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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (March 6, 1960)
Science Looks at You and Your Job Here are some of the surprising facts that your choice of occupation reveals IF, like most of us, you have to work for a living, you probably enjoy talk ing shop. Recently, science has been do ing that, too. Through studies of various kinds, scientists have put your job, mine, and everyone else's under the clinical microscope and come up with some in teresting revelations. They have found out, for example, that your choice of occupation reveals a great deal about your personality. They know now that the kind of work you do Farmers have the affects your chances of a happy mar highestrateof riage. And if you have wondered pre ccnnubial bliss, cisely what it takes to make a top execu-. . . tive, they can answer that, too. 7 Scientists have even tackled the toughest and " most controversial question of all: "Are you getting - paid enough for the kind of work you do?" (Because neither employer nor employee would be able to answer this question objectively, they put the vote to the American public.) Look at some of the interesting things learned.' What does your choice of occupation reveal about your personality? . Investigators have found that people with cer tain personality traits tend to select specific occupa tions. Here are some of the findings. - Teachers, authors, librarians, and artists are the most discriminating in their tastes and are the most capable of making subtle and delicate distinctions. They are likely to be acutely sensitive to their sur roundings. They are inclined to be deeply religious. However, they often let their hearts rule their ' " heads, and most of them lack astuteness in the man agement of money or property. Businessmen, lawyers, and accountants tended to be the least concerned with, aesthetic values, and the most hardheaded about practical affairs. Doctors ranked low in ability to handle money, and were among the least political-minded. They showed a marked tendency to prize facts, truth, and knowledge above material considerations. Occupations ranking highest in concern for the well-being of others included housewives, nurses, and social workers. - The least disposed to be religious or philosophical were the bankers and lawyers. ' Does what you do for a living have any bearing on how happy your marriage is likely to be? Yes. The findings on this score may surprise you. Most people think that whether you are a banker or a bookkeeper, whether you earn your living with By JOHN E. GIBSON your mind or your muscles has little to do with suc cessful marriage. It is also commonly thought that marital strife occurs most frequently in the high income brackets. Almost the reverse is true. This viewpoint probably stems from the publicity given to the marital troubles of prominent people. The American Institute of Family Relations studied the marriages of a typical cross section of the population. The specimen group, 3,528 couples, was carefully selected to be representative of all the various occupations. All the marriages were of more than five years duration. The degree of. hap piness of each marriage was arrived at through interviews with close friends and relatives. The findings of the study are as follows: 1. Farmers (and those engaged in other agricul tural occupations). There were more happy mar riages in this group than in any other, over two thirds (68 percent) being rated as happy. 2. Professional men (doctors, lawyers, scientists, teachers). This group ranked second; 61 percent of their marriages were rated as happy. 3. Executives (and owner-proprietors of large businesses) came third, with a happy home life in 59 percent of the cases. 4. Small-business owners, white-collar workers, and salesmen. Less than 55 percent of the marriages in this occupational category were listed as happy. 5. Skilled workers (carpenters, electricians, plumbers): This group came just a little below the small-business owners, with slightly more than 54 percent reported as being happily married. 6. Semiskilled workers (waiters, truck drivers, elevator operators, and workers in crafts requiring a comparatively short period of training or appren ticeship). Domestic tranquility took a drop here. Less than half (47 percent) in this category had marriages which could be classified as happy. 7. Unskilled workers. This classification had the most domestic strife. Less than 42 percent had mar riages which the investigators rated as happy.. What does it take to make a top executive? Sociologists from the University of Maryland and Louisiana State University studied 50 top-level ex ecutives and 50 first-line managers in the same oc cupational environments. Each executive was asked to make a candid statement about the qualities he felt he possessed which his subordinate managers lacked, and each manager was asked: "What attri butes do your company's executives have which you feel you and your fellow managers lack?" The investigators found that executives and man agers were in substantial agreement on the follow ing points. The executives had exceeded the man agers in: better understanding of human nature; energy, alertness, and initiative; rounded, attractive personalities; ability to solve problems and make long-range plans; tact and poise; determination and strength of personal character; both education and training; and willingness to delegate authority, ac cept responsibility, and make decisions. As a man climbs higher in his occupation, and is subjected to the greater pressures which ac company heavy responsibility, is he more likely ' to crack under the strain? No. A study of men engaged in various occupa tions, conducted by General Motors Research In stitute over a 10-year period, showed that as men progressed to posts of greater responsibility their personality adjustment was markedly improved. And although the study confirmed the fact that an individual's personal adjustment affects the oc cupational level he is able to reach, its findings clearly demonstrated that achieving a higher job status in itself makes for better personality adjust ment So don't refuse a promotion out of fear that the increased responsibil ity might get you down. Other studies show that men in the most respon sible positions average fewer breakdowns. Are you getting paid enough for your work? The American Institute - of Public Opinion recently conducted a nationwide survey on this subject. If the public wrote the pay checks, here are the sal aries they would pay: stenographer, $3,000 a year; carpenter, $2.50 an hour; baby sitter, 75 " an hour; garage mechanic, $2 an hour; store clerk, $3,000 a year; day laborer, $1.50 an hour; policeman, $4,500 a year; high-school teacher, $5,000 a year; U.S. Representative, $10,000 a year; president of a $10-milhon firm, $32,500 a year. The main point is: are you happy with your job? If not, what would you rather be doing? If yes, chances are you're good at it, and this shows up ' favorably in your personal life. a Scientists even tried to learn if you're be ing paid well enough. Family Weekly, March 6. 1960
