Variables Related to the Selection of Psychiatric Residents

Ninety physicians who applied for psychiatric residencies were rated on a 32-item scale that included such characteristics as self-awareness, sensitivity to others, and problem-solving ability. Scores significantly discriminated between those applicants who were accepted and those who were rejected solely on the basis of independent global assessments. Fifty-one of the applicants also completed two self-report indices. Results indicated that applicants accepted for residency had a greater than average tendency to compartmentalize their thinking and to intellectualize their relations with people; they also showed a high need for achievement and low impulsivity.