Individual Differences and Interpersonal Relationships — Page 234, Lesson 372

I want to walk you through how personality types relate to aviation safety and the preferred pilot profile. We're picking up from the two-dimensional model of personality we just looked at — the one that maps stable versus anxious on one axis and introvert versus extrovert on the other. As a personality characteristic deviates further from the average, the traits become more pronounced. Let me give you the four combinations from that model. The anxious extrovert — that's high anxiety plus extroversion — is regarded as aggressive and changeable. The stable introvert is seen as thoughtful and controlled. An anxious introvert comes across as sober and pessimistic. And the stable extrovert is viewed as responsive and easy going. Now, personality is a direct factor in many aviation accidents. The anxious extroverts tend to have more flying accidents where risk taking is involved. The anxious introverts have a different kind of accident pattern — their rigid and sober approach can lead them to underperform when they're confronted with an emergency, and they mismanage their tasks when under pressure. Risk taking and risk assessment represent the biggest problem in many accidents, especially in single pilot operations. Some risks are taken for personal reasons — showing off, for example. But other risks may be taken due to commercial pressure. To reduce these possible risks, pilots should be aware of their own personality type. If they recognize impulsive and thrill-seeking elements in their personality, they should take steps to satisfy those characteristics away from the flight deck — not while flying. So what's the preferred personality for a pilot? The preferred average pilot should be stable and extroverted. But whether this represents the ideal personality type for flying is arguable. Military flying, with its requirements to fly to extended limits or take greater risks, may require different characteristics than those needed in commercial operations. And with the ever-increasing advance in cockpit automation, associated with long periods of boredom, this is pushing the ideal pilot position more to the left of the chart — towards, but not into, the introvert sector. Beyond the basic personality dimensions, a pilot must also be self-disciplined and have the ability to control their internal emotions and external actions. This personality trait — self-discipline and emotional control — is essential in the ideal pilot.