Blood type, in vocational psychology dictionary

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Dictionary of Vocational Psychology

Blood Type

Does blood type affect vocational behavior? In some nations -- for example, Japan -- many people believe that blood type affects personality and vocational success, and people considering marriage might seek to determine compatibility based on blood type (Sabo & Watanabe, 1992; Sullivan, 1995/2000). In that sense, blood type seems to perform a similar function that astrological belief in the power of the Zodiac plays in the West, except that in Japan such views are taken much more seriously; according to Sullivan, "Japan has an obsession with blood types." In the United States, naturopathic medicine often places great store on blood type, and a recent popular treatment of the subject (D'Adamo & Whitney, 1996) described differences between individuals with different blood types in sweeping terms that included vocational differences. Although at first glance the claims that blood type affects vocational behavior may seem absurd, certainly many Japanese and some Americans believe it does, and the empirical evidence (especially the more recent evidence) is sufficiently mixed to give a skeptic pause. See essay on blood type and vocational behavior.

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