Running head: EXTROVERSION AMONG OCCUPATIONAL

Extroversion Among Occupational Therapy Students Elisa Dick, Gerilynn Gobuyan, Nikita Malhotra, Victoria Pringels, & Rebecca Walters Touro University Nevada

EXTROVERSION AMONG OCCUPATIONAL Abstract Occupational therapy students are unique in their own way, bringing several personality traits to the profession. Occupational therapy is a profession which involves daily interactions with clients. This interaction contributes to a particular personality trait, specifically extroversion. This study takes a closer look into this specific personality trait by administering the Big Five Personality Test to occupational therapy students. From this study, do students studying occupational therapy tend to be more extroverted than introverted? In this research study, it was hypothesized that occupational therapy students would exhibit higher levels of extroversion than introversion due to the job requirements. The participants of this study were taken from the occupational therapy class of 2014 at Touro University Nevada. A total of twenty-eight students agreed to participate in the study by taking

the Big Five Personality Test online. There were a total of 8 males and 20 females of Caucasian, Asian, African American, and Hispanic descent who participated in the study. Although it was hypothesized that occupational therapy students are more extroverted than introverted, the results proved otherwise. Results of the descriptive statistics show that occupational therapy students are more introverted than extraverted. The results of the analysis were based from a scale where a score > than 39.99% meant that the participant was introverted, a score of > 40-60% meant that the participant was moderately introverted and > 60% meant that the participant was extroverted. Definition of Constructs Extraversion refers to the energy one acquires from interacting with others, while introverts get their energy from within themselves or being alone. Extraversion includes the traits of being energetic, talkative, and assertive (Extroversion). Occupational in general is a goal-

EXTROVERSION AMONG OCCUPATIONAL directed activity that is meaningful to the client. Our group definition of occupational therapy is

explained as an therapeutic activities that helps a client complete their normal activities from the time they wake up to the time they go to bed. An example could be brushing ones teeth or going shopping, either way it is an activity that the client wants to accomplish. As therapists, the goal is to assist the client in accomplishing a meaningful goal through activity. The Big Five Personality test is derived from statistical analyses of which traits tend to co-occur in people's descriptions of themselves or other people. The test measures, openness, extroversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and neuroticism. These are a range of more specific personality traits (123test, 2012). Theoretical Framework Within the context of this research, Erik Ericksons stages of personality development illustrate a theoretical framework that describes extroversion as individual progresses in development through life. Depending on how an individual develops through each stage will be a contributing factor to specific personality traits conveyed. If the individual progresses through each stage successfully they build a sense of self. This is done through socialization. The stages emphasize the role of society and culture and the conflicts that take place. Therefore, if an individual is successful in developing through stages by socialization, they would convey the personality trait of being extroverted.

Figure 1. A visual representation of Erik Eriksons eight stages of psychosocial development.

EXTROVERSION AMONG OCCUPATIONAL Overview of Relevant Literature Personality traits have been studied for various reasons. Personality traits have been an interest to people and have been researched by ancient Greeks (Fazeli 2012). One aspect of personality that has been of great interest is extroversion versus introversion. This study found that extroverts scored significantly higher on global issues than introverts. They demonstrated their concerns and feelings more than introverts. The study found that heightened global awareness and caring were contributed to higher levels of intelligences. Global caring is defined as having empathy, altruism, and moral development. Within the field of occupational therapy,

an article by Peacock found that there is a high nurturance score, indicating they want to care for people from all ages. The Change score indicates that they do not like routine and to using of adaptation. The Achievement score indicates that they want to accomplish different tasks and want to achieve their goals. The study found that low scores on the exhibition scale could suggest that those who enter occupational therapy do not want to be the center of attention. They were unable to find a particular personality profile for occupational therapists. The study also found that occupational therapy attracted a wide variety of people with a lot of diversity. This could be positive or negative, because it creates a healthy mixture of professionals or shows that people who enter this education do not really know what occupational therapy involves. However, in trying to understand personality traits of occupational therapists, Jamison and Dirette (2004) conducted a study with 127 occupational therapy students. The students were given the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Form M to determine personality type. From the group of 114 female students, 66 we classified as extroverts and 48 as introverts. Only 13 males were included in the study, and from this group 6 were extroverts and 7 introverts. Personality assessments were given in this study in order to determine students learning style and abilities

