Abstract
In order to take a sociological perspective, it is essential to consider the actors, because it is through their actions, and because of them that the structure exists. This chapter presents basic demographic information drawn from a database of over 200 architects from more than 20 countries worldwide, and 16 industries, including government. It reports on the architects' backgrounds, professionally and educationally, and examines links between those origins and some of the more observable anomalies of architecture practice. It examines their attitudes to the discipline and the importance of aptitude, noting their inability to enunciate that aptitude and their certainty that they possess it. The chapter then turns its attention to the common scenario of a program being established, often rapidly expanded, then floundering due to a lack of resources, before being seemingly, suddenly terminated. It continues by discussing bodies of knowledge raising questions about the motivation for and the utility of certification. Finally, it discusses the research findings that relate specifically to the attributes of architects.