unit 2: self and others area of study 2: intelligence & personality

UNIT 2: SELF AND OTHERS

PERSONALITYPERSONALITY IS A

HYPOTHETICAL CONSTRUCT

(We can’t see or touch personality, it’s intangible)

So how do we know it exists?

PERSONALITY TESTS

PERSONALITY TESTSA personality test is an assessment device used to evaluate or

measure aspects of personality, such as factors and specific traits

INVENTORIES

A personality inventory is a ‘self-report’, paper and

pencil or online test which has a list of questions

designed to assess various aspects of personality

Considered to be ‘objective’No interpretation of results,

rather responses are compared with others who have particular personality

traits

PROJECTIVE TESTS

Attempts to uncover an individual’s unconscious wishes, desires, fears,

thoughts, needs and other ‘hidden’ aspects of

personality by asking them to describe what they see or to make up a story from an

ambiguous situation

The assumption is that they will draw upon their own

personal experiences in their descriptions

INVENTORIESAn inventory creates a personality profile (an overall pictorial representation of a person’s personality based on

their responses)

Below is a personality profile of two people who have completed the MMPI-2

MMPI-2 = Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory

567 Items (All True/False questions)Designed to identify abnormal personality

HOMEWORK• LEARNING ACTIVITY 12.28 (pg.550)• LEARNING ACTIVITY 12.29 (pg.550)

INVENTORIESInventories are not always used for identifying abnormal personalitiesThey are also used by organisations and workplaces to assist their vocational selections

VOCATION JOB CAREER

There are two types of inventories we will look at;

1.MYERS-BRIGGS TYPE INDICATOR (MBTI)

2. HOLLAND’S SELF-DIRECTED SEARCH (SDS)

INVENTORIES

1. MYERS-BRIGGS TYPE INDICATOR (MBTI)

Categorises an individual into 1 of 16 personality typesBased on the psychodynamic personality theory

Paper and pencil test with about 100 questions

It is possible for your type to change across time or situations

INVENTORIES1. MYERS-BRIGGS TYPE INDICATOR (MBTI)

E = Extraversion = whether your energy is directed outwards

I = Introversion = whether your energy is directed inwards

S = Sensing = whether you prefer to take in information from the five

sensesN = Intuition = whether you prefer to take in

information from unconsciousT = Thinking = whether you make decisions using logic and impersonal reasonsF = Feeling = whether you decide with your heart using personal feelingsJ = Judging = approaching your life in a planned, orderly, organised wayP = Perceiving = approaching life more flexibly, being spontaneous and open to options

INVENTORIES1. MYERS-BRIGGS TYPE INDICATOR (MBTI)

FOR EXAMPLE

E S F PExtraversion - Sensing - Feeling – Perceiving

Very generous and impulsive. They have a low tolerance for anxiety. They make good performers, they like public relations and they love the

phone. They should avoid scholarly pursuits, especially science

HOMEWORK• LEARNING ACTIVITY 12.30 (pg.553)

INVENTORIES2. HOLLAND’S SELF-DIRECTED SEARCH (SDS)

Career counselling inventoryIdentifies personality type and matches with careers preferences

All people fit into 1 or more of 6 personality types

Sometimes called the RIASEC theory

STRENGTHS & LIMITATIONS OF INVENTORIES

STRENGTHS LIMITATIONS

• Quick to administer• Can administer to large

numbers of people in a relatively short period of time

• Efficient data analysis using computers

• They can measure a single trait, type or multiple traits simultaneously

•Purpose is obvious so some respondents manipulate their answers•Only a range of responses can be given•The amount of information they can give is limited•There is no opportunity to clarify or explain what they mean by their responses•Many have been criticised for their cultural bias

PROJECTIVE TESTS1. RORSCHACH INKBLOT TEST

2. THEMATIC APPERCEPTION TEST (TAT)

PROJECTIVE TESTS1. RORSCHACH INKBLOT TEST

• The first version of the test was developed to help identify individuals who had mental health problems

10 stimulus cards

• Constructed by dropping ink onto a piece of paper and folding it in half• Seldom used in contemporary psychology• Administered individually / test-takers are asked to describe

what they see on each stimulus card• Scoring is detailed and involves making subjective

interpretations based on assessment criteria• Computer generated interpretations are now available,

making interpretations more objective

PROJECTIVE TESTS2. THEMATIC APPERCEPTION TEST (TAT)

• Not about diagnosing mental illness• Assumes that we all have needs for achievement, and having those

needs met influences our behaviour in everyday life

30 stimulus cards / 10 are used for an assessment

• Administered individually• The test-taker is asked to create a story about the stimulus picture• It is assumed that the test-taker will create stories that will reveal the conflicts, moods or themes which dominate their lives and underlie their personality

HOMEWORK• LEARNING ACTIVITY 12.34 (pg.561)• LEARNING ACTIVITY 12.35 (pg.561)

STRENGTHS & LIMITATIONS OF PROJECTIVE TESTS

STRENGTHS LIMITATIONS

•There are no right or wrong answers and the purpose and scoring of the test is not obvious•This means that people are less likely to manipulate their answers•Individuals are not restricted in the responses they provide•They provide psychologists with rich, personalised qualitative data

•Having no correct answers makes them difficult to interpret•Interpretations are subjective and prone to inaccuracies•Low inter-rater reliability•An individual may not be able to provide a response to a particular stimulus•An individual may not actually be revealing information about their underlying personality, even though it is assumed that they are

unit 2: self and others area of study 2: intelligence & personality

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