Examining the association of career stage and medical specialty with personality preferences – a cross-sectional survey of junior doctors and attending physicians from various specialties

Abstract

Background Personality preference research on medical students and physicians demonstrates that personality preferences may affect one’s choice of specialty and transform over the course of one’s academic career as well as during one’s time spent in the clinical setting. The literature offers valuable methods for evaluating medical curricula, understanding medical specialties, and rethinking communication techniques between educators and learners. In line with this encompassing body of work, this study examines the personality preferences of junior doctors and attending physicians from various specialties to investigate how career stage and medical specialty are associated with personality preferences. Method The Myers–Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) was applied to assess the personality preferences of junior doctors (postgraduates year 1–3) and attending physicians from six major medical specialties. Participants completed a self-administered 93-item questionnaire, while a certified MBTI practitioner explained the personality dichotomies as well as facilitated the self-evaluation process and the questionnaire’s interpretation. Contrasted dichotomous scores and radar plots were employed to illustrate the distinction between junior doctors and attending physicians’ personality preferences. All analyses were performed using the SAS statistical software, while a Wilcoxon rank-sum test was used to quantify the polarisation of personality preferences between junior doctors and attending physicians. Results In total, 98 participants were recruited, of whom 59 were attending physicians and 39 were junior doctors. The most common personality types among the junior doctors were ESTJ (15.4%), INTP (12.8%), and ESFJ (10.3%), while among the attending physicians, the most common types were ISTJ (23.7%) and ESTJ (18.6%). Both junior doctors and attending physicians expressed personality preferences for sensing, thinking, and judging. However, compared to the junior doctors, more polarised personality preferences were noted among the attending physicians for sensing (p = 0.038), thinking (p = 0.032), and judging (p = 0.024). Moreover, junior doctors exhibited less distinct personality preferences in this study. Conclusion Attending physicians and junior doctors exhibited greater personality inclinations for sensing, thinking, and judging, although the former expressed these personality preferences more strongly than the latter. These findings highlight that, amongst physicians, career stage is strongly associated with the expression of personality preferences.

Profiling health professionals’ personality traits, behaviour styles and emotional intelligence: a systematic review

“… Mini-markers of the Big Five Factor Structure personality scale 70 6.10 Information not available for interpretation Expressive [ 211 ] Personal Attribute Questionnaire 504 4.87 0.05 Doctors score 4.87 out of 6 expressiveness, suggesting they utilise socially desirable expressiveness and communal traits. Extroversion [ 90 , 100 , 150 , 152 , 153 , 155 – 158 , 160 , 162 , 165 , 168 – 174 , 176 , 177 , 180 , 184 , 204 , 212 ] NEO Five-Factor Inventory 50 9.70 0.70 Doctors exhibit high levels of extroversion. NEO Personality Inventory Revised 32 3.61 0.60 Doctors exhibit same extroversion levels as population norms.…”

“… NEO Five-Factor Inventory 5 point scale 872 31.41 5.08 Doctors score 31.41 out of 60, where higher score = higher association to personality trait. NEO Personality Inventory Revised (NEO-PI-R) 984 118.35 20.30 NEO Personality Inventory Revised (NEO-PI-R) Basic Character Inventory (BCI) 129 5.70 2.61 Basic Character Inventory (BCI) Five Factor Model of personality (FFM) 4068 3.43 0.13 Five Factor Model of personality (FFM) Mini-markers of the Big Five Factor Structure personality scale 70 5.70 Mini-markers of the Big Five Factor Structure personality scale Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) 440 16.85 3.54 Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) 98 9.50 Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) Feeling [ 160 ] Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) 98 10.22 1.70 Information not available for interpretation Harm avoidance [ 1 , 148 , 149 , 151 , 163 ] Temperament and Character Inventory 907 54.31 0.00 Doctors exhibit average harm avoidance, when compared to population norms. Temperament and Character Inventory - mean score 545 2.71 0.00 Doctors score 2.71 out of 5, where higher score = higher association to personality trait.…”

“… Temperament and Character Inventory - mean score 545 2.71 0.00 Doctors score 2.71 out of 5, where higher score = higher association to personality trait. Inadequacy [ 176 ] Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) 440 4.55 4.89 Information not available for interpretation Intellectual Interest [ 176 ] Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) 440 8.67 1.45 Information not available for interpretation Introversion [ 160 ] Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) 98 11.47 0.00 Information not available for interpretation Intuition [ 160 ] Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) 98 10.14 1.43 Information not available for interpretation Instrumentality [ 211 ] Personal Attribute Questionnaire 504 4.15 0.05 Doctors score 4.15 out of 6 for instrumentality, suggesting they are independent and decisive. Judgement [ 160 ] Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) 98 14.38 2.04 Information not available for interpretation Liveliness [ 154 ] Cattell’s Sixteen Personality Factor Form C 231 4.61 0.68 Doctor exhibit lower liveliness than population norm.…”

“… Inadequacy [ 176 ] Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) 440 4.55 4.89 Information not available for interpretation Intellectual Interest [ 176 ] Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) 440 8.67 1.45 Information not available for interpretation Introversion [ 160 ] Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) 98 11.47 0.00 Information not available for interpretation Intuition [ 160 ] Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) 98 10.14 1.43 Information not available for interpretation Instrumentality [ 211 ] Personal Attribute Questionnaire 504 4.15 0.05 Doctors score 4.15 out of 6 for instrumentality, suggesting they are independent and decisive. Judgement [ 160 ] Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) 98 14.38 2.04 Information not available for interpretation Liveliness [ 154 ] Cattell’s Sixteen Personality Factor Form C 231 4.61 0.68 Doctor exhibit lower liveliness than population norm. Masculinity/femininity [ 176 ] Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) 440 29.54 3.36 Information not available for interpretation Machiavelism [ 58 ] MACH-IV Test of Machiavellianism 199 52.88 1.18 Doctors score 52.88 out of 100, where higher scores = higher Machiavellianism.…”

“… Temperament and Character Inventory - mean score 547 3.54 0.05 Doctors score 3.54 out of 5, where higher score = higher association with personality trait. Resiliency Assessment Scale 655 14.76 3.28 Information not available for interpretation Perception [ 160 ] Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) 98 7.58 2.05 Information not available for interpretation Psychotism [ 58 , 90 , 153 , 158 , 176 ] Levenson Self-Report Psychopathy Scale 199 44.08 1.21 Doctors score 44.08 out of 104, where higher scores = higher psychopathy. Eysenck Personality Questionnaire - Revised Short Scale 1076 2.86 0.64 Doctors scored 2.86 out of 12, where higher score = higher association with personality trait.…”