Analyzing Character: The New Science of Judging Men By Katherine M.H. Blackford, M.D. and Arthur Newcomb

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 “Analyzing Character, by Katherine M. H. Blackford and Arthur Newcomb” argues for the utility of character analysis by the observational method as a practical science for vocational guidance and personnel management. The authors assert that success in various fields, from industry to politics, depends on the ability to select and understand people, referencing historical and contemporary figures as examples. A significant portion addresses the problem of vocational misfits, detailing causes such as parental bad judgment, social ambition, laziness, and physical unsuitability, and suggests that physical characteristics like size, bone structure, and even texture correlate with mental aptitudes and disposition. The text also explores the practical application of this analysis in areas like persuasion, executive selection, and the establishment of employment departments, advocating for a scientific approach over guesswork in managing human resources.

Who May Benefit from the Book

• Employers and Executives (for scientific employee selection and management).
• Individuals seeking vocational guidance or self-development.
• Employees desiring career advancement and better relationships with superiors.
• Parents, teachers, and social workers (for guiding the young).
• Students of Human Nature (for mastering character analysis principles).

Top 3 Key Insights

1. Scientific character analysis links observable physical traits (like color or form) to mental and moral characteristics, allowing prediction of aptitude for efficiency.
2. The vast majority of people are vocational misfits due to ignorance of self and job requirements, leading to chronic inefficiency and personal unhappiness.
3. Success in life hinges on the power of persuasion, which requires accurate knowledge of an individual’s specific motives and psychological responsiveness.

4 More Lessons and Takeaways

1. The enormous financial and organizational costs associated with employee turnover underscore the critical need for specialized, objective employment departments.
2. Misfits persist not just from external barriers, but often from internal deficiencies such as laziness, lack of courage, or deficient self-confidence.
3. Leadership positions require inherent executive aptitude; selection based purely on superficial charm or technical skill without balanced judgment often results in organizational failure.
4. Achievement in any field demands industry and perseverance; true genius is characterized largely by an “infinite capacity for taking pains” and hard drudgery.

The Book in 1 Sentence

Analyzing Character presents a scientific, observational method for judging human traits to optimize vocational selection and enhance efficiency in all life endeavors.

The Book Summary in 1 Minute

Analyzing Character argues that modern life is plagued by vocational misfits, stemming from widespread ignorance of self and job requirements, resulting in inefficiency estimated at 65 to 75 percent. To remedy this, the book introduces a scientific method of character analysis based on observing nine fundamental variables in an individual’s physical characteristics, such as color and form, which correspond to mental traits and aptitudes. This knowledge should be applied across three domains: vocational guidance, ensuring youths are properly trained; employee selection, creating scientific employment departments to match the man to the job; and persuasion, enhancing success by tailoring appeals to the unique desires and motives of others. Ultimately, self-knowledge and courage combined with scientific placement are the keys to achievement, happiness, and organizational success.

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Chapter-wise Book Summary

INTRODUCTION

“Self-knowledge is the first step to self-development.”

The Introduction establishes the premise that the ability to “pick the right men” is the hallmark of great leaders throughout history, such as Pericles and Andrew Carnegie. However, relying on rare “geniuses” in selection is inefficient; humanity needs a universal, scientific method for judging men. The widespread problem of vocational misfits results in undeveloped potential and self-expression being “smothered in uncongenial toil,” wasting human talent. The authors propose that intelligent, scientific self-study is the key to self-knowledge, enabling individuals to find the fullest expression for their intellect and spirit, thus eliminating the need for an external “discoverer”. The development of a uniform, scientific method of human analysis, if widely adopted, could rapidly lead to a science approaching exactitude, yielding huge increases in efficiency. The book intends to apply this Observational Method to vocational guidance, employee selection, and persuasion.

Chapter Key Points

• Scientific methods must replace guesswork in judging men and ability.
• Self-knowledge through scientific self-study is fundamental to self-development.
• Vocational misfits cause massive societal waste and individual unhappiness.

PART ONE—ANALYZING CHARACTER IN VOCATIONAL GUIDANCE

CHAPTER I: CAUSES OF MISFITS

“Blessed is the man who has found his work.”

