Personality Assessment Notes

Psychological Assessment

Psychological assessment utilizes tools like tests and interviews to measure traits, abilities, and characteristics for understanding behaviors and predicting future actions. Psychological tests should accurately reflect a person’s characteristics and predict future behavior.

Psychological Tests

Psychological tests are divided into ability and personality tests. Ability tests include achievement, aptitude, and intelligence tests. All psychological tests must have reliability (consistency) and validity (measuring what they are designed to measure).

Personality Tests

Personality tests measure observable and unobservable traits to identify personality problems, disorders, and predict future behavior.

Types of Personality Tests

There are two main types of personality tests:

  1. Projective Personality Tests: Use ambiguous stimuli to reveal inner motives and unconscious conflicts.

  2. Objective Personality Tests: Compare responses to standardized questions with established norms.

Projective Personality Tests

Based on the projective hypothesis, these tests use ambiguous stimuli to reveal unconscious motives, conflicts, and traits. Examples include:

  • Rorschach Inkblot Test

  • Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)

  • House-Tree-Person (HTP)

  • Rotter’s Incomplete Sentence Blank (RISB)

Rorschach Inkblot Test

Uses ten inkblots to identify feelings and assess personality traits. Criticized for lack of reliability and low validity.

Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)

Uses 20 ambiguous pictures to create stories, revealing unconscious mental processes. Criticized for low reliability and reflecting temporary states rather than long-term traits.

House-Tree-Person (HTP)

A projective personality test where individuals draw a house, a tree, and a person. The drawings are then analyzed to gain insights into the individual's personality, emotional state, and psychological functioning.

Rotter’s Incomplete Sentence Blank (RISB)

Uses unfinished sentences to explore problematic or conflicting areas in an individual’s life.

Advantages of Projective Tests

  • Provide qualitative information.

  • Useful supplement to other assessment tools.

Limitations of Projective Tests

  • Lack standardization in administration and scoring.

  • Questionable validity and reliability.

  • Subjective scoring.

  • Poor at predicting future behavior.

Objective Personality Tests

Compare responses to standardized questions with established norms. Use validity scales to determine truthfulness. Examples include:

  • Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI)

  • Million Clinical Multiaxial Inventory (MCMI)

  • NEO Personality Inventory (NEO-PI)

  • The Big Five Questionnaire (BFQ)

  • California Personality Inventory (CPI)

Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI)

Self-report inventory assessing personality characteristics and psychological disorders. Used in clinical and employment settings.

California Personality Inventory (CPI)

Self-report inventory assessing personality characteristics in “normal” populations.

Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire (16 PF)

Self-report inventory that generates a personality profile with ratings on 16 trait dimensions.

Strengths of Self-Report Inventories

  • Standardization and established norms.

  • Reliability and validity are generally greater than projective tests.

Weaknesses of Self-Report Inventories

  • People can fake responses.

  • Socially desirable responding.

  • Response sets.

  • Inaccurate self-judgment.