We informally assess and describe personality every day.
When we talk about ourselves and others, we frequently refer to different characteristics of an individual’s personality.
For example, we might refer to someone as adventurous, kind, or moody.
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Psychologists do much the same thing when they assess personality but on a more systematic and scientific level.
They use different types of personality tests to make these assessments.
They can also be serious tools in diagnostics, therapy, job recruiting and training, and self-reflection.
Two Basic Types of Personality Tests
How do personality tests work?
Self-inventories are relatively easy to administer and have much higherreliabilityandvaliditythan projective tests.
All of this can be explored in greater depth as people progress through therapy sessions.
It is used in professional configs to diagnose mental health conditions and evaluate treatment programs' effectiveness.
It is also frequently used in business and forensic prefs.
The test originates from research on the Big Five personality types.
Research suggests the test can help predict behavior.
It is frequently utilized in workplace parameters because it focuses more on actions.
The test contains 28 statements, each containing four options for the test-taker to choose.
Respondents are then identified as one of 12 different personality types based on their results.
you might also try our free abridgedDISC personality quiz.
A therapist then interprets the results based on a scoring system, of which several exist.
While the test is well-known, it lacks validity, reliability, and diagnostic value.
Keirsey Temperament Sorter
TheKeirsey Temperament Sorterwas developed in the late 1970s by psychologist David Keirsey.
It is a self-report inventory that categorizes personality into four main temperaments.
Each temperament is then further subdivided into four different character types.
Later, psychologists began attempting to determinehow many different personality traitsthere were.
Gordon Allport, for example, proposed that there were more than 4,000.
Impact of Different Types of Personality Tests
Personality tests can be useful for a number of reasons.
These tests can help you learn more about yourself and better understand both your strengths and weaknesses.
For example, your results on a personality test might indicate that you rate high onintroversion.
The vast majority of quizzes that you’ll encounter online are just for fun.
This can have a serious impact on the accuracy of a personality test.
Not surprisingly, respondents can quickly become bored and frustrated.
Scoring Can Be Subjective
Projective tests also have a number of disadvantages and limitations.
The first problem lies in the interpretation of the responses.
Scoring test items are highly subjective and different raters might provide entirely different viewpoints of the responses.
Results May Be Inconsistent
Not all personality tests are reliable or valid.
Takeaways
There are many types of personality tests with many different uses.
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