Personality and Success Among Military Enlisted Personnel: An HistoricalProspective Study of U.S. Navy Corpsmen

摘要

Personality may affect success in the military. The present study examinedpersonality predictors of success in a sample of 4,512 male U.S. Navy corpsmen. A career sequence perspective was adopted to define success indicators, including completion of specialty training, premature attrition arising from behavioral problems (especially personality disorders), end-of-tour paygrade for those who completed their obligated service, and reenlistment decisions. Personality predicted career criteria, even controlling for differences in mental ability. Personality was more useful for predicting early career events, including school success and attrition, than for predicting later events, including end-of-tour paygrade and reenlistment decisions. Specific facets of personality predicted career criteria better than the general dimensions which included the facets. Personality measures can help forecast some aspects of career success if the relevant personality facets can be identified and measured accurately. Predictive equations provided in this study provide a starting point for refining prediction by more systematic sampling of personality facets and improved measurement of sampled facets.