Vocational Psychology: Its Problems and MethodsHollingworth, Harry L. (Harry Levi)
Science
Vocational Psychology: Its Problems and Methods
Hollingworth, Harry L. (Harry Levi)
Psychophysiology
4. There remain two further types of work, in which vocational psychology
really finds its true task. There are on the one hand a large number of
occupations that require neither unusual intelligence, special aptitude,
nor technical training, such as those of the small tradesmen, responsible
clerks, collectors, watchmen, agents, solicitors, motormen, conductors,
soldiers, cashiers, cooks, nursemaids, etc. Above all, these types of work
require the moral and social virtues, such as honesty, courtesy,
truthfulness, patience, promptness, cleanliness, etc. Their lack of need of
special technical knowledge is indicated by the apprenticeship method by
which most of them are commonly begun. Also, the absence of simple and
direct tests of the presence of these moral and social virtues and habits
requires that for a long time to come this method of trial, combined with
the judgments of associates in the form of testimonial, personal
recommendation, etc., must be continued. If psychology, in the immediate or
remote future, shall ever discover or invent expedient tests for the
measurements of these moral characteristics, it will have done a work that
is at present equaled only by the formation of the various graded scales
for measuring more strictly intellectual capacities. At present no such
tests are vouched for by even the most enthusiastic of prophets.
5. Finally, and closely related to these occupations calling mainly for
moral habits and social reactions, come the bulk of the world's
occupations, those adequately performed by and constituting the permanent
task of the man or woman of average intelligence. By average intelligence
we do not of course imply any uniform or standardized homogeneous
equipment. We mean those varying degrees of intellectual proficiency,
educative docility, social cooperativeness and instinctive adequacy which
fill the major section of the curve of distribution, that between the
feeble-minded and obviously stupid, on the one hand, and on the other the
genius, with special and distinguished traits or capacities.
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