Personality traits of dental students at the FES Iztacala, National University of Mexico (UNAM)

Resumen

Targeting the description of personality characteristics of dental students at the FES Iztacala a 16 PF questionnaire was applied to a 345 student sample. In the norm, it was found that students exhibited expected scholastic intellectual capacity in order to successfully fulfill their studies. Students showed they could appropriately related and be sociable with others, they were acceptably trusting of other people, were flexible in their behavior,were affirmative without being domineering and presented appropriate self-sufficiency to make their own decisions. As part of their positive characteristics, students proved to be objective and practical, conservative and respectful of established norms as well as able to tolerate hard or routine work load. Nevertheless, they were also careless and inconstant, and exhibited little self-control. From the second year onwards, male and female students exhibited anxiety. During the two intermediate career years, males were emotionally unstable and immature. Results were examined under the perspective of characteristics which might be changed to improve this profession as well as the strengthening of those characteristics which might allow students to efficiently fulfill their profession and thus derive benefits for themselves as well as their patients.