In this assignment, we are going to discuss six personality types according to John Holland’s

theory.

Dr. John Holland’s theory, also known as Holland’s theory of vocational choice is the best
known and mostly wide researched theory about where we thrive in our work. It’s widely used
by Career development professionals. Understanding the theory helps one to identify careers and
education programs that fit who you are and put you on the right path to career wellbeing.

In our culture most people are one of the ex-personality types, namely, realistic, investigative,
artistic, social, enterprising and conventional. People of the same personality type working
together create a work environment that fits their type. For example, when Artistic persona
come together one job, they create a work environment that rewards creative thinking and
behavior. People search for environments where they can use their skills and abilities and
express their values and attitudes. For example, investigative types search for investigative
environment. Artistic types of look for Artistic types of look for Artistic environments and so
forth. People who choose to work in an environment similar to their personality type one likely
to be successful and satisfied.

Despite these differences, a meta-analysis of 15 experience sampling studies has suggested that
there is a great deal of overlap in the way different personality types behave. In these studies,
participants used mobile devices to report how extraverted (e.g., bold, talkative, assertive,
outgoing) they were acting at multiple times during their daily lives. Fleeson and Gallagher
(2009) found that extraverts regularly behave in an introverted way, and introverts regularly
behave in an extraverted way. Indeed, there was more within-person variability than between-
person variability in extraverted behaviors. The key feature that distinguishes extraverts and
introverts was that extraverts tend to act moderately extraverted about 5–10% more often than
introverts. From this perspective, extraverts and introverts are not "fundamentally different".
Rather, an "extravert" is just someone who acts more extraverted more often, suggesting that
extraversion is more about what one "does" than what one "has".

Additionally, a study by Lippa (1978) found evidence for the extent to which individuals present
themselves in a different way. This is called expressive behaviour, and it is dependent upon the
individuals' motivation and ability to control that behaviour. Lippa (1978) examined 68 students
who were asked to role-play by pretending to teach a math class. The students' level of
extraversion and introversion were rated based on their external/expressive behaviors such as
stride length, graphic expansiveness, the percentage of time they spent talking, the amount of
time they spent making eye contact, and the total time of each teaching session. This study found
that actual introverts were perceived and judged as having more extraverted-looking expressive
behaviors because they were higher in terms of their self-monitoring. This means that the
introverts consciously put more effort into presenting a more extraverted, and rather socially
desirable, version of themselves. Thus, individuals are able to regulate and modify behaviour
based on their environmental situations.

The first personality type is the realistic type. This type like to work with animals, tools,
machines and generally avoid social activities like teaching, counseling’s, nursing and
information others. The realistic type has good skills in working with tools, mechanical
drawings, machines and animals. It values practical things you can see and touch, likes plants
and animals, you can grow or things you build or make better. It also sees itself practical,
mechanical and realistic.

People having a realistic personality type dominate environments such as, carpenter, Diesel
mechanical, electrician, farmer, fire fighter, foster, locomotive engineer, pilot, truck drive etc.

They are more of them than one people of other personality types. For example, at a
construction site, there will be more person having a realistic personality type than there will be
persons who have a social or Artistic type. Realistic people create a Realistic environment.

The second personality type is the investigative. This type likes to study and solve math or
science problems and generally avoids leading, selling or persuading people. It values science
and sees itself as precise, scientific and intellectual. Persona having an investigative personality
type are more of them than persons having other personality types. Investigative personality
types, create investigative environment. For example, they particularly value people who are
precise, scientific and intellectual, those who good at understanding and solving science and
math problems.
Examples of occupations dominated by the investigative personality type are Biologists,
Chemist, computer programme mathematician, survey etc.

The Artistic personality type is the third personality type. This type likes to art, drama, crafts,
dance, music or creative writing. Generally avoids highly ordered or repetitive activities. The
Artistic personality type has good artistic abilities in creative writing, drama, crafts, music or art.
It values art like drama, music arts or the works of creative writers, and sees itself as expressive
and original and independent.

