The problem accordingly has been handed over from the vocational counselors to the experimental psychologists, and it is certainly in the spirit of the modern tendency toward applied psychology that the psychological laboratories undertake the investigation and withdraw it from the dilettantic discussion of amateur psychologists or the mere impressionism of the school-teachers.  Even those early beginnings indicate clearly that the goal can be reached only through exact, scientific, experimental research, and that the mere naive methods—­for instance, the filling-out of questionnaires which may be quite useful in the first approach—­cannot be sufficient for a real, persistent furtherance of economic life and of the masses who seek their vocations.  In order to gain an analysis of the individual, Parsons made every applicant answer in writing a long series of questions which referred to his habits and his emotions, his inclinations and his expectations, his traits and his experiences.  The psychologist, however, can hardly be in doubt that just the mental qualities which ought to be most important for the vocational counselor can scarcely be found out by such methods.  We have emphasized before that the ordinary individual knows very little of his own mental functions:  on the whole, he knows them as little as he knows the muscles which be uses when he talks or walks.  Among his questions Parsons included such ones as:  “Are your manners quiet, noisy, boisterous, deferential, or self-assertive?  Are you thoughtful of the comfort of others?  Do you smile naturally and easily, or is your face ordinarily expressionless?  Are you frank, kindly, cordial, respectful, courteous in word and actions?  Do you look people frankly in the eye?  Are your inflections natural, courteous, modest, musical, or aggressive, conceited, pessimistic, repellent?  What are your powers of attention, observation, memory, reason, imagination, inventiveness, thoughtfulness, receptiveness, quickness, analytical power, constructiveness, breadth, grasp?  Can you manage people well?  Do you know a fine picture when you see it?  Is your will weak, yielding, vacillating, or firm, strong, stubborn?  Do you like to be with people and do they like to be with you?”—­and so on.  It is clear that the replies to questions of this kind can be of psychological value only when the questioner knows beforehand the mind of the youth, and can accordingly judge with what degree of understanding, sincerity, and ability the circular blanks have been filled out.  But as the questions are put for the very purpose of revealing the personality, the entire effort tends to move in a circle.