scientificus Americanus," _Science_, April 10, 1903.




PREFACE


This book has developed from the material presented in a course on
"Psychological Tests in Vocational Guidance and Selection" which the writer
was invited to conduct in Teachers' College, Columbia University. The
widespread interest in vocational psychology which has grown up in recent
years, the eagerness with which even the most superficial and absurd
systems of "character analysis" are being adopted and tried out, and
especially the lack of references, offering conservative evaluation, to
which inquirers may be directed, have made it seem advisable to publish the
material in systematic form. The book is essentially a presentation of the
problems and methods of that branch of applied psychology which deals with
individual differences in mental constitution. In the present instance only
those differences are considered which may seem to be significant in
determining the individual's choice of a vocation, or in influencing the
selection of workers from among a group of applicants or candidates. It is
the writer's hope that the book may be suggestive to the individual who
seeks to know himself better, helpful to the student and parent who may
desire to avoid the wiles of the charlatan, encouraging to the investigator
or counsellor who is engaged in carrying forward the solution of vocational
problems, and useful to the practical man who may be mainly interested in
surrounding himself with competent associates and employees. To all those
whose published works are referred to in the bibliography, as well as to
many not therein mentioned, the writer is under heavy obligations. He is
especially indebted to Professor F. G. Bonser, of Teachers' College, for
the original invitation to formulate the material, and to Professor Joseph
Jastrow, editor of the "Conduct of Mind" series, for most patient and
helpful editorial criticism and suggestion.

H. L. HOLLINGWORTH.

Columbia University.

       *       *       *       *       *

Transcriber's note:

For Text: A word surrounded by underscores like _this_ signifies the word
is italics in the text.

For Numbers and Equations: Parentheses have been added to clarify
fractions. Superscripts are designated with a caret and brackets, e.g.
11.1^{3} is 11.1 to the third power. Greek letters in equations are
translated to their English version.

Minor typos have been corrected and footnotes moved to the end of the
sections.

       *       *       *       *       *




CONTENTS


CHAPTER                                                          PAGE

I.--MOTIVES AND ANTECEDENTS OF VOCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY                 1

II.--THE SEARCH FOR PHRENOLOGICAL AND PHYSIOGNOMIC PRINCIPLES       21

III.--THE DEVELOPMENT OF PSYCHOLOGICAL TESTS                        57

IV.--THE PSYCHOGRAPHIC METHODS                                      80

V.--SPECIAL VOCATIONAL TESTS AND METHODS                           109

VI.--SELF-ANALYSIS AND THE JUDGMENT OF ASSOCIATES                  122

VII.--EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF SELF-ANALYSIS, ESTIMATES
OF ASSOCIATES AND THE RESULTS OF THE TESTS                         143

VIII.--THE SCHOOL CURRICULUM AS A VOCATIONAL TEST                  174

IX.--THE DETERMINANTS OF VOCATIONAL APTITUDE                       208

X.--THE VOCATIONAL APTITUDES OF WOMEN                              222

XI.--THEORY AND PRINCIPLE OF PSYCHOLOGICAL TESTS
AS APPLIED TO VOCATIONAL ANALYSIS                                  245

XII.--CONCLUSION                                                   266

APPENDIX                                                           275

TESTS, BLANKS, STANDARDS, FORMS                                    283

INDEX                                                              303




INTRODUCTION


In the present volume Professor Hollingworth makes a distinctive and
notable contribution to applied psychology. The problem is an ancient one:
that of determining the qualities of men with reference to their fitness
for the work of the world. The general problem precedes the special one
alike in theory and in practice. The earliest solutions were in the nature
of ambitious attempts to read the ear-marks of mental ability in outward
signs; under the incentive of the growth of science these gave way to such
systems as phrenology and physiognomy. Such revelations, decisive if sound,
proved to be vain hopes or hopelessly irrelevant. The impressionistic
verdicts gained from actual experience reflected the cumulative acumen of
discernment which ever was and remains the issue of wisdom, empirical but
authentic. It furnishes suggestive clues to investigation and a check upon
its results. The problem came to its own when the modern science of
psychology gave it its setting in the rapid accumulation of knowledge and
technique for the interpretation of mental qualities. It at once
established the futility of ambitious leads and the necessity of careful,
patient and discerning analysis. The present volume surveys the field of
attained results and the method of their attainment, in this engaging
research.

Central in interest and promise stands the psychological test. In so far as
psychology has laid bare the fundamental qualities upon which achievement
depends, its application has developed a series of tests to determine how
the individual compares with the others or with the average in respect to
this, that, and the other constituent quality. Professor Hollingworth
presents the results of such analysis, both in relation to the variety of
human traits and in the grading of individuals by reference to the measure
of the quality which each possesses. The enumeration is at best
provisional, but in its totality cannot go far wrong in establishing the
measure of a man. It includes the qualities which can hardly be determined
otherwise than by an impressionistic judgment, as well as those appraised
by actual achievement under test. There results a mental scale of general
ability, adequate to gauge normality and to suggest practical standards of
superiority or deficiency.

The question at once arises: how far are the qualities desirable for this
or that vocation of a general order, and how far are they specific in their
demands. In this respect vocations differ widely. The musical vocation
exemplifies a specialized profession depending upon a proficiency that is
largely a dower of heredity; yet within this field the psychological test
has proved its efficiency by determining the still more specialized
facilities that jointly compose the psychology of the musician. In further
pursuit of insight the psychological laboratory has undertaken to analyze
the qualities needed for the several specialties of modern vocational life,
by setting up "test" counterparts of practical occupations, by reducing
them to their underlying facilities, by testing the correlation of quality
and achievement, and by combining the clues or verdicts of several methods.
Conclusions depend for their value upon logical caution and the technical
