“Obstetricians and gynecologists have a significantly different personality profile than the general population. It’s hard not to be surprised when the differences are so clear,” says Petri Kajonius, associate professor of personality psychology and behavioral measurement at Lund University.
It is our personality that determines what we will enjoy in our professional lives, and the result is likely to be self-selection of people seeking a particular occupation. Obstetrically-focused Swedish doctors’ personalities make them comfortable in an environment where a labor situation can quickly escalate into an acute situation and potentially become a crisis. Characteristics such as emotional stability and honesty come to the fore here.
“Neuroticism is the opposite of emotional stability and is characterized by anxiety and sensitivity to stress. Someone high in neuroticism may have difficulty managing stress in acute situations, but a small amount of it may increase the tendency to cooperate and make joint decisions. Others, which can also be beneficial. ”, says Gabriel Raoust, PhD student at Lund University and consultant in obstetrics and gynecology at Ystad Lasarett, Sweden.
Advertising
The study also found that the more clinical experience doctors had, especially men, the more comfortable and individualized decision making they were. Traits such as agreeableness coupled with conscientiousness are useful in situations where one must follow checklists and procedures when interacting with others on the team.
“Increasing understanding of decision-making processes and the factors that influence physicians’ behavior requires recognizing that it is normal to have different personalities. An individual-centered or team-based approach depends on one’s ‘big five.'” can be surprisingly relevant in such an environment”, concludes Gabriel Raoust.
Source: Eurekalert
