Djoegan, Merijn (2025) Personality Traits in Catharine Cox’s Biographical Analyses of Geniuses. Bachelor thesis, Psychology.
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Abstract
This thesis revisits and contextualizes Catharine Cox’s 1926 study, The Early Mental Traits of Three Hundred Geniuses, with particular focus on her conceptualization of personality traits and their role in shaping eminence. While Cox is often cited for her retrospective IQ estimates, her attention to personality, particularly the trait “persistence of motive,” has received less scholarly attention. By tracing the influence of key figures such as Woods, Webb, Allport, and Terman on Cox, this thesis situates Cox’s work within the intellectual landscape of the psychometric tradition. Through close textual analysis of selected biographies, it demonstrates how Cox viewed personality as a mediating factor between cognitive ability and environmental opportunity. A comparative analysis of her highest- and lowest-ranked eminent individuals reveals how “persistence of motive” helped distinguish those who are geniuses from those who are eminent. Additionally, the thesis contributes to broader conversations in psychology and the history of science by problematizing essentialist and decontextualized notions of genius. Keywords: Catherine Cox, Biographical Intelligence Testing, Personality Traits, Character, Historiometry
| Item Type: | Thesis (Bachelor) |
|---|---|
| Supervisor name: | Mulberger Rogele, A.C. |
| Degree programme: | Psychology |
| Differentiation route: | None [Bachelor Psychology] |
| Date Deposited: | 24 Jul 2025 09:06 |
| Last Modified: | 24 Jul 2025 09:06 |
| URI: | http://gmwpublic.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/5720 |
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