Module D Lesson 2 Tutorial

Assessing Personality

C r e a t e d b y : P r o f e s s o r H o k e r s o nA m e r i c a n R i v e r C o l l e g e

L a s t U p d a t e d : S p r i n g 2 0 1 3

Using this Tutorial

Use the navigation buttons at the bottom of the screen.

Click on hyperlinks when prompted.

Have fun and learn!

Table of Contents (TOC)

Objectives Module Objectives #26, 27, and 28

Action Items Personality Tests Projective Tests Self-Report Inventories Online Personality Tests

In Conclusion

Module D Objectives

B y t h e e n d o f t h i s t u t o r i a l y o u w i l l b e a b l e t o …

# 2 6 – D i s c u s s t h e s t r e n g t h s a n d w e a k n e s s e s o f t h e R o r s c h a c h i n k b l o t s a s a v a l u a b l e m e a s u r e o f p e r s o n a l i t y.

# 2 7 – D i ff e r e n t i a t e t h e M M P I , C P I , 1 6 P F, a n d M e y e r ’ s - B r i g g s s e l f -r e p o r t i n v e n t o r i e s

# 2 8 – D i s c u s s s t r e n g t h s a n d w e a k n e s s e s o f s e l f - r e p o r t i n v e n t o r i e s

Action items

ACTION ITEMS

Personality Assessments

Question: What are personality assessments?

Read: Psychological Tests, Chapter 11 (p. 474)

Tip! There are two main types of personality assessments, projective and self-report inventories. Each have their strengths and weaknesses!

Projective Tests

Hint: There are two types of projective tests – the Rorschach Inkblots and the Thematic Apperception Test.

Read: Click here to read more about how projective tests work, using the principles of psychoanalytic theory.

Read: Projective Tests, Chapter 11 (pages 474 – 475)

Here is an example of a Roschach Inkblot

What do you see?

Projective Tests

Hint: Projective tests are mostly used in clinical settings to measure psychopathology, such as depression and other mental illnesses.

Read: Here is a good explanation of the TAT, how it is used and scored.

Read: Click here to read a comprehensive analysis of projective tests.

Activity: Complete the Projective Test Worksheet

Here is an example of a picture in the TAT

What do you see?

Self-Report Inventories

Tip! These are also commonly known as objective personality tests and there are many different types used today!

Read: Self-Report Inventories, Chapter 11 (pages 476 – 478)

Summarize: Self-report inventories have many useful purposes. What are they used for?

Hint: These objective personality tests show greater reliability and validity than projective tests!

Myer’s-Briggs Type Inventory (MBTI)

Tip! The MBTI is used to assess personality types, rather than traits.

Read: Here is a good summary of this self-report inventory, with full descriptions of the four dimensions which produce the 16 different personality types.

Activity: There is an online version of the MBTI to complete, called the Jung-Typology Test (complete the free version online; you do not need to pay for the full results).

What type of personality type do you have?

INTP ENTJ ISFP ESFJ

MMPI

Read: Here is a good summary of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI).

Tip! The MMPI has built in scales to measure for responder bias!

Other Objective Personality Tests

Read: Here is a good discussion about how the MMPI and other self-report inventories that are used to measure personality.

Tip! The 16 Personality Factor (16 PF) is used in a variety of settings, including counseling, marital counseling, and evaluating employees and executives.

Tip! The California Personality Inventory (CPI) is used to assess “normal” populations, rather than in in clinical settings. It has been shown to predict:

High school and college grades Delinquency Job performance

Online Personality Tests

Simulations: Below are several links to online personality tests. Complete at least two of these online assessments.

Test 1 – Online Personality Inventory Test 2 – The Big Five Test 3 – The Kersey Temperament Sorter

Activity: Participate in the Measuring Personality Discussion.

Hint: Keep in mind that these online tests are not the actual assessments that you are learning about, however they are representative enough. Have fun!

In Conclusion

There are different approaches to measuring personality.

Each has their own strength and weaknesses.

Some are more reliable than others!

“Given the complex factors involved in human personality, it’s doubtful that any single theory ever will capture the essence of human personality in its entirety.” (Chapter 11, page 479)

This probably holds true for personality tests, too!

Module D Objectives

B y t h e e n d o f t h i s t u t o r i a l y o u s h o u l d n o w b e a b l e t o …

# 2 6 – D i s c u s s t h e s t r e n g t h s a n d w e a k n e s s e s o f t h e R o r s c h a c h i n k b l o t s a s a v a l u a b l e m e a s u r e o f p e r s o n a l i t y.

# 2 7 – D i ff e r e n t i a t e t h e M M P I , C P I , 1 6 P F, a n d M e y e r ’ s - B r i g g s s e l f -r e p o r t i n v e n t o r i e s

# 2 8 – D i s c u s s s t r e n g t h s a n d w e a k n e s s e s o f s e l f - r e p o r t i n v e n t o r i e s