Sage Journals: Discover world-class research

Abstract

Objective:

This study looked at the bright and dark-side personality profile of distressed and potentially derailing doctors (82% male). The derailing doctors were on average 48.75 years old, and from many specialities, in particular, general practice and surgery.

Method:

In all, a group of 77 derailing British doctors, and a control group of 357 doctors completed a valid multi-dimensional test of bright-side (normal) personality (NEO-PI-R) and one of dysfunctional interpersonal themes (sub-clinical personality disorders) (HDS: Hogan Development Survey).

Results:

Controlling for sex and age, the derailing doctors were more Neurotic (less resilient), and less Agreeable, Conscientious, Extraverted and Open-to- Experience. They were also more Excitable (Borderline), Sceptical (Paranoid), Cautious (Avoidant), Reserved (Schizoid), Leisurely (Passive Aggressive) and Bold (Narcissistic). Discriminant analysis showed age, Neuroticism, Extraversion, Leisurely and Excitable were, in that order, the greatest personality discriminators between those who did and did not derail.

Conclusion:

More research needs to be done on doctor derailment to inform the selection and training of doctors.

Keywords

Doctors derailment dark side distress personality

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Benson

M. J.

Campbell

J. P.

(2007). To be, or not to be, linear: An expanded representation of personality and its relationship to leadership performance. International Journal of Selection and Assessment, 15, 232–249.

Bisset

C. N.

McKee

Cawley

Tilling

Moug

S. J.

(2020). A systematic review of the abdominal surgeon’s personality: Exploring common traits in Western populations. Behavioral Sciences, 11(1), 2. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs11010002

Bogacheva

Kornilova

Pavlova

(2019). Relationships between medical doctors’ personality traits and their professional risk perception. Behavioral Sciences, 10, 6.

Costa

P. T.

McCrae

R. R.

(1992). Normal personality assessment in clinical practice: The NEO personality inventory. Psychological Assessment, 4, 5–13.

Cox

King

Hutchinson

McAvoy

(2006). Doctors’ performance. Radcliffe.

Davies

(2004). Prediction of transformational leadership by personality constructs for senior Australian organizational executive leaders [Unpublished dissertation]. Griffith University.

Furnham

(2008). Personality and intelligence at work. Routledge.

Furnham

(2018). Personality and occupational success. In Zeigler-Hill

Shackelford

T. K.

(Eds.), The SAGE handbook of personality and individual differences (pp. 537–551). SAGE.

Furnham

(2021). Professional identity and competence to practise in medicine. In Ellis

(Ed.), Professional identity: Meaning; measurement and mastery (pp. 120–137). Routledge.

10.

Furnham

(2022). The bright and dark side of personality: The relationship between personality traits and personality disorders. In Lusk

Hayes

(Eds.), The good, the bad, and the human dark side at work. SIOP.

11.

Furnham

Sherman

R. A.

(2021). Dark side personality and safety-related traits. Personality and Individual Differences, 171, 110510.

12.

Gerada

(2017). Doctors and mental health. Occupational Medicine, 67, 660–661.

13.

Hogan

(1997). Hogan development survey manual. Hogan Assessment Centres.

14.

Hogan

(2001). Assessing leadership: A view from the dark side. International Journal of Selection and Assessment, 9, 40–51.

15.

Hohaus

L. C.

Berah

E. F.

(1985). Impairment of doctors: Are beginning medical students psychologically vulnerable? Medical Education, 19, 431–436.

16.

Kay

Mitchell

Clavarino

Doust

(2008). Doctors as patients: A systematic review of doctors’ health access and the barriers they experience. British Journal of General Practice, 58, 501–598.

17.

Knights

J. A.

Kennedy

B. J.

(2006). Medical school selection: Screening for dysfunctional tendencies. Medical Education, 40, 1058–1064.

18.

Lovejoy

Nashef

(2018). Surgeons’ personalities and surgical outcomes. Bulletin of The Royal College of Surgeons of England, 100, 259–263.

19.

Miller

P. M.

Surtees

P. G.

(1991). Psychological symptoms and their course in first-year medical students as assessed by the Interval General Health Questionnaire (I–GHQ). The British Journal of Psychiatry, 159, 199–207.

20.

Myers

F. F.

Gabbard

G. O.

(2008). The physician as patient: A clinical handbook for mental health professionals. American Psychiatric Publishing Inc.

21.

Nei

Lusk

Metheny

(2017). Predicting physician executive performance. Hogan.

22.

Patterson

Knight

Dowell

Nicholson

Cousans

Cleland

(2016). How effective are selection methods in medical education? A systematic review. Medical Education, 50, 36–60.

23.

Pegrum

Pearce

(2015). A stressful job: Are surgeons psychopaths? Bulletin of The Royal College of Surgeons of England, 97, 331–334.

24.

Pendleton

Furnham

Cowell

(2021). Leadership: No more heroes. Palgrave McMillan.

25.

Weber

(2004). Poll results: Doctors’ disruptive behaviour disturbs physician leaders. Physician Executive, 30(5), 6–14. https://www.leadershipacademy.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/NHSLeadership-Leadership-Framework-Medical-Leadership-Competency-Framework-3rd-ed.pdf; https://www.leadershipacademy.nhs.uk/resourceshealthcare-leadership-model/structure-healthcare-leadership-model/

Doctors in distress: The personality profile of derailing doctors

Abstract

Objective:

Method:

Results:

Conclusion:

Keywords

Get full access to this article

References