Personality Tests / Sec. 4  OBJECTIVES Identify the most widely used personality tests Describe the use of personality tests  VOCABULARY Personality Test Objective Test Projective Test

Personality Tests  Used to assess an individual’s characteristics and to identify problems  Used to predict how a person might behave in the future  Two Types Objective Projective

Objective Tests  Objective Tests: Limited- or Force- Choice Format test in which a person must select one of several answers MMPI CPI Myers-Briggs

MMPI  Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory One of the most widely used for general personality assessment Best for diagnosing extreme cases of psychological disorders Reveal habits, fears, delusions, sexual attitudes, and symptoms of psychological disorders Has no right or wrong answers See Page 365

CPI  California Psychological Inventory Similar to MMPI but used for general use Measures traits like responsibility, self- control, and tolerance Used to predict adjustment to stress, leadership, and job success Fairly reliable and valid Useful for general screening and for locating individuals that need help

Myers-Briggs  Focus is on how people take in information, make decisions, and approach day-to-day tasks  Purpose is to offer test takers an evaluation of their personality so they can understand how to relate to others better and how others relate to them  Practical Uses Employers can use it for hiring and promotions Students can optimize learning styles to teacher styles Everyone can live a more productive and rewarding life  Four Scales Extraversion vs. Introversion Intuition vs. Sensing Feeling vs. Thinking Judging vs. Perceiving  Your personality type influences Communication Styles Personal Relationships Lifestyle Choices

Projective Tests  Projective Tests is an unstructured test in which a person is asked to respond freely, giving his or her own interpretation of various ambiguous stimuli Rorschach Inkblot Test Tat

Rorschach Inkblot Test  Developed by Swiss psychiatrist Hermann Rorschach / 1921  Best known and widely used  10 cards with inkblot designs  No right or wrong answers  Subject is asked what they see first and then administrator tries to find out why the subject answered the way they did  Premise is that anything a person says or does reveals an aspect of their personality  Critics say test is not reliable or valid

TAT  Thematic Apperception Test Consists of a series of 20 cards containing pictures of vague but suggestive situations (see Figure 13.16) Subject is asked to tell a story about the picture Used to urge clients to talk about their problems Scorer interprets the story for themes of aggression, achievement, love, sex, etc. Used to assess the personality problems of individuals