EXTROVERSION AMONG OCCUPATIONAL working in group settings. The Jamison & Dirette study has interesting implications for our

research, while the findings in the female group are consistent with our hypothesis; the results for males show the opposite. A larger sample of occupational therapy students and consideration of other variables such as academics and why students choose occupational therapy as a career in comparison to personality traits of extroversion and introversion is needed to further explore the predominance of extroversion traits in this population. In 1995, Donohue discovered that many factors associated with professional socialization of occupational therapy students increased during the students academic and clinical studies. After completing a two-year occupational therapy Masters curriculum, the students intellectual and psychological traits were positively influenced. Occupational therapy students demonstrated a higher score in achievement via independence and in psychologicalmindedness. Thus, this implies that these students have the potential for the autonomy needed to be professional decision makers and the ability to perceive and incorporate the body-mind dimension with consumers with disabilities. According to career research, a persons background, aptitudes, values and knowledge of various careers all play a role in a persons career choice. Pickett (1962) found that the most powerful attraction to occupational therapy was working directly with people by building relationships that give affection and attention to people in need. Typically occupational therapists enjoy working with people, have altruistic goals and values, and are confident in their interpersonal skills. When initially choosing their career, most students were interested in occupational therapy as a result of personal contacts with health professions, friends and family members. People, rather than publications, have shown a greater influence in the choice of occupational therapy as a career (Wyrick & Stern, 1987). Furthermore,

EXTROVERSION AMONG OCCUPATIONAL they found that occupational therapy was appealing because it offered creativity and was not a routine career. Purpose and Overview of the Proposed Study

The purpose of the study is to understand what personality trait, specifically extroversion or introversion, is more exhibited by occupational therapy students. Hypothesis and Predictions The study tested the hypothesis that occupational therapy students tend to have high levels of extroversion. We predict that a larger percentage of occupational therapy students will be extroverted. We predict that the more extroverted an individual is the better off an occupational therapist they will be. Methods The hypothesis was tested by administering an online Big Five Personality Test to specifically measure the levels of extroversion and introversion in occupational therapy students at Touro University Nevada. Study Design This study design is a cross-sectional correlation design. A survey research is taken by participants through an online test known as the Big Five Personality. It is intended to understand the relationship between personality and various academic behaviors. The Big Five Personality Test will be taken only once by each participant and involves a 5-point Likert scale. The test will be used to measure the level of extroversion and introversion in occupational therapy students. Introversion is a score of 40 or less, moderate is a score between 40 and 60, and extroversion is a score of 60 or above. Participants and Setting

EXTROVERSION AMONG OCCUPATIONAL Twenty-eight participants were recruited from Touro University Nevadas Occupational Therapy program to participate in the study. Participants ages ranged from 21-40 years (M = 25.60, SD = 3.67). There were 8 male (29%) and female (69%) participants, over half of them [17 (59%)] reported their primary cultural or racial identification as White/Caucasian, 9 (31%) reported Asian/Pacific Islander, 1 (3%) reported Hispanic/Chicano, and 1 (3%) reported African

