Report on Vocations and Psychological Attributes

This report analyses five vocations—Counsellor, Salesperson, Employer, Journalist, and Clinical Psychologist—based on the nature of their work and the psychological attributes required for successful performance.

A Counsellor interacts with a client on a one-to-one basis. To be successful, a counsellor must assess a person's interests and preferences, especially if the person is poorly motivated. They also need to understand the client's personality characteristics to help them adjust with family and neighbourhood.

A Salesperson makes door-to-door surveys regarding the usefulness of a particular product. This vocation requires understanding the values of people, such as economic or social values, as a person's values set a standard for guiding their actions and judging others.

An Employer selects employees for their organisation. This requires assessing the intellectual strengths and weaknesses of candidates. The employer also needs to predict future behaviour, such as whether a candidate will be an authoritarian leader, and may intervene to effect a change in behaviour if needed.

A Journalist interviews important people on issues of national and international importance. This vocation requires high intelligence and an understanding of the values (e.g., political, social) of the people being interviewed to frame relevant questions and understand their perspectives.

A Clinical Psychologist conducts in-depth case studies of individuals. They study a person's psychological attributes and psychological history in the context of their psychosocial and physical environment. They assess personality characteristics to help individuals who fail to adjust with their family and neighbourhood.