Introduction
Personality tests have a wide-range of uses, from help with finding a mate to employment to self-help and personal discovery. Have you ever had a job that just did not fit with your personality? You researched the company and even asked questions during the interview, but when you started working it did not fit? Imagine if there were a way to tell if your personality would align with certain careers or organizations. While some employers use personality tests in their hiring practices, not all psychologists believe this is an appropriate practice.
This week, you explore social psychology theory about how personality influences your behavior, and evaluate the usefulness of personality tests. You apply this information to analyze yourself as well as Pat.
Required Resources
Readings
- Myers, D. G. (2014). Exploring psychology, in modules (9th ed.). New York, NY: Worth Publishers.
- Module 34, “Classic Perspectives on Personality” (pp. 454–467)
- Module 35, “Contemporary Perspectives on Personality” (pp. 468–487)
Media
- Jung Typology Test. (n.d.). HumanMetrics. Retrieved December 14, 2012, from http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/jtypes2.asp
- The Big Five Personality Test. (n.d.). Retrieved December 14, 2012, from http://www.outofservice.com/bigfive/
Personality Testing
Personality theory has evolved over time. In the classical Freudian perspective, human personality comes from a conflict between biological impulse and internalized social restraints. This conflict plays out in three connected structures: the ID, the ego, and the superego. The ID consists of instincts and seeks immediate gratification. The ego tries to satisfy impulses in more realistic ways and does not account for morality. The superego is the moral branch of personality. Consider the conflict between the ID, ego, and superego and how it impacts behavior and personality.
Contemporary perspectives on personality have progressed to include more than the hidden aspects of personality as suggested in the classical view. Modern-day personality theorists consider traits like the Big Five (conscientiousness, agreeableness, neuroticism, openness, and extraversion) to better gauge personality. In an attempt to fully understand personality, a series of reliable tests like the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) and the NEO-PI-R have been developed. While the MMPI is widely used to identify emotional disorders, the test is used for many other screening purposes, including employment screening.
Personality testing can help you learn more about yourself by highlighting subtle tendencies that you may not have noticed. In fact, an increasing number of employers use personality tests to evaluate candidates in hopes of hiring the best match. Not everyone agrees with the use of personality tests for personnel decisions, arguing that they can be inaccurate. Regardless of what side you agree with, it is clear that understanding the science of personality provides important information on behavior.
For this Discussion, you will take two personality tests and reflect on your results. Based on your experience and results, consider whether personality tests are an effective tool for hiring.
Week 4 Assignment
Application: Personality Testing and Pat
Your personality is a culmination of your biological predisposition, social and cultural background, and experiences. Objectively scored personality tests can highlight many of the hidden aspects of your personality, thus possibly predicting behavior. Review what you know about Pat in light of personality theory and hypothesize how you think Pat might behave in certain situations. The following are the results of Pat’s psychological tests.
NEO-PI-R (a personality model developed from Costa & McCrae’s Five Factor Model in which a 55 and above is a high score, 45–54 is average, and 44 and below is low).
Neuroticism = 75
Extraversion = 32
Openness = 35
Agreeableness = 41
Conscientiousness = 50
MMPI-2 (an atheoretical test of personality for clinical populations in which 65 is clinically elevated)
Validity Scales: No threats to validity.
Hypochondriasis: 55
Depression: 61
Hysteria: 57
Psychopathic Deviate: 45
Masculinity/Femininity: 32
Paranoia: 68
Psychastenia: 40
Schizophrenia: 75
Hypomania: 51
Social Introversion: 68
To prepare for this Assignment:
- Review Module 35, “Contemporary Perspectives on Personality.” Focus on the social cognitive perspective and the underlying principles in the assessment of behavior.
- Reflect on the information you have about Pat’s biopsychosocial development and social influences in light of personality theory.
- Use the Five Factor Model of personality and Pat’s corresponding results to formulate your answer. Also, consider Pat’s results on the MMPI-2 when explaining her personality. Consider how the findings on the two tests match up with the information you have about Pat.
Submitby Day 7 a paper of 1–3 pages answering the following two questions:
- As you review Pat’s results from the NEO-PI-R, what would you expect Pat’s personality to be like? Use the Five Factor Model of personality and Pat’s corresponding results to formulate your answer.
- What additional insights can be gained from Pat’s results on the MMPI-2 to explain her personality?
……………………………………………………………………………………………………
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Psychology: Personality Testing and Pat
(Course Instructor)
(University Affiliation)
(Student’s Name)
December 21st 2015.
Personality Testing and Pat
Personality results from the interactions between the individual and their surrounding social contexts. Individual personality consists of traits that change over time but then stabilize, as one grows older. According to (Myers, 2014), the changes are more prominent at a younger age and tend to stabilize with older age. According to the author, social interactions include such aspects as learning through observations and modeling, whereas individual cognitive aspects include such factors as mental processes of paying attention and interpretation. Moreover, the author points the availability of a number of contemporary personality tests that can be used to analyse and understand individual personalities. Applying the Five Factor of Personality Test, the personality of Pat can be determined using the test scores.
Analyzing Pat’s Personality
Analyzing Pat’s Personality Using NEO-PI-R Test Results
According to the test results, Pat scored highly on neuroticism, averagely on conscientiousness, while scoring lowly on extraversion, openness and agreeableness. On average, the scores are low and according to (Myers, 2014), an individual that scores lowly on the five personality traits is often careless and disorganized. The results clearly depict the behaviour of Pat, who does not seem to mind time and arrives for work late, while smoking on her wish. Therefore, the results are consistent with the behaviors of Pat, with the way she handles her work and her smoking tendencies, which totally disregards the job etiquette. In addition, Pat is less open and this is reflected in her personality scores. She seems not to trust anyone as revealed by her reluctance to talk about her……………………………….
…………………………………Human human personality…………………………………………………………………….
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