Sergent X, A Study in Vocational Guidance
- Author:
Morris S. Viteles, Ph.D.,
Instructor in Psychology, University of Pennsylvania.
Late one afternoon in September one of the officers of the Training Section brought down and introduced to me Mr. X, former sergeant in the Chemical Warfare Service. Mr. X, dressed in the elaborate costume of the Knights Templar (it was the week of the convention in this city) appeared to be the very impersonation of good health and cheerfulness. His face, round and ruddy, bespoke a jovial personality; his bearing and conversation were those of the cultured, college trained man. During the early part of our conversation I looked upon him as a visitor interested in the work of the Board, and it was with surprise that I received the news that he was an applicant for the benefits of vocational training. Physically he seemed and proved to be in the best of condition. His condition was purely a mental one, as he put it, “loss of memory” following upon gassing. He had been gassed during the fall of 1918 but had felt no evil effects until the middle of the following January. His story, as he told it, as he had gleaned it from former companions-inarms and the chaplain of his regiment, was that he had suddenly suffered an entire loss of memory. He had forgotten his name, his home address, his rank, his duties?everything connected with his daily life. He had been removed to a Base Hospital, but of his life in this hospital he has no recollection even unto the present day. His first recollection is that of finding himself upon a ship, returning from somewhere, he could not remember from where. He recalled his name, possibly because he had found it inscribed in a little book in his pocket. Baggage he had none at all. There was present a shadowy flitting idea that there had been a war, that in some manner he had been connected with this war. Remembering only some vague reference to the Spanish-American War he took it for granted that he had had some association with this struggle. Of his trip across he remembers nothing more. Neither does he recall anything of the first few weeks he spent at Plattsburg. Gradually, however, at this convalescent hospital there came an appreciation of his condition?vague memories flitted like shadowy clouds across consciousness. Correspondence with his parents brought up old associations. With these came other associations until there was a slight basis for the redintegration in consciousness of his past life. 1 The material for this article was obtained during service as a Vocational Adviser with the Federal Board for Vocational Education. Acknowledgment is due to this organization for permission to publish it.
Following the realization that he had lost his memory, that something which he had possessed had gone from him, he undertook a systematic re-establishment of old associations. He sent to his home for all the letters which he had sent from France and reread these carefully. He reread all the letters which had been sent to him and which he had stored away. He wrote to the chaplain of his regiment, to his “Buddies” and from their letters reconstructed some of the experiences he had passed through “over there.” Before long he was discharged from Plattsburg and returned to his home to carry on more intensively the task of reconstruction which he had set himself. The method I have outlined was entirely his own?one evolved by the use of the intelligence with which he was so evidently gifted. Within a short time he felt in a condition to resume the job he had left to enter the army. His progress and his condition at the present time, including the reasons which had moved the Training Office and the medical officer to refer him to the psychologist of the office, can best be brought out by a r?sum6 of the case as it is presented in the case record.
The first report upon the case, received from a physician in May, gives a diagnosis of: “Gassed, which results in impaired memory. Cannot tell if memory will improve as it was formerly.” A r6sum6 of the Vocational Survey made during the same month gives the following facts: Mr. X was a sergeant in the Chemical Warfare Service. He is now thirty-two years of age. His educational history includes the first three years of the course in chemical engineering in Lehigh University, the reason given for leaving at the end of this period being an eye condition. In addition he has had a three-months’ course in bookkeeping. His disability is again given as an “impaired memory,” the nature of the permanent disability being uncertain, with a recommendation “that a thorough mental examination be made as his condition appears to be somewhat unusual and may require special treatment.” His occupation before entering the service was that of chemist in a glue factory. His preference for a future vocation is a continuation of the same work in an executive position. In a memorandum is the note, “good appearance and intelligent except for impaired memory. Appears capable of doing high grade work.” The training recommended by the vocational adviser is a course in the Alexander Hamilton Institute to prepare him for an executive position in the glue industry. A note, however, raises the question of the advisability of training. “An examination,” it states, “may show that he will need special training to remedy the condition of his memory.”
The blank devoted to “an inquiry concerning the soldier” bears the same information with additional data on the soldier’s vocational experience, which indicates six months spent in a machine shop and some time devoted to clerical work in the accounting department of the glue concern in which he was employed as a chemist. His army experience included such varied occupations as company clerk, Bn. commissary sergeant, supply sergeant, Bn. Hdqrs. mess sergeant. Additional light is thrown on the case by a report sent in by the Red Cross in May stating that “before going into the service he had three years in college specializing in chemical engineering.” “As a result of being severely gassed,” the report states, “he has suffered a complete loss of memory and is only gradually regaining this faculty. He remembers only the rudiments of his work, but he is most anxious to be trained in some kind of laboratory work… . He is of a happy disposition and is helping himself in every way possible, but he seems to be in need of some kind of definite training as soon as possible.”
In the meantime, while the status of his case was being investigated and action delayed at his suggestion Sgt. X had returned to his position as chemist in the glue factory. In July an examination was made by a psychiatrist and following is a report of his examination: Patient is a well-nourished adult, white male, thirty-one years old, single, by occupation a chemist.