This chapter explores the reasons why people fail to find their right vocation. The two fundamental deficiencies are ignorance (of self and of work requirements) and purposelessness (a tendency to drift, expecting ingenious resourcefulness to solve problems later). Other causes are manifold: immature judgment on the part of the youth; parental prejudices overriding actual talent; narrow experience or erroneous ideas held by teachers; economic necessity forcing quick, wrong choices; restlessness leading capable young people to skip necessary education; assumed mediocrity or unknown talents; and a socially motivated desire to become a “white collar man” instead of pursuing honest manual trades. Mental laziness is a potent cause of failure, preventing individuals from undergoing the “hard mental effort” and training required for a career change. Finally, deficient self-confidence, lack of courage, and lack of ambition prevent many from utilizing their best talents or attempting high achievement. The result of all these factors is that the average man is only about twenty-five per cent efficient.

Chapter Key Points

• Ignorance (of self/work) and lack of definite purpose cause most misfits.
• Restlessness, laziness, and social vanity hinder proper preparation and job changes.
• Deficient confidence and courage prevent men from pursuing vocations matching their abilities.

CHAPTER II: ELEMENTS OF FITNESS

“Honesty is a complex virtue.”

To achieve vocational fitness, three elements must align: the man, the work, and the environment. Since absolute standards for measuring human qualities do not exist, analysis must be relative to the standards set by the job. The work requirements are broadly classified into physical, moral, intellectual, emotional, and volitional needs. Intellectual requirements determine fitness for theoretical work (philosophers, dreamers, concerned with ideals) or practical work (matter-of-fact, dealing keenly with facts and material universe). Emotional requirements vary widely, demanding different levels of courage, sympathy, justice, and loyalty. Honesty is complex, involving knowledge of right, sound sense of justice, courage, will-power, and sufficient earning power. Crucial personal elements for self-analysis include health, character (e.g., honesty, steadfastness), intelligence (e.g., judgment, memory), disposition to industry (e.g., energy, perseverance), natural aptitudes, and experience/training. The chapter provides inspirational examples, such as Booker T. Washington, demonstrating that determination can overcome lack of early education and training.

Chapter Key Points

• Fitness is a composite of the individual, the work’s requirements, and the environment.
• Intellects divide into theoretical (abstract) versus practical (fact-based) thinkers.
• Courage is vital, especially for roles requiring initiative and competition.

CHAPTER III: CLASSES OF MISFITS

“Broadly speaking, the personal equation is that Something in a man that makes him effective in managing other men.”

This chapter classifies misfits based on physical and temperamental traits mismatched with work demands. The first class includes the physically frail who lack the endurance for manual labor but are uneducated for intellectual work. They often suffer poverty or turn to petty, non-courageous crimes. The second is the fat man, who is naturally suited for executive work, finance, and judicial roles due to a predisposition against physical effort; if untrained, they may turn to white-collar crimes like confidence scams. The third class includes those who become executive misfits, promoted without the inherent aptitudes necessary to inspire, manage, or command men. There are two successful types of executives: the impatient, driving type, and the mild, persuasive type, each succeeding with different subordinates. Other misfits include those who become slaves to machinery due to restlessness and lack of education, and the impractical who pursue commerce or art without the requisite ability, focusing on inspiration over drudgery. Finally, detail workers forced into general management and generalists trapped in tedious details both become misfits.

Chapter Key Points

• Physical misfits include the frail (unsuited for labor) and the fat (suited for executive roles).
• Executive ability relies on inherent aptitude and proper training, not just promotion.
• Mismatched capacity for detail (generalist vs. detail worker) causes widespread failure.

CHAPTER IV: THE PHYSICALLY FRAIL

“The almost universal cry for leisure is due to the almost universal unfitness of men and women for their tasks.”

The physically frail individual sacrifices physical vitality and endurance to nourish a highly developed brain and nervous system. This type has a relatively large, top-heavy head and delicate features. Because they dislike and are unskilled at manual labor, they are misfits if uneducated, often leading lives of hardship or crime, as exemplified by “Mr. L.”. Properly trained, they excel in intellectual work—as teachers, lawyers, writers, inventors, or high-class clerical workers. Examples like Elias Howe (sewing machine inventor) and Jacob Riis (journalist) show how individuals of this fragile type triumphed by focusing their mechanical or social interests on intellectual and creative expression rather than physical labor. The key lesson is that this type must always seek work where success depends on mental, not physical, effort, and they should obtain a broad and complete education.

