DOES PERSONALITY MATTER? PERCEPTIONS OF INTROVERTS AS GENERAL SURGEONS by Victoria M. Luong Thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Education (Curriculum Studies for Health Interprofessionals) Acadia University Spring Graduation 2019 © VICTORIA LUONG, 2019 This thesis by VICTORIA LUONG was defended successfully in an oral examination on March 4, 2019. The examining committee for the thesis was: _____________________________ Dr. Robert Seale, Chair _____________________________ Dr. J. Sargeant, External Examiner _____________________________ Dr. C. Shields, Internal Examiner _____________________________ Dr. A. Petrie, Supervisor _____________________________ Dr. Michael Corbett, Acting Director This thesis is accepted in its present form by the Division of Research and Graduate Studies as satisfying the thesis requirements for the Degree of Master of Education in Curriculum Studies for Health Interprofessionals. ……………………………………………… ii I, VICTORIA LUONG, grant permission to the University Librarian at Acadia University to archive, preserve, reproduce, loan or distribute copies of my thesis in microform, paper, or electronic formats on a non-profit basis. I undertake to submit my thesis, through my University, to Library and Archives Canada and to allow them to archive, preserve, reproduce, convert into any format, and to make available in print or online to the public for non-profit purposes. I, however, retain the copyright in my thesis. _____________________________ Victoria Luong, Author _____________________________ Allison Petrie, Supervisor _____________________________ Date iii Table of Contents List of Tables ................................................................................................................... vii List of Figures ................................................................................................................. viii Abstract ............................................................................................................................. ix List of Abbreviations ........................................................................................................ x CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION .................................................................................... 1 1.1 Statement of the Problem ........................................................................................... 3 1.2 Purpose and Research Questions .............................................................................. 3 1.3 Intellectual Goals ........................................................................................................ 4 Beyond the “variable” approach ..................................................................................... 4 Situating “extravert culture” ........................................................................................... 5 Introvert advocacy .......................................................................................................... 6 1.4 Practical Goals ............................................................................................................ 7 Specialty selection .......................................................................................................... 8 Adaptation ....................................................................................................................... 8 1.5 Origins of the Study/My Role as a Researcher ........................................................ 9 1.6 Theoretical Frameworks .......................................................................................... 11 Personality ..................................................................................................................... 12 The Big Five ................................................................................................................. 13 Introversion ................................................................................................................... 15 Distinctions ................................................................................................................... 17 Social skills ................................................................................................................... 17 Chapter Summary .......................................................................................................... 18 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW ..................................................................... 19 2.1 Personality and Medical Specialty Choice .............................................................. 20 Selection bias ................................................................................................................ 21 Prototype matching ....................................................................................................... 22 2.2 Key Differences Between Introverts and Extraverts ............................................. 23 Knowledge .................................................................................................................... 24 Decision-making ........................................................................................................... 25 Leadership ..................................................................................................................... 26 Working with patients ................................................................................................... 27 iv Burnout ......................................................................................................................... 29 2.3 Surgical Culture ........................................................................................................ 31 Expectations .................................................................................................................. 32 Surgical personality ...................................................................................................... 33 Identity dissonance ........................................................................................................ 34 2.4 Adapting to the Workplace ...................................................................................... 34 The person-situation debate .......................................................................................... 35 Personality development ............................................................................................... 36 Protective factors .......................................................................................................... 36 Chapter Summary .......................................................................................................... 38 CHAPTER 3: METHOD ............................................................................................... 39 3.1 Methodology .............................................................................................................. 39 Research paradigm ........................................................................................................ 39 Qualitative approach ..................................................................................................... 41 Grounded theory ........................................................................................................... 42 Design rationale ............................................................................................................ 44 3.2 Method ....................................................................................................................... 46 Theoretical sampling ..................................................................................................... 46 Saturation ...................................................................................................................... 48 Questionnaire ................................................................................................................ 50 Interviews ...................................................................................................................... 51 Data analysis ................................................................................................................. 53 3.3 Rigour......................................................................................................................... 56 3.4 Ethical Considerations ............................................................................................. 59 Chapter Summary .......................................................................................................... 60 CHAPTER 4: RESULTS ............................................................................................... 62 4.1 Participant Characteristics ...................................................................................... 62 4.2 Group Distribution ................................................................................................... 65 4.3 Context ....................................................................................................................... 67 4.3.1 The nature of the job ............................................................................................ 67 4.3.2 Essential qualities of a surgeon ............................................................................ 71 4.3.3 The surgical personality ......................................................................................