Previous Personal History.?Scarlet fever; mumps; whooping cough; measles during childhood.
Chief Complaint.?Loss of memory?general information. Loss of strength. Easy exhaustion.
Present Condition.?Gives following information that has been built up by himself through letters that he has written home, papers in his pockets, and men in his regiment to whom he has been talking since his return home. Gassed April and September, 1918. On last occasion discharged after five days in hospital. Three months later he was still feeling bad effects, frequent headaches and lack of endurance. Memory failed in January, 1919. Discharged April, 1919. Mental Examination.?Improved. Memory for recent events improving, but he cannot concentrate very well. Things outside routine laboratory work are very hazy to him. Finds it hard to retain anything. He tires easily both physically and mentally. Neurological Examination.?Left pupil irregular. Right 0. K. Tremor tongue. (Had accident to eye at age of ten.) Diagnosis.?Amnesia-Hysterical.
SERGEANT X. 39 Disability?25%. Note (District Medical Officer).?”Training must be tentative and free from strain.”
It will be noted that the medical examiner, a psychiatrist, gives a diagnosis but no rating on a trainability scale?no answer to the all-important question whether it would be feasible to attempt to train this applicant for a new vocation at this time.
Late in August, in reply to a letter from the District Vocational Officer making inquiry as to his condition, the following statement was received from Sgt. X: “There has been a slight improvement in my condition, as I am gradually getting accustomed to my old work, although it has been necessary to practically relearn all of it. At the present time I am about 75% what I was before enlisting. I was able to take my former position because our superintendent had held the same position at one time, there was another executive here who was familiar with this line of work, and both of these men helped me out when necessary, so this has given me three months of good practical training. I now have the routine work going satisfactorily but still have some difficulty with the special and extra jobs which turn up from time to time.
“Another difficulty is that I tire very readily and naturally that holds me back somewhat, but lately I have started treatments similar to those received at the hospital in Plattsburg arid so far they seem to be helping.
“My principal work is testing glues, and that combined with five years’ experience gave the V. A. the idea of training for an executive position, but in thinking over the proposition the technical end appeals more to me?something along the line of efficiency expert in the line of adhesives.”
It was in September that Sgt. X appeared in my office. He had encountered certain difficulties in carrying on his work and had deemed it wise to consult with the Board on the advisability of taking advantage of the training which was open to him. He experienced little difficulty in performing the actual work required in the testing process. After he had started, as he put it, the job carried itself on automatically, but in the calculation of formulas which the nature of the task demanded he experienced great difficulty. There was an insufficiency of recall which made him an inefficient worker, unable to compete on equal terms with others doing the same work. Referred to the Training Section he presented a problem which demanded immediate solution before any adequate action could be taken on the case or before any plans for training could be developed.
The question put to the district medical officcr by the Training Office was one which concerned the capability of Sgt. X to profit by training. “Is his condition such,” they asked, “that any kind of training at the present time will be energy wasted?” It must be remembered, moreover, that training from the point of view of the Federal Board for Vocational Education was training that was not primarily therapeutic in value but training which would lead to the employment of the individual in some specific vocation?which would result in improved vocational efficiency. The report of the psychiatrist on the examination of Sgt. X provided merely a medical diagnosis, and no prognosis on trainability. The note by the district medical officer that “training must be tentative and free from strain” did not answer the question asked by the Training Office. The medical officer realized this condition and turned the case over to the author of this report for a psychological examination; for a recommendation on the advisability of training the applicant for the position of chemical engineer, the completion of the technical course to insure vocational efficiency?a course which had been decided upon as a result of a conference with the applicant. In the psychological examination my aim was merely to sound the subject’s trainability, to determine whether his memory was in such a condition that the return of old associations could be expected, and whether new associations could be established with the probability that there would be a retention of such associations. A preliminary talk revealed the fact that a Wassermann test had proven to be negative, so that progressive degeneration on the score of paresis was not to be expected. The subject gave me a detailed account of his method of building up the memory?the perusal of old letters, communication with his friends, etc., as I have indicated above. At times, in the narration of some incident there would be a slight hesitation and the strain of recall could almost be sensed. Sgt. X cited several amusing instances which the difficulty of recall had produced at various times, not the least amusing of which was his account of an attempt to recall a song made only for the ears of doughboys in the presence of a young lady. During the process of recalling the words he had no idea of the character of the song or the nature of the words. He was given to understand what was the character of the tests which were to be given to him and the reason for testing him. With an attempt to employ positive suggestion of a nature which is so valuable in the treatment of hysteria of any kind we passed into the actual examination. His auditory vocal memory span proved to be seven with eight on ten repetitions. The visual memory span was also seven with eight on eight repetitions. The initial performance on the Dearborn Formboard took 157 seconds, with a decrease in the time for the completion of the test to thirtytwo seconds in the fourth trial. The rate of improvement was steady. The solution of the problem was an intelligent one. With the Witmer Cylinders the approach to the solution also revealed a high level of intelligence and he showed the same steady improvement in succeeding trials. With the Taylor Number Test he reached number seven on the first