Particularly in more static cultural contexts, the effort of the established system (e.g., public schools) to force identities begins much earlier, in the primary grades. Here students are given empirically invalid "personality" tests and told what kind of career suits them best based upon those tests. It is a part of school curriculum. Economic and cultural biases are apparent in these evaluations.
Yes. How about the American (and other cultures?) practice of asking preschoolers what they want to be when they grow up? I wanted to be a crossing guard when I was in elementary school. And then an American historian. It took a while to get to becoming a psychologist.
And good rhetorical move to put "personality" in quotation marks. What is personality anyway? It's complex and depends on how you define it. Maybe a topic for a future newsletter...
Particularly in more static cultural contexts, the effort of the established system (e.g., public schools) to force identities begins much earlier, in the primary grades. Here students are given empirically invalid "personality" tests and told what kind of career suits them best based upon those tests. It is a part of school curriculum. Economic and cultural biases are apparent in these evaluations.
Yes. How about the American (and other cultures?) practice of asking preschoolers what they want to be when they grow up? I wanted to be a crossing guard when I was in elementary school. And then an American historian. It took a while to get to becoming a psychologist.
And good rhetorical move to put "personality" in quotation marks. What is personality anyway? It's complex and depends on how you define it. Maybe a topic for a future newsletter...