Philosophical worldview and personality factors in traditional and social scientists: studying the world in our own image

Abstract

Abstract The relationship between organismic vs mechanistic worldviews, scientific predilections, and personality in a sample of academics in the social and traditional sciences was investigated. The current study examined these relationships in light of recent personality theory—the Big Five trait taxonomy. Social scientists were found to be more organismically-oriented, while traditional scientists were more mechanistically-oriented. Females were more organismically-oriented; males, mechanistically-oriented. Worldview was significantly related to coherent sets of personality features. This is the first research evidence that has found a demonstrated link between personality and philosophical worldview factors and one’s broader scientific pursuit (traditional vs social science). The extension of this research to examine the development of philosophical worldview and personality, and some practical implications of differences in philosophical worldview in scientific life, are discussed.