Chapter Key Points

• The frail type possesses high mental energy at the expense of physical strength.
• Intellectual vocations (invention, law, writing) are best suited for this type.
• Education is paramount; without it, they are vulnerable to poverty and failure in manual labor.

CHAPTER V: THE FAT MAN

“Fat men are, therefore, doing neither the actual intellectual nor the actual physical work of the world.”

The fat man is often the butt of jokes, but is born to rule and enjoy the good things in life, having keen senses of taste and discrimination. He is naturally predisposed to be physically lazy and is unsuited for strenuous physical exercise. Historically, the fat man learned to organize thinkers (lean, ascetic scholars) and workers (muscular soldiers) to take the product of their labors, serving as the organizer and financier. Fat men dominate executive positions, finance (e.g., Wall Street), merchandising, and judicial roles. They provide valuable services by raising capital and bringing intellectual ideas to market. They are often calm, impartial, and judicial, qualities lacking in nervous thinkers and restless workers. Individuals of slender build showing indications of approaching stoutness (round face, full lips, thick neck) should prepare for executive, financial, or judicial work.

Chapter Key Points

• The fat man is naturally physically lazy and seeks enjoyment and luxury.
• This type excels as an executive, financier, judge, or merchant.
• They serve a necessary function by organizing capital and managing human assets.

CHAPTER VI: THE MAN OF BONE AND MUSCLE

“The man who discovers a way to make a hundred bushels of wheat grow on an acre of land where only twenty-five bushels grew before is as great a benefactor of the race as the discoverer of a continent.”

This type is characterized by action, energy, and physical endurance, responsible for the great historical feats of pioneering, construction, and manufacturing. They have successfully developed their brains through manual skill, but when they give up physical activity entirely for sedentary mental work, they suffer from muscular and nervous ache. For this man, exercise for its own sake feels stupid; he needs purposeful, useful physical work. Those forced into unhealthy urban office jobs need to find a “way out,” such as meaningful physical labor combined with mental application in fields like agriculture, construction, or global trade representation. The world’s greatest opportunities now lie in pioneering production—making existing resources yield more—a role ideally suited to the active, intelligent, and energetic man of bone and muscle.

Chapter Key Points

• The muscular type is naturally active, enduring, and skilled in physical tasks.
• Sedentary jobs cause mental and physical suffering for this type.
• Their greatest opportunities lie in pioneering production, construction, and intensive agriculture.

CHAPTER VII: SLAVES OF MACHINERY

“The workingman has been taught that his chief asset is skill… But the machine now attacks and displaces this skill.”

Thousands of energetic, capable young people with a “passion for machinery” leave school early, drawn by quick wages, only to become “slaves to machinery” in monotonous, specialized manual labor. The machine strips the worker of his skill, aesthetic pleasure in his product, and industrial initiative, leading to a loss of the “dignity of labor”. These young men, though ambitious, reach a ceiling in salary and responsibility because they lack the necessary technical and scientific knowledge to become masters of the machines, rather than operators. The success story of D.B., who overcame immense financial hardship and the prejudice against correspondence courses to become a highly valuable electrical engineer, illustrates that the remedy is to acquire the education needed to use one’s head, not just one’s hands.

Chapter Key Points

• Early entry into factory work often leaves workers trapped as machine slaves.
• The machine displaces traditional skill and mental initiative.
• Technical education is crucial to transforming mechanical aptitude into professional mastery.

CHAPTER VIII: THE IMPRACTICAL MAN

“The impractical man’s form of reasoning, starting at the same place, soars into the air, dips and sweeps in magnificent and inspiring curves and finally sets him down at whatever destination seems most desirable to him.”

