4fi2 ILLINOIS STATE ACADEMY OF SCIENCE 



usual student both from the standpoint of scholarship 

 and attitude. So serious was she concerning her scholas- 

 tic work that she could not afford to be caught napping. 

 This suggests the necessity of going beyond prescribed 

 formulae in preparing the minds of the individuals for 

 a favorable reception of test and analysis materials, — 

 something which the teacher who is not of the proper 

 temperament, and who is not especially trained, cannot 

 do, — the theories of many who would reduce to mathe- 

 matical formulae the analysis of human character, to 

 the contrary notwithstanding. 



* Mr. Earl B. Morgan in an excellent article on in- 

 terviewing calls attention to the fact that many people 

 do not represent themselves as they are when they ap- 

 ply for positions. The college student especially is ill 

 at ease and artificial. This artificiality camouflages the 

 real self to such an extent that a great deal of "spar- 

 ring" is oftentimes necessary before the real qualities 

 of the individual are revealed. There is the constant 

 danger that the self-analysis record will not be a com- 

 plete blue-print, or a correct blue-print of the individual. 

 Subjectively, the individual will miss the point of self- 

 analysis, going away under an illusion if such an arti- 

 ficial mental attitude predominates. These dangers be- 

 come all the more apparent where self-analysis results 

 are interpreted literally and used objectively. Self -analy- 

 sis is the more sinned against, perhaps, in this tendency 

 which is not at all unusual for those untrained in per- 

 sonnel problems to consider it a formula, the working 

 thru of which, irrespective of limitations which have 

 been pointed out, will do the individual good, — and will 

 give a fairly accurate picture of his personal qualities. 

 This attitude apparently is the result of no very definite 

 understanding of individual differences. This evil can 

 in part be overcome thru the recognition that the 

 interpretation of self-analysis results, and the interview- 

 ing which must follow, should be the job of an expert 

 who understands his responsibility. 



• "Interviewing for Selection". Industrial Management Magazine, April 

 1, 1921. 