American. Participants varied with respect to where they resided six months prior to participating in the study with 9 (32%) resided in California, 5 (18%) in Nevada, 5 (14%) in Utah, 3 (11%) in Washington, 1 (3.5%) in Florida, 1 (3.5%) in Idaho, 1 (3.5%) in Indiana, 1 (3.5%) in New Mexico, 1 (3.5%) in New York, 1 (3.5%) in Ohio, and 1 (3.5%) in Oregon. Finally, the majority of the participants [17 (59%)] reported their parents belonging to the middle class, 10 (34%) reported upper-middle class, 1 (3%) reported upper class, and 1 (3%) reported working class. Instruments and Materials The Big Five Personality Test measures the five fundamental dimensions of personalities (openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism) and consists of 45 items concerning a persons perceptive about themselves in a variety of situations. The test was administered online using personal computers. Participants responded to each statement by reporting the strength of their agreement with each statement on a 5-point Likert scale (i.e., 1 = strongly disagree; 2 = disagree, 3 = neither disagree nor agree, 4 = agree, 5 = strongly agree). For the purpose of this study, only extroversion and introversion scores were measured. The test requires approximately 10 minutes to complete. We calculated the Big Five Personality test results in Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) 21 using the raw scores. In addition, participants completed a researcher-developed demographic data form to obtain information from participants. This form included questions soliciting participants

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gender, age, racial identification, the state in which they resided in six months prior, and parents social class. Procedures The 2014 cohort from the School of Occupational Therapy was chosen to participate in the study, and approval was obtained from Dr. Gutierrez. On October 4, 2012, two surveys were sent via email to the participants. Verbal instructions were given to the cohort. Participants completed the Big Five Personality Test online and reported their scores to survey administrators. The second instrument, the demographic questionnaire, was completed by participants and submitted online. Data from both instruments was imported into SPSS 21. Frequency tables, descriptive statistics, and a code book were prepared from the data for analysis. Following the analysis, the results were reported and conclusions drawn. Data Analysis In order to address the objective of this study, two separate surveys were administered. One survey was administered for demographics, the other to measure the personality trait of extroversion and introversion. The data was analyzed through SPSS after information had been recorded and gathered. Furthermore, to analyze the data, frequencies, descriptive statistics, and a codebook table was utilized. The frequency table analyzed how often scores on extroversion and introversion occurred. The descriptive statistics shows a layout of the scores of all the participants. The codebook measures the mean, standard deviation, and places the scores into average percentiles. Results The results of the Big Five Personality Assessment are described in this paragraph as follows. The frequency table has one score of 12, two scores of 15, three scores of 22, four

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scores of 31, four scores of 37, two scores of 48, on score of 53, one score of 57, one score of 59, three scores of 64, one score of 74, one score of 83, one score of 86, one score of 91, and two scores of 93. See table 1 for scores. The descriptive statistics lays out the scores similar to the frequency table; however, the table elaborates on the validity of each score. See table 2 for scores. The code book shows that all 28 scores are valid. There are no missing scores. The mean score is 48.46. The standard deviation is 25.37. The average of scores falling in the 25th percentile is a score of 31, in the 50th percentile the score is 42.5, and in the 75th percentile the score is 64. See table 3 for scores. Table 1 Frequencies Statistics Ex 12 N 15 22 31 37 48 53 57 59 64 74 83 N N N N N N N N N N N

Valid Missing Valid Missing Valid Missing Valid Missing Valid Missing Valid Missing Valid Missing Valid Missing Valid Missing Valid Missing Valid Missing Valid Missing

1 0 2 0 3 0 4 0 4 0 2 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 3 0 1 0 1 0

EXTROVERSION AMONG OCCUPATIONAL 86 91 93 N N N Valid Missing Valid Missing Valid Missing 1 0 1 0 2 0

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Table 2 Descriptive Statistics Ex 12 15 22 31 37 48 53 57 59 64 74 83 86 91 93 Ex Valid N (listwise) Ex Valid N (listwise) Ex Valid N (listwise) Ex Valid N (listwise) Ex Valid N (listwise) Ex Valid N (listwise) Ex Valid N (listwise) Ex Valid N (listwise) Ex Valid N (listwise) Ex Valid N (listwise) Ex Valid N (listwise) Ex Valid N (listwise) Ex Valid N (listwise) Ex Valid N (listwise) Ex Valid N (listwise)