The impractical man, often a high-achieving scholar, is adept at theories, philosophy, and abstractions, but is helpless in practical and commercial affairs due to deficient observation and flawed judgment. They are hypercritical, idealistic, and easily discouraged when reality fails to meet their high expectations. This type typically fails in sales or business ventures, losing assets through incompetence rather than malice. Their ideal vocations include roles as critics, writers, musicians, or teachers, where they deal with ideas, emotions, and abstractions. The impractical man must recognize his limitations; he should work under direction of someone shrewd and practical. While he may never gain keen financial sense, he must study business, actively manage his affairs, and learn practical perspective to mitigate his inherent lack of judgment.

Chapter Key Points

• Impracticality stems from intellectual bias toward theory and deficient powers of observation.
• This type succeeds in literary, artistic, or critical vocations, dealing with ideas and emotions.
• Impractical individuals must seek guidance and cultivate practical judgment to avoid financial failure.

CHAPTER IX: HUNGRY FOR FAME

“Yet every great writer, every great musician, every great actor, every great author, knows that there is no fame, there is no possibility of success, except through the most prolonged and painstaking drudgery.”

Many misfits flock to art, literature, and the stage because they are “hungry for fame,” not driven by a genuine passion for creation. They are deluded that success depends on inspiration, ignoring the necessity of “infinite capacity for taking pains” and drudgery required for perfection. The life of Richard Mansfield illustrates this point, showing how he starved and struggled, dedicating himself to minute detail and research for his roles. The person of true genius is often an abnormality, but they possess a powerful capacity for almost infinite drudgery in their chosen field. Vocational counselors face the challenging task of urging on those with the divine spark while turning away the mentally lazy who confuse admiration of beauty with creative ability.

Chapter Key Points

• Misfits often seek fame in artistic fields without possessing true creative passion.
• Success in art, literature, and music requires relentless, painstaking drudgery.
• A candidate for an artistic vocation must first assay themselves for willingness to work endlessly.

CHAPTER X: WASTE OF TALENT IN THE PROFESSIONS

“The question of vocation is thus, all too often, decided by the incident of education and not according to natural aptitudes.”

The educational system, geared toward college, directs too many students toward the already overcrowded learned professions (law, medicine, ministry, engineering), often fueled by the social pride associated with avoiding manual labor (the “white collar man”). The resulting lack of fulfillment leads even “successful” professionals to feel they wasted their potential in uncongenial work. Success in the professions demands specific, marked characteristics: medicine requires a scientific mind, courage, and patience with difficult people; law requires a “combination of fox and lion,” involving shrewdness, combativeness, and strong social qualities; engineering generally requires a practical, scientific mind, medium coloring, and a bony/muscular build that enjoys construction and mechanics. Unless aspirants are markedly well qualified to outdistance the mediocre competition, they should choose alternative vocations like commerce or manufacture.

Chapter Key Points

• Traditional education and social stigma lead to overcrowding in learned professions.
• Professional success demands specific natural aptitudes (e.g., courage, social skills, practical judgment).
• Individuals should avoid professions unless they are certain they are qualified for unusual success.

CHAPTER XI: WOMEN’S WORK

“The whole problem of household management is just now a very serious one.”

Women are successfully engaged in practically every field of human endeavor, often balancing careers with marriage and motherhood. Education should focus on the natural aptitude for home-making and child-rearing. The true teacher requires three fundamental qualities: love of knowledge, desire to impart it, and love of young people. A significant economic and social problem is the number of girls unsuited for office work who would be financially better off in domestic service. The high cost of living is exacerbated by ignorance and inefficiency in household management, particularly poor cooking, which depresses the physical stamina and mental efficiency of family members. An influx of intelligent, educated women into domestic service would be an economic benefit, though this requires social reform.

Chapter Key Points

• Women succeed across all vocations, but home-making education is often neglected.
• The inefficiency of household management contributes to low personal efficiency in many men and women.
• Domestic service offers better monetary value for many girls who struggle in office work.

CHAPTER XII: SPECIAL FORMS OF UNFITNESS

“Finding one’s true vocation in life means, not finding an easy way to success, but finding an opportunity to work and work hard at something interesting, something you can do well, and something in which your highest and best talents will find an opportunity for their fullest expression.”

