Professional Writers, Personality Types, & Genre Choice
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Authors
Darnell, Kimberly-Anne M.
Issue Date
2011
Type
Thesis
Language
en_US
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Abstract
The major question of interest in this study is, Are there associations between
professional writers’ personality types and the genres in which they write? Accordingly,
data were collected via interviews with and surveys of professional writers. In Phase I of
the research study, three face-to-face interviews with writers representative of different
genres were conducted. Information from these interviews widened the number of
participants for Phase II, in which an online survey asking for self-reported personality
types and professional genres was extended to many more writers via an emailed web
link.
Once all survey results were in, Fisher’s Exact Test was performed to assess the
statistical relevance of the data. The results of this study suggest that writers of different
genres may differ significantly on the personality index of judging-perceiving, with poets
tending to identify with a perceiving style while fiction, nonfiction, and academic writers
tend to identify with a judging style. This finding seems to echo the notions put forth in
the interviews as well, that poets are perceived as especially unique from other writers.
Follow-up research is encouraged to verify this tendency, as this was a limited pilot
study. This knowledge may be useful for professional writers, aspiring writers, and
teachers of writing in vocational, pedagogical, and personal capacities.
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In Copyright(All Rights Reserved)