The evolution of ideas about the personality of a scientist: from the typology of "classicists and romantics" by W. Ostwald to the integrative model of G. Feist

The evolution of theoretical representations of a scientist's personality in the psychology of science is considered in the context of changing research programs—from biographical analysis (F. Galton, W. Ostwald) through the psychometric approach (R. Cattell) and motivation-activity models (A. Row, H. Selye) to modern integrative constructs (H. Feist). Special attention is given to the transformation of key categories: understanding the nature of scientific abilities, the role of environment and heredity, the relationship between the individual and society in the determination of scientific creativity, as well as the changing views on the structure of a scientist's personality—from simple typologies to multidimensional models that take into account cognitive, motivational, and socio-emotional components. The purpose of the study is to trace the development of views on the researcher's personality from the earliest biographical typologies to modern integrative models. The methodology of the research is a historical-psychological analysis and theoretical reconstruction of the main approaches to studying a scientist's personality, represented in the works of W. Ostwald, C.G. Jung, R. Cattell, A. Row, H. Selye, and H. Feist. The main results of the study show that W. Ostwald's typology laid the foundation for the differentiation of styles of scientific thinking and developed in the analytical psychology of C.G. Jung. It was revealed that R. Cattell's psychometric studies formed a statistically grounded profile of the "lonely" scientist, while H. Selye's motivation-activity approach emphasized the socio-communicative qualities of the researcher. It was established that H. Feist's integrative model unites cognitive, motivational, and socio-emotional characteristics into a single system, classifying them in terms of the "Big Five" model. The area of application of the results: the findings can be used in the development of training programs for young scientists, in industrial psychology, and in organizational psychology of scientific teams, as well as in further empirical studies of the personality of modern researchers. Conclusions: the evolution of concepts about a scientist's personality demonstrates a movement from descriptiveness to systematicity, with H. Feist's integrative model serving as the most complete theoretical foundation for contemporary research, allowing for the differentiation of invariant and historically variable characteristics of a scientist's personality.

Перевод пока недоступен