This chapter addresses the misplacement of highly specialized aptitudes. Tragedy results when the detail worker (who loves minute accuracy) attempts to lead, becoming bogged down by trivial burdens, or when a generalist (who outlines large plans) is forced into a “wearying round of monotonous details”. Roles must be matched precisely to cognitive speed: practical, alert types thrive in fast-paced work requiring quick decision; thoughtful, philosophical types require lines requiring slow, careful reasoning. Finally, social qualities dictate fitness for roles involving interaction and persuasion (sales, law, politics). Unsocial or unfriendly individuals are happier and more successful in solitary vocations like scholarship, art, or mechanical work. Finding one’s true vocation is about finding the opportunity to work hard using one’s best talents.

Chapter Key Points

• Failure often results from placing generalists in detail jobs or vice versa.
• Cognitive speed determines fitness: quick, alert minds for fast-paced roles; deliberate minds for reflective work.
• Social qualities are essential for client-facing vocations; unsocial types should seek solitary work.

PART TWO—ANALYZING CHARACTER IN SELECTION OF EMPLOYEES

CHAPTER I: THE COST OF UNSCIENTIFIC SELECTION

“Efficiency experts maintain that the average employee in our industrial and commercial institutions is only from twenty-five to thirty-five per cent, efficient.”

Unscientific selection causes chronic “latent illnesses and inefficiencies” in commercial organizations. High employee turnover—with average tenure sometimes as short as 30 days or four months in major industries—is immensely costly, ranging from $70 for a factory hand to $10,000 for an executive. This rapid turnover and inefficiency is primarily blamed on executive management. The crucial problem is leaving hiring and firing to foremen, who often select employees based on personal whim, political graft, or kinship rather than legitimate fitness. What employers truly purchase is not hours or energy, but the intelligence, willingness, and enthusiasm of the worker, all of which are lost when the employee is a misfit.

Chapter Key Points

• Average employee efficiency is extremely low (25-35%) due to misplacement and dissatisfaction.
• Haphazard hiring results in massive, quantifiable costs due to high turnover rates.
• Selection by foremen, driven by non-legitimate reasons, guarantees discontent and incompetence.

CHAPTER II: THE SELECTION OF EXECUTIVES

“This man made his mistake in placing a business… in the hands of a man who could look only outward and forward and upward.”

This chapter warns against selecting executives based on superficial charm, political affinity, or pleasing manner. The failure of a highly profitable mail-order house demonstrates the disaster of placing an optimistic, aggressive “business getter” (who lacked financial judgment, prudence, and attention to detail) in charge of administration and accounting. Similarly, executives may fail if they lack moral qualities like conscientiousness, caution, or foresight, even if they possess keen intellect (illustrated by the financial defalcation example). The capitalist, in the mail-order example, failed because he used insufficient care in selecting his general manager. Executive success requires a balance of outward-looking optimism and forward-looking financial sense, coupled with a capacity for detail and prudence.

Chapter Key Points

• Selecting executives based on personal preference or superficial traits is highly dangerous.
• Executives must have a balanced aptitude set, including prudence and detailed financial judgment.
• Failure to scientifically analyze executive character leads to profound organizational and financial collapse.

CHAPTER III: THE REMEDY

“The spirit of scientific analysis and the fitting of each man to his job in a common sense, sane, practical way, instead of according to out-of-date methods, is the important consideration in the remedy which we present.”

The remedy for unscientific employment is the establishment of a centralized, expert employment department, replacing the inefficiency and abuses of foreman-hiring. This department acts similarly to a scientific purchasing department, using analysis and records to ensure quality. Key functions include the analysis of all positions (creating specifications for human material), the analysis of executives (to ensure personality compatibility with subordinates), and the analysis of employees (to ensure proper placement or transfer). The employment department performs recruitment, analysis of applicants by observation, follow-up, and plays a role in discipline, education, and welfare work. The ultimate goal is applying the spirit of scientific analysis and fitting the man to the job in a practical way.

Chapter Key Points

• Scientific employment centralizes hiring in an expert department.
• The department’s core function is the meticulous, analytical study of both the job and the man.
• The department also aids in management, education, and fostering cooperation.

CHAPTER IV: RESULTS OF SCIENTIFIC EMPLOYMENT

“Whether or not reliable analyses can be made by the observation of physical characteristics is no longer debatable. Such analyses are being made.”