N 1 1 2 2 3 3 4 4 4 4 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 3 3 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 2

Minimum 12 15 22 31 37 48 53 57 59 64 74 83 86 91 93

Maximum 12 15 22 31 37 48 53 57 59 64 74 83 86 91 93

Mean 12.00 15.00 22.00 31.00 37.00 48.00 53.00 57.00 59.00 64.00 74.00 83.00 86.00 91.00 93.00

Std. Deviation . .000 .000 .000 .000 .000 . . . .000 . . . . .000

Table 3 Codebook Ex

EXTROVERSION AMONG OCCUPATIONAL Value 7 <none> Numeric F8 Scale Input 28 0 48.46 25.368 31.00 42.50 64.00 Discussion After collecting the data and running the results we were surprised by the findings. We had mixed results of extroversion and introversion leading us to believe that differentiating the

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Standard Attributes

Central Tendency and Dispersion

Position Label Type Format Measurement Role Valid Missing Mean Standard Deviation Percentile 25 Percentile 50 Percentile 75

two personality traits is not an effective predictor of who will become an occupational therapist. The mean score of our results was 48.46, meaning occupational therapy students are moderate (in the middle) of extroversion and introversion. The standard deviation is 25.37, meaning that the bell curve falls lower in comparison to the average, which would be at 50. After analyzing the results, a total of 14 participants showed introversion, 5 participants exhibited a moderate amount of extroversion, and 9 participants displayed extroversion. Conclusion There are several important conclusions that can be drawn from the results of the present study. First, our hypothesis that occupational therapy students exhibit higher levels of extroversion than introversion was not supported by our results. Instead, our results suggest that that extroversion and introversion is not as definitive as previous studies have found within the occupational therapy profession. Other factors, besides personality, may be better indicators of

EXTROVERSION AMONG OCCUPATIONAL the type of individuals that will choose occupational therapy as a career. For example, perhaps

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identifying what or who influenced the student to become an occupational therapist would aid in determining the type of people that join this profession. We recommend that this study be replicated with the use of a larger pool of subjects and a sampling of every occupational therapy educational program. Currently, there are over 150 accredited occupational therapy programs. We sampled just one of them. The methodology employed in this study appears to be effective, but a larger sample could result in more generalizable outcomes.

EXTROVERSION AMONG OCCUPATIONAL References 123test. (2012). Big Five Personality Test. Retrieved from http://www.123test.com/big-five-personality-theory/

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Donohue, M. V. (1995). A study of the development of traits of entry-level occupational therapy students. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 49, 703709. doi:10.5014/ajot.49.7.703 Erik Eriksons eight stages of psychosocial development [image]. (2000). Retrieved from http://fac.hsu.edu/langlet/lectures/dev/Erikson/erik_erikson.htm Extroversion. In The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company online. Retrieved from http://www.thefreedictionary.com/extraversion Fazeli, S.H. (2012). The exploring nature of the assessment instrument of five factors of personality traits in the current studies of personality. Asian Social Science, 8(2), 265276. doi:10.5539/ass.v8n2p264 Jamison, P.W. & Dirette, D. (2004). Personality type in occupational therapy students: implications for teaching and learning strategies. Occupational Therapy in Health Care, 18(1/2) 83-98. doi:10.1300/J003v18n01_09. Peacock, A. C., OShea, O. (1984). Occupational Therapists: Personality and Job Performance. The American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 38, 517-521. Pickett, B. J. (1962). Factors influencing choice of occupational therapy as a career: Implications for recruitment. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 16, 84-88.

EXTROVERSION AMONG OCCUPATIONAL Ruf, D. L. & and Radosevich, D. M. (2009). How Personality and Gender May Relate to

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Individual Attitudes Toward Caring for and About Others. Roeper Review, 31, 207216. doi: 10.1080/02783190903177572. Wyrick, J. M., & Stern, E B. (1987). The recruitment of occupational therapy students: A national survey. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 41, 173-178.