Case Study 33

Raymond Cattell
W alter is a 55-year-old minister of a conservative Southern Baptist church. His congregation is
small; fewer than 100 people attend his church, and most of those people are 50 years or older. He is
concerned that his church is not growing because younger people are not joining and is afraid that
with time it will actually die out.
Walter has always been religious, having been raised in a religious family. When he was a
teenager, he received a “calling,” which he describes as God telling him to become a minister. To fulfill
God’s will, Walter enrolled at a seminary but flunked out his first semester. He was not dismayed,
however, and believed that God was guiding him to the correct path to fulfill His will. Walter enrolled
in a bible school from which he subsequently graduated. After bible school, Walter was eventually
“called” to be interviewed at the small church that he now leads.
His choice of profession is an appropriate one because Walter has a handicap that would make
other, more physical types of work difficult. Walter was born with one leg shorter than the other, and
he limps quite dramatically. Walter believes that his church is just one of the many examples of God
providing for him. To supplement his income as a minister, Walter also sorts small packages for a
delivery service. He really does not worry too much about money because he has faith in God taking
care of his needs. Occasionally, he wishes for more material possessions, but Walter also knows that
he should not be concerned with such worldly goods. He struggles between worldly wants and
spiritual needs.
His congregation trusts and admires Walter. Walter is good at what he does and confident of
his abilities as a minister. He is a motivational speaker with a booming voice who delivers inspirational
sermons. He moves slowly and precisely because of his handicap, and these characteristics seem to
have permeated the rest of his personality. He is a cautious man—he had to be cautious in his
movements—and he thinks long and hard before making decisions.
His decisions, like his movements, are meticulously made. He carries himself with authority.
Walter tries to fulfill not only his spiritual needs but those of his family and his congregation
as well. He wonders what his responsibility is to others who are not part of his flock. He believes that
although other people attend church, they will not be able to enter heaven at the time of redemption
because they are members of the wrong church and do not have the correct beliefs. Should he tell them
this? Or should he concentrate on his own following?
He believes the end of the world will come soon. To him, the societal changes occurring are signs of
the forthcoming end. These changes are disturbing to him. He believes they are signs of immorality
and that God is most displeased with these changes.
Walter met his wife, Lillian, at the church that he heads. He was pleased that she agreed to
marry him. He thought that no one would want to marry him because of his handicap. Lillian was
religious, and conservative as well, so Walter and Lillian made a good match. Lillian was especially
pleased to serve God by becoming a minister’s wife and had no qualms about agreeing to be
submissive to her husband because the Bible indicated that it was the right thing to do. She certainly
was submissive to Walter. Walter was, without a doubt, the head of the family. Both Lillian and their
children obeyed anything he said. His every whim was granted—that is, until recently. With his
children grown and with children of their own, there has been some strife about such things as where
Sunday dinner would be held or at whose house Christmas should be celebrated. These events were
always held at Walter’s house, but now his children want them at their houses. As head of the
household, Walter
believes that there should be no discussion; they should be at his house. For Walter, this is yet another
example of the moral decay of society that indicates the coming of the Lord.

APPLICATION QUESTIONS
Using Cattell’s trait theory approach, describe Walter’s personality by answering the following
questions.
1. If one considers Walter’s attendance at seminary and bible school as attitudes (according to
Cattell’s definition), what would be some of the sems or sentiments that motivated those
behaviors? Explain.
2. What would be some of the ergs that motivated Walter’s choice of profession, according to
Cattell’s theory? Explain.
3. What would be some of the ergs that motivated Walter’s marriage and the formation of his
family, according to Cattell? Explain.
4. List some of Cattell’s 16 source traits that Walter might score high on. Which might he score
lower on? Explain.
5. Describe Walter’s temperament traits, according to Cattell’s trait approach.
6. Describe Walter’s ability traits, according to Cattell’s theory.