trial and number twenty-four on the tenth trial. The rate of improvement was not, however, steady, the fluctuations in the order of trials being as follows: 7, 12, 14, 8, 17, 12, 15, 19, 18, 24. It can be readily seen, however, that there is sufficient retainability to warrant the pursuance of vocational training. The results with the longer series of numbers (one more than the memory span) and further experimentation with educational material revealed the fact that the auditory and visual memory were more impaired than the kinesthetic. This was borne out by statements of the subject to the effect that when he returned to his job he found no trouble in picking up the method of doing his work?that when he started, the job automatically finished itself. To retain the formula for the chemical operation was a more difficult task. To establish the associations more repetitions were needed than before the loss of memory, but once established the associations were generally retained. In my opinion there is no doubt that the auditory and visual memory are adequate to warrant training, although a greater number of repetitions and more intense stimulation, will certainly be needed to insure retention than would have been needed before the attack of amnesia. I took care to inform Sgt. X of my findings, because of the therapeutic value of bolstering up faith and of suggestion in hysterical amnesia. On the basis of my findings the following report was made to the Training Office:
“Mr. X was examined by me at the Psychological Clinic of the University of Pennsylvania on September 10, 1919. In my opinion it would be advisable for him to enter training at the present time. Such training will doubtless lead to improved vocational efficiency. Whatever training is given him along educational lines should be immediately reinforced by practical application. The kinesthetic memory seems to be the least impaired, so as far as possible there should be established associations of educational material in other sense realms with kinesthetic sensation and memory.
“The prognosis is good. Mr. X possesses a high degree of intelligence which will enable him to meet situations if his memory does not respond immediately. With the course of treatment suggested to him during our conversation complete redintegration can be looked forward to.”
42 THE PSYCHOLOGICAL CLINIC. On the basis of this report the following recommendation for training was made and approved: Character?Chemical engineering. Place?Carnegie Institute of Technology. Duration?Two years. Relation of man’s disability to occupation? (A) Vocational handicap?Impaired memory has proved a serious handicap in his former occupation as laboratory man. After a trial of five months he finds he cannot carry on. (B) In what way will the proposed training enable the man to overcome his vocational handicap?
The training will first cover such review work as is necessary to get him to the point at which he was before the loss of memory occurred. This will be followed by advanced courses to complete his course for graduation as a chemical engineer. He has already completed three years of this course at Lehigh University.”
This recommendation was approved. In the opinion of the examiner, the applicant is well equipped to carry on this work and with a little application he will successfully complete the course outlined for him.
The problem presented by this case was one of vocational and educational guidance. In practical guidance of this kind, at least four factors must be taken into consideration. These are as follows: 1. Health, or physical condition of the subject. In the guidance of disabled soldiers this factor attains greater importance than in the guidance of children, the chief reason for guidance of the former being physical disability.
2. Desire. The interests of the individual must be taken into consideration in practical guidance. As with health, the interests and desires attain greater importance in the counseling of disabled soldiers than in the guidance of children. As a result of education and experience, the desires of these adults have taken on a more definite trend and greater force than have the desires of young children.
3. Economic and Social Factors. Certain kinds of training and vocational objectives which, from the point of view of other considerations in guidance, may seem desirable cannot be considered by reason of the economic status of the subject’s family, the relatively low remuneration from the occupation and certain other economic and social factors which must be properly weighted in guidance. These do not assume great importance in the guidance of disabled soldiers, because the cost of training and maintenance is provided by the Government.
4. Competency. The most essential factor in guidance is the capacity of the individual to learn and to become proficient in the occupation which he is being advised to enter. At least four elements must be considered in predicting job competency?native ability, education, experience, and temperament or personality. It is not difficult to ascertain the education and experience of the individual, but it is in the determination of his native ability and temperament that the greatest difficulty is being encountered. It is still largely the custom in guidance to make a judgment on the existence of these abilities by the method of haphazard observation, in the same manner that industry haphazardly decides whether certain applicants for jobs are suitable candidates for these jobs. For this method of haphazard observation in vocational guidance must be substituted a more scientific determination of the general competency and the specific abilities of the subject. The psychological test is the instrument for such scientific determination, and the qualitative analysis of competency into its component specific abilities is the method of such determination.
My purpose in presenting this case is to illustrate the modus operandi of such a scientific analysis of the competency of subjects in practical vocational guidance. It is recognized that in this method there are many weaknesses and that there is much still to be done in the analysis of qualifications required by jobs and in providing a more complete analysis of the abilities of human beings. In the analysis of temperamental factors, moreover, we are still at the beginning of things. But already there is at the disposal of the psychologist material and a method for making an analysis of competency more exact than that produced by the method of haphazard observation such as is often used of the vocational adviser and medical man. Although a comparatively new development, the use of the material and method of the clinical psychologist will result in a more certain prediction of vocational success than that given by the haphazard method.
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