Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-06-18
BY THOMAS r. HENRY.

Science is making an approach to
! the chemistry of human character.
Is a quarrelsome person trustworthy?
Is a highly Sociable person good
worker!
Such questions are answered tenta-
lively, as they apply to small group
of children, in mathematical analysis
of 33 traits of character, which seems to
indicate roughly the division into three
character groups, which has just been
completed in the department of pSy-
chology at Catholic University by Sister
Mary Rosa McDonough, graduate stu
dent and member of the order of Sis
tiers of Mercy.
The work is based on the rating of
teachers of so seventh and eighth grade
parochial school pupils, all of average
intelligence, on the basis of each trait.
Intricate mathematical formulae were
applied to the reports in an effort to
determine the correlation between traits
and which ones tended to occur in con-
junction with each other.
Three Groups of Traits.
Sister Rosa's conclusion is that char
acter traits, at least those measured,
are not entities occurring independently,
but that groups of them seem to arise
from common factors. She finds the
33 traits distributed into these three
groups Will-cheerfulness, sociability
and excitable emotionality.
Among the character traits associated
with the first group are determination,
attention, truthfulness, reliability. self
control, obedience, generosity, stability,
refinement, contentment, independence,
circumstances, cheerfulneSs, neat
ness and sympathy. She found de-
cided tendency for all these traits to
occur in the same child.
So she concludes from the statistical
analysis that at the base of all OF them
there is one common factor and that
in any individual such a trait as gen.
crosby is a compound of this common
factor, a smaller group factor, and one
or more specific factors. Thus truth
full individual has the basic will-cheer-
fulness group factor in common with
the determined or the generous individ-
ual. All three traits are likely to be
found in the same person. But cases
will be found in which person will
be generous, but not truthful. lacking
the specific factors which, added to the
common group factor, make cheerful
ness.
+ Sociability Characteristics.
The sociab!lity group includes persons
noteworthy for such traits as affection
ateness, activity, humor, sociability,
credulity and expressiveness. These
traits show decided tendency to occur
in the same individual who also rates
low in the traits included in the will
cheerfulness group
The third, or Stethnic- emo tionality,
group is notable for such generally un-
desirable traits as looking for SYM
pathy, conceit, quarrelsomeness, irrita-
bility, impulsiveness, emotionality and
forwardneSs. Here also Sister Rosa finds
a probable common factor at the basis
of all plus specific factors making up
the different traits There is a very
low correlation between these traits and
those of the will-cheerfulness group.
Between intelligence. as determined
by standard tests, and the traits of the
will-cheerfulness group there is
steady but not particularly noteworthy
positive relation. The Sociability group
traits also show plus relationship with
intelligence while all the traits in the
highly emotional group show a minus
relationship. That is, the conceited,
quarrelsome, irritable and impusive
child seems. likely to be less intelligent
than the reliable, self-controlled, gen.
erous child. The lowest relation of all
is between intelligence and credulity
which is mark of the simpleton. The
irritable child an the one always look
ing for sympathy also show negative