Individual Differences and Interpersonal Relationships — Page 234, Lesson 375

I want to walk you through Hans Eysenck’s theory of personality and then into interactive styles—both are core to understanding how individual differences affect crew performance on the flight deck. Let’s start with Eysenck. His major contribution to psychology is his theory of personality. He confirmed a model that you can see in Figure 12.2, which is a two-dimensional model of personality. However, he used a specific term: where others might say “Anxiety,” Eysenck called it “Neuroticism.” That’s an important distinction to hold onto. His full model is called the PEN model—P-E-N stands for Psychoticism, Extroversion-Introversion, and Neuroticism. So in Eysenck’s PEN model, personality is divided into four key dimensions: Extroversion, Introversion, Stability, and Neuroticism. Now, here’s where his definition of neuroticism is very specific and different from everyday use. Eysenck defines neuroticism as a tendency of the sympathetic nervous system—the part responsible for autonomic arousal, your fight-or-flight response—to act too quickly. That’s his special definition, and you need to note it because it is not the meaning generally associated with the word “neurotic” in common language. His research proved that perfectly normal people can score high on the neurotic scale. That individual usually has a lot of “drive.” The only problem arises when a person who scores high on the neurotic scale is subjected to a great deal of stress. In that case, he or she is then likely to suffer from a neurotic disorder. Furthermore, Eysenck presented the hypothesis that a Stable Introvert possessed what he called “Ego Control,” whereas a Neurotic Extrovert tended towards Psychoticism. So you have a contrast: stable introverts have ego control; neurotic extroverts lean toward psychoticism. He also confirmed the view that personality is largely innate and genetically determined. That’s a foundational point—personality isn’t just learned; it has a strong biological basis. Now, let’s move into interactive style. When individuals are working as a team towards a common goal, it is helpful to consider each individual’s team or interactive style. The way they interact can be classified in a number of ways. First, there’s the authoritarian individual. Authoritarian people are dogmatic—they hold rigidly to their views—and will not easily tolerate dissent from their subordinates. However, when confronted by someone they perceive as having higher status, they become submissive. This kind of personality often has a clear and defined perception of hierarchy, rank, and status. Other styles are the paternalistic and democratic. Any individual’s style may change with time. For example, the submissive first officer can become an authoritarian captain as they gain rank and experience. Circumstances may also change the style required. A democratic approach to problems on the flight deck is desirable as long as time is available and the democratic approach is directed to reaching the goal. But a more autocratic approach may be necessary in an emergency situation when there isn’t time for lengthy discussion. Finally, let’s look at goal-directed and person-directed styles. There are two main factors that characterise interactive style. The first concerns the achievement of the task—this is called goal-directed style, abbreviated as G. The second is concern to keep the team members happy—this is person-directed style, abbreviated as P. On a two-dimensional model, an individual may be classified as one of four combinations: P+ G-, P+ G+, P- G+, or P- G-. In general, G+ individuals will have a keen desire to complete the designated task, whilst G- individuals will care little for the job and will not exert themselves unduly. P+ persons will have a concern for the other team members and will consult them as needed. P- individuals couldn’t care less about other team members. So you have a simple grid: goal focus versus people focus, and each combination gives you a different interactive style on the flight deck.