Addressing critics who question the reliability of observational character analysis (citing negative proof), the authors affirm that this science is validated by years of practical commercial use in hundreds of employment departments. They argue that negative proof (proving something is not so) is inherently fallacious. Positive proof is demonstrated through a verification test where different analysts independently analyzed executives using only physical characteristic data (charts), yielding a remarkable 82-1/4% agreement on the subjects’ characteristics. Furthermore, analyses made purely from photographs are often highly reliable because they eliminate the bias of personality and rely strictly on the application of scientific principles. Scientific analysis provides specific, accurate knowledge of human nature beyond common sense or intuition.

Chapter Key Points

• Scientific character analysis is proven effective by commercial application.
• Independent analysis of physical traits yields high statistical accuracy in determining character.
• This objective method provides reliable knowledge beyond subjective judgment.

CHAPTER V: IDEAL EMPLOYMENT CONDITIONS

“The mutual ideal is the ideal of co-operation.”

The core principle leading to ideal employment is mutuality of interests and mutual understanding between employer and employee. The old fallacy that employer and employee interests are diametrically opposed has been exploded by the new scientific spirit and broader humanity. The employer’s ideal is achieved when every man is selected, assigned, and managed so as to express his “highest and best constructive thoughts and feelings”. The employee’s ideal is to work in a position best fitted to their aptitudes, with conditions that foster their development. These two ideals are essentially one, leading to the mutual ideal of co-operation, creating greater strength and wealth for all parties involved. Ideal conditions may manifest diversely through profit sharing, welfare work, or magnetic leadership, but always rely on securing fit, loyal, and enthusiastic workers.

Chapter Key Points

• Ideal conditions are built upon the foundation of mutual understanding and interest.
• The fallacy of opposed interests is replaced by the ideal of co-operation.
• Success comes from developing the employee’s latent possibilities, leading to high efficiency and loyalty.

PART THREE—ANALYZING CHARACTER IN PERSUASION

CHAPTER I: THE PSYCHOLOGY OF PERSUASION

“Wealth cannot be gained, social position cannot be attained… except through the power of persuasion.”

Persuasion (also called Salesmanship) is the foundation of all human interaction and is essential for achieving success, from acquiring basic necessities to navigating professions, commerce, and politics. Success is predicated on two factors: having “the goods” and being able to “sell them”. Persuasion is co-operation, not conquest, as true human interests are always mutual; the persuader reveals this coincidence of interest. The success of persuasion depends on two types of knowledge: general psychology (how the mind works) and specific knowledge of individual psychological processes, motivations, and desires. The “mental law of sale” governs this process: Favorable attention leads to interest, which intensifies into desire, ripening into decision and action. Character analysis is necessary to determine which motives (e.g., vanity, avarice, love of family) are strongest in a given individual.

Chapter Key Points

• Persuasion is a universal necessity for achieving success and realizing ambitions.
• Effective persuasion involves finding the meeting of minds where interests coincide.
• Successful persuasion relies on knowing general psychology and specific individual motives.

CHAPTER II: SECURING FAVORABLE ATTENTION

“Our own observations, taken in New York City, produced the following results: [data chart showing varying interests].”

Securing favorable attention is the first step in persuasion, and must be tailored to the individual’s psychological type. The physically frail (intellectuals) respond to beauty, elegance, and labor-saving devices. The fat man (man of enjoyment) responds best to appeals to comfort, finance, and politics, often preferring in-depth financial discussion over quick-return schemes. The man of bone and muscle (man of action) is caught by motion, machinery, and outdoor sports. The impractical man (dreamer) is drawn by ingenuity, theories, philosophy, and imagination. The vain (indicated by short upper lip, excessive jewelry) respond eagerly to flattery regarding their specific talents or appearance. The matter-of-fact type (long, straight upper lip, high crown) is suspicious of flattery and only responds to concrete facts that demonstrate an increase in their power.

Chapter Key Points

• Favorable attention depends on appealing to the individual’s core nature.
• The intellectual type seeks beauty or mental stimulus; the fat type seeks enjoyment/finance.
• The vain respond to flattery; the matter-of-fact respond to verifiable facts and power.

CHAPTER III: AROUSING INTEREST AND CREATING DESIRE

“Make the man think about himself in connection with what you have to offer.”

