PERSONALITY TESTINGPersonality Perspectives Review

Paper-and-Pencil Tests

Interest Tests

CHARACTERISTICS

“Personality” – distinctive pattern of thinking, feeling, behaving, and managing interpersonal relationships

Gives a picture of an individual’s typical performance

Clinical setting Identify personal problems Diagnose psychopathology Inform recommendations

Help individuals gain insight from their behavior

Evaluate change after therapy Systematic description of a client Diagnosis Indicator of growth or change Prediction of behavior

PERSONALITY THEORY

PSYCHODYNAMIC

Freud, Jung, Adler Unconscious cannot be studied directly Personality can be inferred from behavior Understanding of unconscious processes Projective techniques

BEHAVIORAL TECHNIQUES

Focus on learning histories How behavior was reinforced How personality was affected by conditioning Oppose the use of constructs because it is

not observable Mainly behavioral observation

HUMANISTIC APPROACHES

Analysis of immediate, personal, and subjective experiences

Perceptions, meanings, self Self-concept, self-creation, self-evaluation

TRAIT, STATE, TYPE THEORIES

Traits Physical entities that are mental structures of

personality System that initiates and guides behavior Relatively enduring way in which one individual

caries from another Characteristics possessed by the individual Personality groupings State – temporary behavioral tendency

EMPIRICAL APPROACHES

Criterion group method Population sample with known personality

characteristics Administer tests to both groups Identify items that distinguish both groups Items are placed in a scale

EMPIRICAL APPROACHES

Factor-analytic Method Statistical method used in test development See how items cluster statistically How significant is the influence of each

dimension?

PAPER-AND-PENCIL TESTS

OBJECTIVE PERSONALITY TESTS

Highly structured items Clear, unambiguous stimuli Close-ended questions Response formats

True-false List of words to check Likert scales Forced-choice Ranking

Normative vs. Ipsative

PERSONALITY QUESTIONNAIRES

Can be used with individuals or groups Easily administered and scored Measures different dimensions of personality

Attitudes Adjustment Temperament Values Motivation Morality Anxiety

TEST EXAMPLE: EPPS

Need – internal directional force Determines how a person responds to objects or

situations Needs are motives that underlie behavior

ACHIEVEMENT (ACH)

To do one’s best; to be successful To accomplish tasks requiring skill and effort To be a recognized authority To accomplish something of great

significance To do a difficult job well To solve difficult problems and puzzles To be able to do things better than others

DEFERENCE (DEF)

• To get suggestions from others; find out what others think

• To follow instructions and do what is expected

• To praise others; tell others they have done a good job

• To accept the leadership of others; let others make decisions

• To conform to custom and avoid the unconventional

ORDER (ORD)

To make plans before starting on a difficult task

To have things organized; to keep things neat To organize details of work; to have meals

organized To have things arranged so that they run

smoothly without change

EXHIBITION (EXH)

• To say witty and clever things; tell amusing jokes

• To talk about personal adventures and experiences; personal achievements

• To have things notice and comment on appearance

• To say things just to see what effect it will have on others

• To be the center of attention

AUTONOMY (AUT)

To be able to come and go as desired To say what one thinks about things To be independent in making decisions To feel free to do what one wants To do things that are unconventional To do things without regard to what others

may think

AFFILIATION (AFF)

To be loyal to friends; participate in friendly groups

To do things for friends To form new friendships To make as many friends as possible To share things with friends To form strong attachments

INTRACEPTION (INT)

To analyze one’s motives and feelings To observe others; understand how others

feel To put self in another’s place To judge people by why rather than what To analyze the behavior and motives of

others To predict how others will act

SUCCORANCE (SUC)

To have others provide help when in trouble To seek encouragement from others To have others be kindly, sympathetic,

understanding To receive a great deal of affection from

others To be helped by others when depressed To have others feel sorry when one is sick

DOMINANCE (DOM)

• To argue for one’s point of view• To be a leader in groups; to be regarded as a

leader• To make group decisions• To settle arguments and disputes with others• To persuade and influence others to do what

one wants• To supervise and direct the actions of others• To tell others how to do their jobs

ABASEMENT (ABA)

• To feel guilty when one does something wrong

• To accept blame when things don’t go right• To feel that personal pain does more good

than harm• To feel better giving in to avoid a fight• To feel the need for confession of errors• To feel depressed by inability to handle

situations• To feel inferior to others in most respects

NURTURANCE (NUR)

To help friends who are in trouble To assist other less fortunate people To forgive; do small favors for others To sympathize with others who are sick or

hurt To have a great deal of affection towards

others

CHANGE (CHG)

To do new and different things; travel To have a change in daily routine To experience new things; eat in new and

different places To move around the country; go to different

places To participate in fads and fashions

ENDURANCE (END)

To keep at a job until it is finished To complete any job undertaking or task To work at a single job before moving on To stay up late working in order to get the job

done To put in long hours without distraction To avoid being interrupted while at work

