THE APPLICANT’S POINT OF VIEW 371 
He can be sure that no matter what difficulties arise, 
there is one source which is comparatively stable and free 
from the prejudices and excited judgments of a particular 
moment. 
The attempt to consider the work of individuals from 
the vocational standpoint may be regarded as a tremen 
dous stride in the direction of realizing the applicant’s 
point of view. A technique which promises to help the 
struggling candidate understand his own needs, limita 
tions, and capacities will go far toward achieving the 
viewpoint of the applicant in a full measure. And in so 
far as the technique of psychology enables the worker 
who does not care to acquire a vocation to obtain work 
which will bring him the largest returns of which he is 
capable, the important factor, self-interest, will be largely 
met. 
Finally, and probably most important, is the fact that 
the entire process of employment outlined here is built 
up on an appreciation of the fundamental likes and dis 
likes of the applicant. The individual’s freedom of choice 
is the central fact in the structure. Any attempt to limit 
or to thwart this choice is a failure to credit the appli 
cant’s viewpoint. There are, to be sure, limitations to any 
applicant’s choice, but they are the limitations imposed 
by the scope of a particular industry and not by the psy 
chological method. An industry can not be expected to 
honor the choice of an applicant for a kind of work which it 
does not have. Moreover, there are times when the appli 
cant’s choice is only an impulse, not a deep-rooted desire, 
and in such cases the psychological examiner is at liberty 
to modify that choice as long as he does not do so contrary 
to the interests and abilities of the applicant. In develop 
ing the mechanism to select applicants, the individual’s