Some Helps in Character Analysis.

1. What is the *inner* and dominant characteristic (such as life seems a series of games to A.)

2. What is his philosophy (a) expressed by lip service, (b) actually, (c) what experience is back of it?

3. What are his favorite forms of wish thinking?

4. What do his best friends respect him for?

5. What does his wife think about him? What does he think of her?

6. What is his attitude toward religion? What does he mean by God?

7. What does he spend his extra money for? Where tight, where generous?

8. What does he devote his extra time to?

9. Has he any real hobbies?

10. How does he take exercise, and how much?

11. What is his attitude toward sport (a) now, (b) when a youth?

12. How much attention does he pay to eating? Any idiosyncracies here? Likes? Dislikes? Greasy and fried things? Mechanical appetite?

13. What is his attitude toward alcohol?

14. What is his attitude toward foreigners? Americans in particular? (Englishmen?)

15. What languages does he have? What value does he give each?

16. What attention does he pay to clothes? Does he still wear the same as he did as a young man? Characteristic garments? What share does his wife have in choosing them? His shoes? Hats?

17. Which arts interest him most? Why? Which are his blind spots?

18. What is his response to new things, and disposition toward the old? How is he affected by tradition? What conventions does he follow unthinkingly (a) clothes, (b) religion, (c) politics?

19. What is his attitude toward children?

20. What is his attitude toward animals? Special loves? Anathemas?

21. Does he make decisions easily? Quickly? accurately?

22. Does he acknowledge mistakes gracefully?

23. Is he able to change his mind once he has committed himself?

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24. What kind of a sense of humor does he have?

(a) Superiority as expressed by abusing i.e. "teasing"others?

(b) Is he able to laugh at his own foibles?

(c) Does he have a sense of the incongruous?

(d) His attitude toward word play?

(e) Would he rather "score" a joke, then consider the feelings of others?

(f) What does he read or see for humor?

25. What kind of an imagination?

(a) Fancy -- extravagant literature?

(b) Does he see likenesses more than differences? Vice Versa?

(c) Is he amused at other's foibles without applying the exact question to himself as a general practice?

(d) Is he able to read poetry (and imaginative fiction) with pleasure.

26. Whom is he gentle toward?

27. How does he act toward servants and social inferiors?

28. How does he act in an argument? Is he able to give in? Is he able to think clearly about the opposite question? Does he use the butt end of the pistol?

29. What ways does his sex life appear on the surface? Does he respond obviously to sex attention? Does it intrude on his peace of mind?

30. How much sex attraction does he possess for women? Is he conscious of the real extent or limitations?

31. What are his attitudes toward his relatives? Are they different from what he would like them to be?

32. What attitude does his relatives take toward him?

33. What bores him most? In general?

34. Do abstract subjects interest him? What is his ability with them?

35. When he has his choice what kind of theatre does he enjoy most?

36. How often does he go to the movies? Which kind does he like most?

37. What is his attitude toward music? Does he play an instrument? What music does he choose to hear?

38. Does he enjoy being distracted? Is he extravertive?

39. What is his chief avenue of "escape"? Religion? Emotion caused by art forms? Work? Sensual (drinking, etc)?

40. Is he a good partner in conversation?

(a) Does he listen attentively and comment politely? Or does he spend the time thinking up his own next remark?

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40. continued.

(b) Is he really interested in sharpening wits or does he avoid friction?

(c) Is he interested in finding out the truth, even though it may not be to his advantage?

(d) Does he tend to hold forth?

(e) Does he think logically in conversation and put his points well? Or does he begin a reply before he has finished thinking out the point?

(f) His attitude toward making conversation: does he recognize the occasional necessity? Does he do it under protest, or as "a way out"?

41. What are his verbal idiosyncracies? Any environmental characteristics? Any regular mispronunciations or slips in grammar? Favorite words?

42. Does he use slang? Of what vintage? Other metaphors? Tendency to use device of exaggeration? Understatement?

43. For what "heroes" does he feel a sentimental regard? Open or guarded? Real or conventional?

44. His attitude toward the future years of his life?: Expects just rewards? expects even over? Expects rainy weather? Begrudges it?

45. Feels which of his virtues are not appreciated?

46. In which ways does he consider himself "sensitive"? In which ways "not understood"? "Persecuted?"

47. How much does he depend on excuses? Are they good ones?

48. In what ways does he evidence physical courage? In which ways moral courage?

49. Does he have any real convictions? If so what.

50. In what ways is he impractical?"

51. Is it easy for him to be candid -- or does he hold back through ignorance of how to be candid?

52. Is he naturally tactful, or consciouly? Does he follow the same devices? Which are his favorites?

53. Does the word "beautiful" have any meaning for him? What in fact? What in theory?

54. Does he really <u>hate</u> any person? Why, because of a jealousy? What kind?

55. What ideas does he <u>hat</u>? Again why, because he can't understand them?

56. Does he really have any self discipline? Or just regular habits?

57. What is his attitude toward "getting something for nothing". In theory different from in wish?