Hypothesis Identification Article Analysis

Hypothesis Identification Article Analysis

Psychological profiling has become a science within law enforcement. The behavioral patterns of individuals have been categorized by age, sex, race, national origin and birth order just to name a few. Some people are great leaders, organizers, workers, and followers, but the entrepreneur remains as one of the most elusive psychological profiles in the world. Everyone can point to an entrepreneur, but psychologists have had trouble profiling an entrepreneur.

As referenced in the Journal of Managerial Psychology 5.2 in a research article written by Chad Perry entitled After Further Sightings of the Heffalump, the entrepreneur is compared to the Heffalump, a mythical creature, that as "He has not yet been caught and, indeed, we may still lack a reliable description of what he looks like," he avoids description by those who are not entrepreneurs. This research was conducted to test the 1971 hypothesis of Kilby, that the entrepreneur still lacks descriptive profiling. (Perry, 1990, pg.22)

The problem arises from the fact that psychologists are as psychologically disparate from the entrepreneur, as humans are from the Heffalump. An accurate profile is beyond the capacity of psychologists to describe. That is because normal human emotions cannot be interchanged with the psychological makeup of the entrepreneur. Entrepreneurs are born with inherit traits that defy normal human emotions. They can feel a coarse of action in business, much like a composer can feel a symphony before he hears the final score.

The article by Chad Perry was able to discuss variations within the sub-categories of entrepreneurs, as to small business owners versus those who have taken their companies to the next step, such as a public stock offering called an IPO.

I am uniquely aware of the entrepreneurial spirit, as my father is such a person. I work with him in his business of selling beds. I see his style and his work ethic of 10 hours a day, seven days a week. I see his capacity to deal with people of all walks of life, from the first time buyer, to the heads of major corporations. He loves to play the game. To me, my dad is the epitome of an entrepreneur.

Resource

Perry, Chad (1990). After Further Sightings of the Heffalump

Journal

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