Liam Hudson – författare

Contrary Imaginations was an original and suggestive study of two types of intelligent schoolboy – the converger with his preference for science and the diverger with his leaning towards the arts. In Frames of Mind, originally published in 1968, Liam Hudson extends and enriches this classification and begins to detect the existence of two subcultures. Within these it is not merely a question of leanings towards science or the arts as a vocation: respect for authority, masculine and feminine tendencies, qualities of perception, and the prevalent myths about various callings are all involved. The result is a very human and well-grounded investigation of the profound forces (whether of social origin or based within their own personalities) which, in varying ways, influence young people in choosing a career.

Contrary Imaginations was an original and suggestive study of two types of intelligent schoolboy – the converger with his preference for science and the diverger with his leaning towards the arts. In Frames of Mind, originally published in 1968, Liam Hudson extends and enriches this classification and begins to detect the existence of two subcultures. Within these it is not merely a question of leanings towards science or the arts as a vocation: respect for authority, masculine and feminine tendencies, qualities of perception, and the prevalent myths about various callings are all involved. The result is a very human and well-grounded investigation of the profound forces (whether of social origin or based within their own personalities) which, in varying ways, influence young people in choosing a career.

First published in 1966, this title describes two types of clever schoolboy, the ‘converger’ and the ‘diverger’. The intellectual and personal differences between these two types are examined in detail. This description is used as the foundation for a more general discussion of the motives which lead men and women into the Arts or the Sciences, and of the qualities which enable some to think productively while others do not. Dr Hudson’s work is remarkable not only for the fresh light he throws on the relation of intelligence to personality, but also for his method. His research combines the skills of intelligence testing and psychoanalysis in a way which had not previously been attempted.