Interest is aroused by connecting the proposition to the prospect’s self-interest, forcing him to think about himself in connection with the offer. For the intellectual man, this means security against worry, freeing his mind for research; for the fat man, this means comfort, luxury, or the exercise of political power; for the active man, this means tools, machinery, or action-oriented results. Desire is interest intensified, moving from intellectual thought to a feeling that demands action. The most powerful stimulus to desire is imagination—making the prospect see themselves enjoying possession. In creating desire, skillful suggestion is often more powerful than logical argument, particularly with the general public, as it circumvents the “exhausting” process of deliberation.

Chapter Key Points

• Interest is maintained by making the prospect continually think of their self-interest.
• Desire is created by appealing to the prospect’s strongest feelings via imagination.
• Suggestion, which helps visualize enjoyment, is key to augmenting desire into action.

CHAPTER IV: INDUCING DECISION AND ACTION

“The impulsive individual must be rushed.”

Decision is often the hardest step because of the “stern conflict between conflicting desires”. To secure action, a persuader must apply a special stimulus to the will. Impulsive individuals must be rushed into decision before their strong, quickly dissipating desire cools or their fears resurface. Conversely, deliberate individuals (dark coloring, strong chin, long square head) must be given ample time to think, as rushing them is useless. Obstinate people must never be antagonized; argument is highly ineffective, and they must be gently led to decision through minor points or appeals to their sense of power. Indecisive people (small nose, soft consistency, small thumb) are often grateful to have the decision taken off their hands, responding well to direct, positive suggestion or command. Ultimately, the persuader’s own courage, surety of touch, and unwavering action are the most powerful forces for securing the decision of others.

Chapter Key Points

• Decision requires a special stimulus to the will to overcome conflicting desires.
• Approach must fit the personality: rushing the impulsive, giving time to the deliberate.
• The persuader’s courage and decisive action are crucial for closing a sale or securing agreement.

CHAPTER V: EFFICIENT AND SATISFACTORY SERVICE

“He is especially impatient with and exasperated by excuses, since his passion is for results.”

Service must be not only efficient but also satisfactory to the superior executive. This demands that employees understand the character, disposition, and personal peculiarities of their boss. An employee may be highly efficient (like Marshall Nyall) yet fail because they clash with the employer’s personality or constantly insist on doing things “some other way”. The typical energetic, practical, result-driven executive is impatient with excuses, profanity is often just a release of irritation, and employees should never take criticism personally. Conversely, employees should avoid familiarity with employers who are dignified and resent such attempts to push them onto a plane of equality. The ultimate success of an employee depends on fitting the job/boss, technical mastery, character development, and diplomatic adjustment to the executive’s peculiarities.

Chapter Key Points

• Service requires understanding the boss’s personality to ensure satisfaction.
• Employees must be diplomatic and avoid giving excuses to result-driven executives.
• Personal success depends on adjusting behavior and work style to the executive’s type.

PART FOUR—PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF CHARACTER ANALYSIS

CHAPTER I: THE SCIENTIFIC BASIS OF CHARACTER ANALYSIS

“The science of character analysis by the observational method is based upon three very simple scientific truths.”

Character analysis is a classified body of knowledge, validated by thousands of cases and successful commercial application, which makes it as accurate as medicine, though not mathematically exact. The science rests on three fundamental truths: 1) Man’s body is shaped by heredity and environment; 2) Man’s mind is shaped by the same forces; 3) Body and mind profoundly affect each other. Thus, physical differences correspond to mental differences (e.g., blonde coloring/volatile nature due to cold environment; hard consistency/conservatism due to hard living). The science classifies and interprets differences across nine fundamental variables: color, form, size, structure, texture, consistency, proportion, expression, and condition. For instance, the convex profile indicates quickness and alertness, while the concave indicates deliberation and reflection.

Chapter Key Points

• Character analysis is classified, reliable knowledge based on scientific principles.
• Physical and mental traits are inextricably linked results of heredity and environment.
• Analysis relies on studying nine fundamental physical variables.

