Facts About Psychology Personality Tests

Personality testing has become very prominent area in the field of psychology. Psychologists and psychiatrists alike use personality tests as a method of detecting psychopathology and medical illness. Additionally, personality tests allow a psychologist to better understand an individual's personality, which can lead to a better understanding of what personality traits are liable to lead to specific mental illnesses and/or medical illnesses such as high blood pressure, stroke, heart attack, etc.

The difficulty with personality testing is that there are a variety to chose from, each measuring certain aspects of a person's personality, and more importantly catering to different schools of thought. For example, a psychologist with a psychodynamic background would choose a personality test that they believe brings out unconscious processes (Kronheim et al., 2007).

In addition, personality tests are broken up into groups based on how they obtain data on the individual. As of now, there are two main groups of personality tests, projective and objective. Projective tests are tests which are limited in structure and are subjective in scoring and interpretation of data gathered. One example of this sort of personality assessment is the famous Rorschach Inkblot Test. This form of assessment uses ten cards, each with black and white or colored inkblots on them. Test takers are shown each card one at a time and asked to explain what each inkblot is (as per the client's perception). As you can see, this test is without structure, meaning there are an endless possibility of answers which the test taker can give. Furthermore, this openness in available answers leaves the data interpretation up the therapist, who interprets the client's answers based on their psychological orientation or school of thought.

The second group of tests, objective tests are those that are more structured, they have set questions with set answer choices (i.e multiple choice, true and false). The structure of objective tests allows for less subjectivity in interpreting the data, and less subjectivity in scoring the results. As such, objective tests are more standardized. And example of an objective test is the MMPI-2 or Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory 2^nd Edition. The MMPI is an empirically designed test with high reliability and validity. It's easily administered as it is an inventory that the client can complete with or without the presence of a therapist. Additionally, it can be adjusted to meet the goals and objectives of the therapist (i.e. looking for psychopathology).

While both objective and projective tests draw criticism, they are still one of the most valuable assessments a psychologist can use. They promote a better understanding of the client and their personality style, as well as indicate and possibly even predict psychopathology in an individual.

Kronheim, S., Ph.D, Jones, G., Ph.D, Munshell, C., Ph.D. (2007). Module 2: Clinical Assessment and Evaluation. Retrieved December 11, 2007, from UMUC.