Persons having an Artistic personality dominate environments it that are artistic. This
personality values people who are expressive, original and independent. Examples of
occupations have artistic environment are, Actors, Art Teachers, Book Editors, designers
connections, dances etc.

The fourth personality type is the social types. This type likes to do things to help people, like
teaching, counselling, nursing or giving information. It generally, avoids using machines, tools
or animals to achieve a goal. It has good skills of teaching, nursing and giving information.

Researchers have found a correlation between extraversion and self-reported happiness. That is,
more extraverted people tend to report higher levels of happiness than introverts. Other research
has shown that being instructed to act in an extraverted manner leads to increases in positive
affect, even for people who are trait-level introverts.

Dr. David Meyers (2000), has claimed that happiness is a matter of possessing three traits: self-
esteem, optimism, and extraversion. Meyers bases his conclusions on studies that report
extraverts to be happier; these findings have been questioned in light of the fact that the
"happiness" prompts given to the studies' subjects, such as "I like to be with others" and "I'm fun
to be with," only measure happiness among extraverts. Also, according to Carl Jung, introverts
acknowledge more readily their psychological needs and problems, whereas extraverts tend to be
oblivious to them because they focus more on the outer world.

The enterprising personality type is the firth personality type. It like to lead and persuade people,
and to sell things and ideas. It generally avoids activities that require careful observation and
scientific analytical thinking. This personality type is also food at leading people and selling
ideas in things.

Enterprising and social are typically viewed as a single continuum, so to be high in one
necessitates being low in the other. Jung provides a different perspective and suggests that
everyone has both an extraverted side and an introverted side, with one being more dominant
than the other. Virtually all comprehensive models of personality include these concepts in
various forms. William McDougall (2005), discussed Jung's conception, and reached this
conclusion: "the introverts are those in whom reflective thought inhibits and postpones action
and expression: the extroverts are those in whom the energies liberated upon the stirring of any
propensity flow out freely in outward action and expression.

The sixth and last but not the least, personality type is the conventional personality type. This
personality type like to work with numbers, records, or machines in a set, orderly way. It
generally avoids ambiguous unstructured activities. It’s good at making with records and
numbers in a systematic way. It also values. Success in business and sees itself as orderly and
good at following a set plan.

Mistaking conventional personality type for shyness is a common error. Introversion is a

People having a conventional personality type dominate in work environments and they are more
of them than they are of other personality types. For example in an office of a bank or real
estate company there will be more people having a convention personality type than of other
personality types. Conventional personality types create a conventional environment they value
person who are orderly and good at records in a systematic and orderly way. Occupations
dominated by the conventions personality types are Bankers, Book Keepers, Court Clerks, and
Typists etc.
 REFERENCES

Diener, Larsen, & Emmons (1984), Verbal behavior. Acton MA: Copley Publishing Group

Dr. David Meyers (2000), Nature, nurture, and family adversities. In: Child Psychiatry. Blackwell
Science Ltd, UK 28: 208-217. Family influences. In: Development Through Life: A Handbook for Clinicians.
Blackwell Science Oxfordpp: 112-133.

Fleeson and Gallagher (2009) Genetic influences on normal and abnormal development. In Child and
Adolescent Psychiatry: Modern approaches, (3rd edn.), M Rutter, E Taylor, and L Hersoveds, Blackwell
Science, Oxford, pp: 129-151.

(Kilmann & Thomas, 1976) Growing together and growing apart: the non-genetic forces on children
in the same family. In: The New Genetics of Mental Illness (P McGuffin and R Murray editions),
Butterworth-Heinemann Oxford pp: 212-224.

Lippa (1978) Molecular mechanisms and diagnosis of chromosome 22q11.2 rearrangements.

Susan Cain (2003), Neuropsychological profile of children and adolescents with the 22q11.2
microdeletion. Genet Med 3: 34-39.

William McDougall (2005), Parental separation, adolescent psychopatholog