Roger Birkman facts for kids

Roger Winfred Birkman (born February 1, 1919 – died March 26, 2014) was an American psychologist. He helped people understand themselves better at work. He created something called The Birkman Method. This method helps people find jobs they like. It also helps them work well with others. Roger Birkman earned his Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Texas at Austin. He also started a company called Birkman International, Inc.

Roger Birkman's Life and Work

Roger Birkman started studying psychology at the University of Houston. Then, he joined the United States Army Air Corps. He became a pilot for a B-17 bomber plane. This was during World War II.

While serving, he noticed something important. How people saw each other really mattered. If his crew members misunderstood each other, it affected their work. This made him want to learn more about how people think and act. He wanted to understand why people are different. This led him to study social psychology.

Creating The Birkman Method

In the late 1940s, Roger Birkman began working on his own method. He worked with scientists at the University of Houston. They were looking at ways to choose pilots for the Air Force. Birkman wanted to create one tool. This tool would measure many things. It would look at how people see themselves. It would also look at what they expect from others. It would even look at what jobs they might like.

By 1951, he had his first version ready. He called it the "Test of Social Comprehension." It was a survey where people answered questions about themselves. They also answered questions about their social life and job interests. He made sure the results were accurate. He compared what people said about themselves to what others said about them.

The final version of The Birkman Method was part of his 1961 doctoral paper. His ideas were similar to those of another psychologist, Kurt Lewin.

Books and Memberships

Roger Birkman wrote two books. One was called True Colors (1995). The other was A Man of Understanding (2002). He was a licensed psychologist in Texas. He was also a member of several important psychology groups. These included the American Psychological Association.

Roger Birkman passed away peacefully on March 26, 2014. He was 95 years old.

What is The Birkman Method?

The Birkman Method is an online tool. It helps people learn about their personality. It also helps them understand how they see others. It shows what kinds of jobs they might enjoy.

The method uses different scales to measure things.

• It has 10 scales for job preferences (Interests).
• It has 11 scales for helpful behaviors (Usual behaviors).
• It has 11 scales for what people expect from others (Needs or Expectations).
• It also looks at behaviors that are not helpful (Stress behaviors). These happen when expectations are not met.

The Birkman Method also connects to many job types. It links to over 200 job titles. These are grouped into 22 job families. They are all connected to O*NET, a big online database of jobs.

How The Birkman Method Helps

The Birkman Method helps people understand what makes them act the way they do. The goal is to give people more choices. It also helps them take more responsibility for their actions.

It tries to measure:

• How people behave in social situations.
• What people expect from others and from tasks.
• How people might react when their expectations are not met.
• What jobs people prefer.
• What strengths people have in a team or company.

Scientists have studied The Birkman Method. They have found it to be reliable and accurate. There are three different types of Birkman assessments available.

See also

• Barnum effect
• Donald O. Clifton
• Myers–Briggs Type Indicator
• Type theory