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