The role of personality, childhood traumatic experiences and perceived parental attitudes in students' choice of major in postgraduate psychology programs

This study aims to investigate the role of childhood traumatic experiences, perceived parental attitudes and personality traits in the major choices of students who prefer to pursue postgraduate psychology programs (clinical psychology programs /other psychology programs). Additionally, it was also aimed to explore other variables affecting students' major choices. For this purpose, a concurrent embedded mixed methods design was used. The quantitative part of the study included 89 participants from postgraduate psychology programs. The participants were given the Demographic Information Form, short version of the Big Five Inventory (BFI-10), the Egna Minnen Betraffande Uppfostran-Short Form (S-EMBU) and the short form of the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ-SF) respectively. In the qualitative part, the responses of 79 students studying in postgraduate psychology programs to an open ended question were analyzed by thematic analysis method. Quantitative research findings show that students studying in other non-clinical psychology programs are more likely to perceive high levels of overprotection and rejection in their mothers' attitudes and high levels of rejection in their fathers' attitudes. Also, this group is more likely to score higher on the emotional stability dimension of personality. Qualitative research findings also support the quantitative findings. The factors found to be influential on major preferences were grouped under eight main themes in clinical psychology programs and five main themes in other psychology programs. The results were discussed within the framework of the literature.