CHAPTER II: HOW TO LEARN AND APPLY THE SCIENCE OF CHARACTER ANALYSIS

“The second method of learning a science, therefore, is to take advantage of all that has been done and, instead of beginning with facts and working up to principles, begin with principles and work down to a practical application amongst facts.”

The most efficient way to master this science is to use the “short cut to knowledge”: learn the established laws and principles first, and then apply them to facts, similar to the laboratory method. The student must gain a complete understanding of the principles and then demonstrate and verify them through observation (e.g., observing hundreds of blondes/brunettes to confirm the law of color). The first application should be self-analysis, as a lack of self-understanding is universal. Students should then analyze relatives and acquaintances, checking their conclusions and correcting any logical or observational errors. For ongoing accuracy and skill, one must keep accurate and adequate records and, crucially, stick rigidly to the principles, avoiding the temptation to rely on “intuitions” or make exceptions based on personality.

Chapter Key Points

• The most effective learning path is starting with principles, then verifying with facts.
• Self-analysis is the vital first step toward better understanding of the principles.
• Success requires rigid adherence to scientific principles and constant comparison/verification.

CHAPTER III: USES OF CHARACTER ANALYSIS

“We have often found people who have lived together for a lifetime who neither knew nor understood each other.”

Character analysis provides scientific knowledge for navigating many of life’s hard problems. It guides self-improvement by identifying which qualities to cultivate or restrain. In employment, it provides exact knowledge for selection and management. In persuasion, it allows one to “put yourself in his place” by understanding the other person accurately, an impossibility without this knowledge. For social relations, it helps overcome shyness and self-consciousness, as understanding others removes fear. Most momentously, it is vital for love and marriage. Marriage is a practical partnership that requires intellectual and physical union, not just blind instinct. Character analysis provides the necessary objective knowledge of a partner’s disposition and character before emotions obscure judgment, helping prevent relationship crises caused by misunderstanding. The science is not a panacea, but a valuable aid to efficiency and happiness.

Chapter Key Points

• Scientific knowledge of self is a guide to self-development and efficiency.
• The science is essential for successful persuasion and social attraction.
• It provides objective knowledge necessary for happy and successful marriage partnerships.

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Notable Quotes from the Book

1. “Humanity needs a scientific method of judging men, so that any man of intelligence can discover genius—or just native ability—in himself and others.”
2. “A mistake in this choice destroys all the real joy of living—it almost means a lost life.”
3. “Nothing great was ever accomplished without enthusiasm.” [
4. “We shall, therefore, waste both time and human values if we wait until our knowledge is mathematically exact before we make it useful to ourselves and to others.”
5. “It is time, therefore, that man should learn about himself and others, and especially about those things which are vital to even a moderate enjoyment of the good things of life.”
6. “Salesmanship is not conquest, but co-operation.”
7. “If you have any tender personal feelings, he should wrap them up carefully in an envelope of indifference and lock them away safely in the strong box of ambition.”

About the Author

Katherine M. H. Blackford, M.D., and Arthur Newcomb collaborated on Analyzing Character (1922) and an earlier work, The Job, The Man, The Boss. Dr. Blackford is credited as the originator and leading exponent of the Science of Character Analysis by the Observational Method. Her work synthesizes over fifteen years of practical experience in vocational guidance, advising firms, and conducting efficiency investigations in commercial and industrial settings. This experience led to the development and installation of the Blackford Employment Plan for scientific personnel selection. Dr. Blackford also created a comprehensive course of lessons for students aiming to become expert judges of character. Her methodology focuses on utilizing observable physical traits—such as form, color, and texture—to determine aptitudes and fit individuals to appropriate jobs, aiming for mutual success for both the employee and the organization.

How to Get the Most from the Books

To maximize benefits, apply the principles of character analysis daily to yourself and those around you. Practice detailed observation, keep adequate records, and rigorously verify your conclusions against the scientific laws.

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Conclusion

Analyzing Character presents a compelling argument that the great bulk of human suffering, inefficiency, and unrealized potential stems from vocational misplacement and profound ignorance of human nature. The authors, Blackford and Newcomb, introduce the **Science appeal to the true motives of others. The fundamental ideal promoted is cooperation—a mutual understanding that success and happiness are achieved only when the interests of all parties align through intelligent, scientific matching of the man to his work.