Factors in medical students' choice of psychiatry.

The authors review the literature on and systematize the factors influencing medical students' choice of psychiatry as a specialty. The results indicate that students who are single, from large metropolitan areas, uninterested in religion, politically liberal, interested in humanitarian ideas, who score low in authoritarianism, have a high capacity to tolerate ambiguity, have a high level of anxiety and fear of death, and have low self-esteem are likely to choose psychiatry. In medical school, the students likely to choose psychiatry have a lower class rank and express positive attitudes toward psychiatry and psychiatrists. Exposure to and taking responsiblity for patients, especially patients with good prognoses, are crucial factors encouraging students to be psychiatrists.