Responder a preguntas fáciles y concretas que formule el profesor/a de los

OVERVIEW

The introductory chapters have indicated that the research presented in this thesis is oriented toward study of the person-in-

context# The conceptual franework was not developed fron a single

theory, consequently the literature survey covers a broad field#

Directly and indirectly the body of empirical evidence and theoretical formulations which is referred to over the next two chapters provides the supporting fabric for the design of this project, and the basis^ for anticipating that certain relationships - as predicted in the hy­ potheses at the end of Chapter IV - will hold between the variables nominated for study.

The organization of the two chapters is that the present one, after a brief account of the various ways in which psychologists have

viewed individual and environmental factors in relation to human behaviour, tends to concentrate upon the extrinsic variables - those influences

arising from the situational context of the behaviour# The next

chapter is directed more to personality-performance relationships#

This artificial dichotomy between individual and situation is maintained for the sake of convenience, but inevitably there is overlap in the presentation since the central proposition of the thesis asserts the need to give explicit consideration to interaction between the two sets of variables.

In the present chapter reference to the current interactionist approach to the study of behaviour leads on to an examination of the advantages and limitations of the concept of sccial role as a tool for

t h i s g e n e r a l in tr o d u c t i o n to r o l e b e h a v io u r th e d is c u s s io n narrow s down to c o n s id e r c e r t a i n a s p e c ts o f perform ance in an o c c u p a tio n a l r o l e , t h a t i s to say th e in t e r p e r s o n a l a s p e c ts of n u rs in g perform ance i n a g e n e r a l h o s p i t a l . As th e c h a p te r p ro ceed s work i s d is tin g u is h e d f r o n o th e r form s o f b e h a v io u r, and th e i n p l i c a t i o n s of an o r g a n iz a ti o n a l s e t t i n g f o r th e f o r n e r a r e n o te d . S e v e ra l o th e r r o l e r e l a t e d co n o ep ts such a s norm s, s a n c tio n s , and r o l e p r e s c r i p t i o n s a r e d is c u s s e d , w ith s p e c i a l a t t e n t i o n b e in g g iv e n to th e s t r u c t u r a l a s p e c ts o f norm s. The s e v e r a l th r e a d s a r e b ro u g h t t o g e th e r th ro u g h d is c u s s io n o f th e p ro c e s s e s o f o c c u p a tio n a l s o c i a l i z a t i o n and p r o f e s s i o n a l i z a t i o n , and th e f u n c tio n o f th e h o s p i t a l a s a s o c i a l i z i n g a g e n t. Such c h a r a c te r ­ i s t i c s o f th e o r g a n iz a ti o n a l s t r u c t u r e and p ro c e s s e s o f th e h o s p i t a l a s were deemed r e le v a n t to th e p r e s e n t s tu d y were t r e a t e d i n some de­ t a i l i n th e p re v io u s c h a p te r so t h a t th e y have been im p lie d r a t h e r th a n re p e a te d i n t h i s c h a p t e r . The f i n a l s e c t i o n o f C h ap ter 111 lo o k s a t th e c o m p le m en ta rity o f s e l e c t i o n and s o c i a l i z a t i o n a s p ro c e s s e s a v a i l a b l e to an o r g a n iz a ti o n f o r a c h ie v in g d ependable r o l e b e h a v io u r from i t s members. In C h ap ter IV em phasis s h i f t s to th o s e b e h a v io u r a l in f lu e n c e s f o r which th e i n d i v i d u a l h im s e lf i s th e s o u r c e . S t r i c t l y sp ea k in g t h i s i s th e more p s y c h o lo g ic a l a s p e c t o f th e s tu d y . A f te r e x p lo r in g e v i­ dence which a tte m p ts to l i n k p e r s o n a l i t y and perform ance d i r e c t l y , th e n o tio n o f o c c u p a tio n a l type i s in tr o d u c e d and fo llo w e d by a rev iew o f some o f th e r e s e a r c h i n t h a t a r e a . S i t u a t i o n a l in f l u e n c e s ( in c lu d in g n a tu r e o f th e t a s k ) a r e touched upon a g a in , t h i s t i n e i n an a tte m p t to e x p la in th e o b serv ed la c k o f sim p le and c le£ r-* cu t p e r s o n a l i t y - perform ance a s s o c i a t i o n s . Problem s o f p e r s o n a l i t y measurement i n g e n e r a l a r e n o te d , and th e n th e p e r s o n a l i t y d im en sio n s employed in th e p r e s e n t s tu d y a r e d e s c r ib e d . A f te r a c r i t i c a l lo o k a t t h i s