HETEROSEXUALITY (HET)

To go out with members of the opposite sex To engage in social activities with the

opposite sex To be in love with someone of the opposite

sex To be regarded as physically attractive by the

opposite sex

AGGRESSION (AGG)

To attack contrary points of view To tell others what one thinks about them To criticize others publicly To make fun of others To tell others off when disagreeing with them To get revenge for insults To blame others when things go wrong

TEST EXAMPLE: SSQ

Preferences, temperaments, personal styles Preference to gain energy and direction Gathering and integrating information Making decisions Life orientation

USES:

Identify talent Adjust for possible weakness Enhance personal and social development Promote an understanding of others Assess learning styles Explore pre-vocational interests

4 PAIRS

Extroverted vs. Introverted Practical vs. Imaginative Thinking vs. Feeling Organized vs. Flexible

EXTROVERTED

Oriented to outer world Seek interaction with others Energized by contact and encounters Develop thoughts and ideas by discussing

them with others Respond quickly to environment Don’t like to miss any opportunity for

interaction or participation Variety of interests Learn and understand by doing Welcome interruptions Choose projects that bring quick results

INTROVERTED

Oriented to thoughts and ideas Prefer solitude Become tired after prolonged contact Develop ideas by thinking about them Wait and see before getting involved Few interests pursued in depth Need to concentrate for long periods Work on long-term projects Study to understand before performing

something publicly

PRACTICAL

Pay attention to the real world Interested in facts and real things Realistic, pragmatic Suspicious of inspiration and vision Observant of the world and people Prefer hands-on experience vs. theory Learn more by doing and less by studying

books Learn step-by step Few factual errors Oriented to the present Enjoy routines and steady work

IMAGINATIVE

Enjoy possibilities Take less notice of physical surroundings Prefer to learn theory then application Enjoy words and playing with words Learn by insight and hunches Enjoy variety and learning new skills Tend to work in intense bursts of energy then

rest Enjoy complexity, overlook details, skip

steps, stronger in concepts than facts Interested in the future

THINKING

Use objective standards to make decisions Engage in analysis and criticism Strive for fairness and justice Aim for consistency Like rules and use logic to predict

consequences Truth over tact, logic over emotion Doubt or question others who disagree with

them Usually communicate in a brief, business-like,

sequential way May be rather blunt, does not praise often Enjoy competition and debate

FEELING

Personal standards for decision-making Focus on own and others’ needs and wants Express appreciation and sympathy Agree with others to promote harmony Compassion for others Make exceptions to the rules Praise others often Concerned over others’ feelings Like to please others Accept and trust others

ORGANIZED

Like to make decisions, settle things, have closure

Outcome-oriented Likes to plan Persistent in working toward a goal Want to control things Like to know plans ahead of time, may not

like surprises Generally follow rules and are dependable Strive to be right and have definite opinions

FLEXIBLE

Postpone decision-making and have things remain open-ended

Generally tolerant of other people’s opinions, open-minded

Rely on serendipity Enjoy process of doing something rather than

the end product Enjoy beginning an activity than completing

it Enjoy flexibility and surprises Not follow rules or not interested in neatness

and order

TEST EXAMPLE: GZTS

Guilford-Zimmerman Temperament Survey Personality characteristics Normal personality and temperament For use in career planning, counselling, and

research

GZTS FACTORS

General Activity (G) Indicates strong drive, energy, activity Catalyzer – exaggerates the appearance of all other

traits Restraint (R)

Ability to moderate drives, impulses, and emotions Ascendance (A)

Comfort in being in a leadership position Sociability (S)

Ease in the company of others, enjoyment of others’ company, readiness to establish intimate rapport

Emotional Stability (E) Ability to withstand strong emotions to think more

clearly

GZTS FACTORS

Objectivity (O) Egoism, touchiness, hypersensitivity

Friendliness (F) Pacifist tendencies, urge to please others, desire to

be liked Thoughtfulness (T)

Reflection, planning, paying attention to oneself and other people

Personal Relations (P) Getting along with others, tolerance and

understanding of people and their weaknesses Masculinity (M)

More understood by men and more accepted by them; unsympathetic and callous

TEST EXAMPLE: NEO-IPIP

Neuroticism Anxiety Hostility Depression Self-consciousness Impulsiveness Vulnerability to Stress

Extraversion Friendliness Gregariousness Assertiveness Activity Excitement Seeking Positive Emotion

Openness to Experience Fantasy Aesthetics Feelings Actions Ideas Values

Agreeableness Trust Straightforwardness Altruism Compliance Modesty Tender-mindedness

Conscientiousness Competence Order Dutifulness Achievement Striving Self-discipline Deliberation

SOURCE: SCHWARTZ, H.A. ET AL. (2013). PERSONALITY, GENDER, AND LANGUAGE IN SOCIAL MEDIA: THE OPEN-VOCABULARY APPROACH (PLOS ONE)