Investigative Personality
Investigative PersonalityType
Originally by Lawrence K. Jones, Ph.D., NCC — Professor Emeritus of Counselor Education, North Carolina State University. Updated by Juliet Jones-Vlasceanu, GCDF, J.D. — President & CEO, Career Key. Last reviewed August 2026.
Likes to study and solve math or science problems; generally avoids leading, selling, or persuading people;
Has good skills at understanding and solving science and math problems;
Values science, and sees self as precise, scientific, and intellectual.
Investigative Type: Work Environment
Persons having an Investigative personality type "dominate" this environment. There are more of them than there are people of other personality types. For example, in a scientific laboratory there will be more persons having an "Investigative" personality than there will be people who have an Enterprising type.
"Investigative" people create a "Investigative" environment. For example, they particularly value people who are precise, scientific, and intellectual -- who are good at understanding and solving science and math problems.
Examples of occupations that have an Investigative environment are:
Biologist
Chemist
Computer Programmer
Dentist
Electrical Engineer
Mathematician
Medical Technician
Meteorologist
Pharmacist
Physician
Surveyor
Veterinarian
The two work environments that are closest to the Investigative type are Realistic and Artistic. The farthest away is the Enterprising type.
References
1. Holland, J. L. (1997). Making vocational choices: A theory of vocational personalities and work environments (3rd ed.). Psychological Assessment Resources.
2. Nauta, M. M. (2010). The development, evolution, and status of Holland’s theory of vocational personalities: Reflections and future directions for counseling psychology. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 57(1), 11–22. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0018213
3. Tracey, T. J., & Rounds, J. (1993). Evaluating Holland’s and Gati’s vocational-interest models: A structural meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 113(2), 229–246. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.113.2.229