Personality types of family practice residents in the 1980s

This study was based on a nationwide sample of 778 family practice residents in the mid-1980s and was conducted to determine the personality types that were most common among those residents. The results showed that the single most common personality type was that in which the individual prefers to see the world in terms of challenges and future possibilities and to make decisions based upon his or her subjective values. These results showed that the sample differed significantly in Myers-Briggs personality type from both the general practitioners of the 1950s and the early family practice residents of the 1970s, who preferred to see the world in terms of the immediate facts of experience and to make decisions objectively. There were also significant differences between the civilian and military family practice residents, but not between the community-based and university-based residents. Implications regarding future practice styles, physicians' personal values, and manpower needs are discussed.