Em uma galáxia nem tão distante: a relação entre os interesses profissionais e a personalidade em nerds e geeks

Abstract

Although a wide range of studies encompass professional interests and their relationship to personality, little has been done on more specific subcultures and their influence on career guidance. For this reason, the present research sought to study the professional interests and personality of Brazilian nerds and geeks, based on Holland's typology and the Big Five. To this end, the present work was divided into three studies. The first study consisted of a scoping review, which investigated what career guidance has studied about the nerd/geek group. Searches were conducted in national and international databases in 2024. Articles from the 2000s to the date of the search, in English or Portuguese, and addressing some aspect of the career of the nerd/geek group were included. 14 articles were eligible, which indicated that research conducted with this audience focuses on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) careers, stereotypes, and sexism. Benefits were found in being a nerd/geek and pursuing STEM careers, as well as career difficulties for this group. The second study focused on adapting the Nerdy Personality Attributes Scale. Initially, the scale was translated by two independent translators, and the synthesis of the translations was done by the study's authors. A pilot study was then conducted with nine self-declared nerds/geeks, who evaluated the semantic comprehension, response system, and instructions of the scale. Items identified as redundant were reformulated. After the pilot study, the Escala de Atributos da Personalidade Nerd (EAPN), the Dark Triad Dirty Dozen, and a sociodemographic questionnaire were used in an online survey answered by 889 self-declared nerds/geeks, with an average age of 24.89 years, the majority being white (61.3%) and male (58%). The data were subjected to exploratory factor analysis, Pearson correlation, and a t-test. Based on these analyses, it was possible to verify the factorization of the scale into two factors. Furthermore, the EAPN was correlated with self-reported nerdiness and psychopathy. Analysis of mean differences pointed to the need for further studies with the gamer subgroup. Finally, the third study sought to understand the relationship between professional interests, personality, and being a member of nerd/geek culture. The instruments used were the EAPN, the 18-REST-2, and Reduced Markers for Personality Assessment, and the sample was the same as in the second study. Pearson's correlation, MANOVA, t-test, and chi-square tests were performed. The predominant interests of the group were found to be investigative, social, and conventional types. The predominant personality traits were agreeableness, conscientiousness, and openness. Significant and positive correlations were found between nerdiness, the investigative type, conventional type, extroversion, and neuroticism. The findings also indicate significant negative correlations between nerdiness, entrepreneurial type, social skills, agreeableness, and career satisfaction. Mean differences were found based on gender, and women and non-binary individuals reported a higher perception of prejudice within this group.