Personality: A Predictor of Theoretical Orientation of Students Enrolled in a Counseling Theories Course

Selecting a single psychotherapeutic orientation can be a challenge for counselor education students. The authors examined the relationship between counseling theory selection and personality variables of students enrolled in a counseling theories course. A discriminant function analysis was used to identify the personality traits that would determine theoretical orientation choice. No statistically significant results were found. Results indicated that students showed no personality-based preference of theory. Additionally, no significant differences were found on selected subscales of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (I. B. Myers, M. H. McCaulley, N. L. Quenk, & A. L. Hammer, 1998) and the SelfDirected Search (J. L. Holland, B. A. Fritzsche, & A. B. Powell, 1996; J. L. Holland, A. B. Powell, & B. A. Fritzsche, 1994).