p a r t i c u l a r way o f c o n c e p tu a liz in g the i n t e r p e r s o n a l a s p e c ts o f

p e r s o n a l i t y a c ase i s made f o r th e a p p r o p r ia te n e s s o f th e th e o r y w ith r e s p e c t to th e p r e s e n t study* At th e end o f th e c h a p te r a sch em atic r e p r e s e n t a t i o n o f th e p r e d ic te d p a t t e r n of i n t e r r e l a t i o n s h i p s betw een th e v a r i a b l e s whose e f f e c t s th e p r o j e c t was d e sig n e d to s tu d y s e r v e s to draw to g e t h e r th e c o n c e p ts which have been p r i n c i p a l themes i n th e l i t e r a t u r e re v ie w . F i n a l l y th e s e r i e s o f h y p o th e se s w hich th e d a ta w i l l t e s t a r e s ta te d *

P erso n and environm ent

As psy ch o lo g y began to lo s e th e p h y s io lo g ic a l b i a s which c h a r a c t e r i s e d i t s in c e p tio n a s a s c ie n c e , so came r e c o g n itio n o f th e b ro a d e r environm ent a s a so u rc e o f b e h a v io u r a l d e te rm in a n ts* G e s ta lt p s y c h o lo g is ts such a s K offka en co u rag ed th e p o in t o f view t h a t th e c o n te x t of a s tim u lu s has to he ta k e n i n t o a c c o u n t i f th e e f f e c t o f t h a t s tim u lu s i s to be u n d e rs to o d f u ll y * Freud*s p s y c h o - a n a ly tic th e o ry saw th e s o c i a l m ilie u a s p ro v id in g th e e v e n ts which tr i g g e r -

o f f a p re d e te rm in e d sequence o f p e r s o n a l i t y developm ent* The b e h a v io u r­ i s t s le a d by Watson c r e d i t e d th e environm ent w ith b e in g th e m ajo r

i n i t i a t o r and c o n t r o l l e r o f b e h a v io u r a l p a tte r n s *

Under in f l u e n c e s such a s th o s e j u s t m entioned most p s y c h o lo g is ts d u rin g th e e a r l y p a r t o f t h i s c e n tu r y te n d ed to se e th e i s s u e s o f

p e r s o n a l i t y and en v iro n m en t i n e i t h e r / o r term s ( a lth o u g h t h e r e were n o ta b le e x c e p tio n s to t h i s tr e n d e.g * Tolnan 1932, 1951» Murray Lewin, 1951 ) . The g ra d u a l e f f e c t o f th e s e e x c e p tio n s h as Tbeen to s h i f t th e p o p u la r p o s i t i o n from t h a t o f lo o k in g a t th e two so u rc e s o f in flu e n c e a s a l t e r n a t i v e s th ro u g h one in which th e s e e f f e c t s were seen a s c u m u la tiv e , and l a t e r i n t o th e co n tem p o rary mood o f i n t e r a c t i o n and tr a n s a c tio n * These l a t t e r p o in ts o f view re c o g n iz e t h a t b e h a v io u r

c a n n o t be p r e d i c t e d a c c u r a t e l y f r o n s i n p l e a c c u n u l a t i o n o f know ledge w h ich s p e c i f i e s th e a c t i o n o f e a c h o f th e s e t s o f v a r i a b l e s s e p a r a t e l y . S in c e b e h a v io u r i s n e v e r a s i t u a t i o n a l i t i s a r a r e i n s t a n c e i n w hich p r o p e r t i e s o f th e e x t e r n a l s i t u a t i o n do n o t e x e r t sone in f l u e n c e on th e b e h a v o r . On th e o t h e r hand i t i s j u s t a s u n l i k e l y t h a t th e s e e x t r a —in d i v i d u a l f a c t o r s w i l l be th e s o le d e t e r n i n a n t s o f a p e r s o n ’ s a c t io n s « W hile th e e s s e n c e o f th e i n t e r a c t i o n i s t a p p ro a c h h a s b een e x p r e s s e d s u c c i n c t l y i n L ew in ’ s (19 5 1) e q u a t io n (_B = P ( P, E ) _”) * t h e r e i s a v a s t c o n p l e x i t y o f r e l a t i o n s im p lie d i n t h i s b r i e f s ta te m e n t t h a t b e h a v io u r i s a f u n c t i o n o f p e r s o n a l i t y and e n v iro n m e n t. F u r t h e r