TPC-Journal-V4-Issue4

The Professional Counselor \Volume 4, Issue 4 386 Preferred-self personality traits. As seen in Figures 9 and 10, the preferred-self personality traits of postgraduate and undergraduate students did not fluctuate radically throughout the three phases of the study. However, a greater number of the preferred-self traits of the postgraduate and undergraduate students experienced significant changes than the number of their real-self traits. Figure 9 depicts the comparison of the postgraduate students’ preferred-self traits across the three phases. The result of the nonparametric test showed that 27 of the preferred-self traits of the postgraduate students experienced significant changes over the three phases. Among the 27 traits, 13 traits significantly increased over the three phases (optimism, achievement, dominance, endurance, order, social energy, exhibition, self-confidence, self-satisfaction, creativity, masculinity, respectful and work centered), indicating students’ desire to be stronger in these traits. Four preferred traits (support seeking, self-blaming, self-control and security seeking) decreased significantly over the three phases. The constant decreases in support seeking and self-control indicate that postgraduate students prefer not to seek advice and emotional support and prefer to be less self-controlled and restrained, and the university ought to pay attention to this finding. In addition, eight preferred-self traits (enthusiasm, psychologically perceptive, nurturance, affiliation, personal adjustment, structure valuing, playful and pragmatic) decreased during phase 2, but increased again in phase 3; two preferred-self traits (negativity and counseling readiness) increased during phase 2, but dropped significantly in phase 3. The drop in counseling readiness in phase 3, which is congruent with the constant decrease in support seeking, requires attention from the university, because this finding indicates that the postgraduate students prefer not to accept counseling or professional advice to help them cope with their personal problems and psychological difficulties. As for undergraduate students, 27 preferred-self traits experienced significant changes over the three phases of the study. Fourteen preferred-self traits increased significantly over the three phases of the study: optimism, achievement, dominance, endurance, order, nurturance, affiliation, social energy, exhibition, self-confidence, self-satisfaction, creativity, respectful and work centered, indicating that undergraduate students had a constant Figure 9 . Changes in postgraduate students’ preferred-self personality traits across phases 1, 2 and 3. * p < 0.05 . ** p < 0.01. 30 40 50 60 70 **Enthusiasm **Optimism **Negativity Communality **Achievement **Dominance **Endurance **Order **Psychologically Perceptive **Nurturance **Affiliation **Social Energy **Exhibition Autonomy Aggression Change **Support Seeking **Self-Blaming Deference **Counseling Readiness **Self-Control **Self-Confidence **Personal Adjustment **Self-Satisfaction **Creativity **Structure Valuing *Masculinity Femininity Fault Finding **Respectful **Work Centered **Playful **Security Seeking Affected Intellectualistic *Pragmatic Scientific Phase 1 Phase 2 Phase 3 ( N = 34) ( N = 80) ( N = 72)