- Personality assessment measures a person’s usual patterns of thinking, feeling, and behaviour.
- It focuses on typical performance, not best performance.
- Main methods include self-report tests, projective techniques, observation, and interviews.
- Each method has strengths and limitations, such as bias or subjectivity.
- A good test must be reliable, valid, standardised, and ethical.
Definitions [3]
Define personality according to Cattell.
According to Raymond Cattell (1970), “Personality is that which permits a prediction of what a person will do in a given situation.”
Define personality, according to Eysenck.
According to Eysenck (1971), “Personality is the more or less stable and enduring organization of a person’s character, temperament, intellect and physique, which determine his unique adjustment to the environment.”
Definition: Personality
- According to Norman Munn, “Personality is a unique combination of an individual's physical structure, needs, interests, abilities, and aptitudes.”
- According to Gordon Allport, “Personality is the dynamic organization within the individual of those psychophysical systems that determine his unique adjustments to the environment.”
- Warren states that "Personality is the entire mental organisation of a human being at any stage of his development."
- According to Dashiell, "The system of reactions and reaction possibilities in toto as viewed by fellow members of the society is called one 'personality'."
- Morton Prince has defined personality as "the sum total of all the biological, innate dispositions, impulses, tendencies, appetites and instincts of the individual and the acquired dispositions and tendencies acquired by experience."
Key Points
Key Points: Factors Shaping Personality
- Heredity influences physical traits and mental abilities, which affect self-concept and personality development.
- Endocrine glands affect personality through hormones; an imbalance may cause emotional and behavioural problems.
- Family environment (parenting style, emotional climate, socio-economic status) strongly shapes self-esteem and personality.
- Peer group can influence personality positively (good habits) or negatively (bad habits, aggression).
- School influences personality through teachers, discipline, academic and co-curricular activities.
- Mass media can positively provide knowledge but excessive use may harm personality development.
- Culture shapes personality through its values, beliefs, and norms that guide behaviour.
Key Points: Perspectives of Studying Personality
- Psychoanalytic – Personality is shaped by childhood experiences and the unconscious mind.
- Humanistic – Focuses on free will and personal growth.
- Trait – Personality consists of different traits in varying amounts.
- Type – People are classified into specific personality types.
- Social Cognitive – Personality develops through observation and thinking processes.
Key Points: Carl Jung’s Theory of Personality
- Jung’s personality types include introverts (self-reflective), extroverts (social), and ambiverts (a mix of both).
- His psyche structure has three levels: conscious, personal unconscious, and collective unconscious (with shared symbols).
- Archetypes like the Hero, Mother, Shadow, and Wise Old Man appear in myths and stories worldwide.
- The four functions of personality are thinking, feeling, sensing, and intuition, guiding how we make decisions.
- Jung focused on self-realization, not just on past conflicts, unlike Freud—his ideas inspired tools like the MBTI for career and self-awareness.
Key Points: Trait Theory of G. Allport
- Allport divided personality traits into cardinal, central, and secondary traits.
- Cardinal traits are dominant and shape a person’s whole life (e.g., Gandhi's truthfulness).
- Central traits are general qualities seen often in daily behavior (e.g., honesty, sociability).
- Secondary traits are situation-based and show up only sometimes (e.g., stage fear).
- These traits vary in strength and influence how a person thinks, feels, and acts.
Key Points: Big Five Factor Model of Personality: (Ocean)
- The Big Five Model, developed by Robert McCrae and Paul Costa, explains personality through five major traits (OCEAN).
- Openness – Creativity, curiosity, imagination, and interest in new experiences.
- Conscientiousness – Self-discipline, responsibility, and organisation.
- Extraversion – Sociability, talkativeness, enthusiasm, and energy from social interaction.
- Agreeableness and Neuroticism – Agreeableness reflects kindness and cooperation; Neuroticism reflects emotional instability and a tendency toward negative emotions.
Key Points: Measurement of Personality
Key Points: Behavioural Analysis
- Behavioural Analysis: Studying how people act to understand their personality – "Actions speak louder than words."
- Interview: Asking questions and watching body language to learn about a person.
- Observation: Watching someone in real life or a set-up place to see how they behave.
- Nomination: Friends or classmates pick someone for a role (like leader) based on what they’ve seen.
- Behavioural Ratings: Teachers or others rate someone’s behaviour on a scale (like 1 to 5).
- Situational Tests: Giving real-life tasks or role plays to see how someone reacts.
Key Points: Self Report Inventories
- Self-report inventories assess personality by asking individuals to answer structured questions about themselves.
- Responses are usually given on rating scales and are scored using standard norms.
- Common examples include MMPI (and MMPI-2), Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ), 16 PF by Cattell, and MBTI.
- These tests are widely used for diagnosis, career guidance, and understanding personality traits.
- Major limitations include social desirability (answering in a socially acceptable way) and acquiescence (tendency to agree with items).
- Proper training and expertise are required to administer and interpret these tests correctly.
Key Points: Projective Techniques
- Projective Tests: Use unclear tasks (like pictures or sentences) to uncover hidden thoughts, emotions, and conflicts.
- Rorschach Ink-Blot Test: 10 inkblots → person describes what they see → reveals thinking and emotions. Needs an expert to score.
- TAT (Thematic Apperception Test): 30 pictures → person makes up a story → shows motives, feelings, and conflicts.
- Sentence-Completion Test: Fill in blanks (e.g., “I feel…”), which gives quick ideas about feelings and thoughts. Easy to use.
- Draw-a-Person Test: Draw a person and tell a story → shows self-image and feelings through art. Interpretation can vary.
Important Questions [18]
- Explain the following concept in 25 to 30 words: Personality
- What is meant by personality?
- Answer of the following question in 150 to 200 words: Explain any five factors shaping personality.
- Children from families having a warm emotional atmosphere are well adjusted.
- Answer in one sentence. Which hormone is secreted by thyroid gland?
- Answer the following question in 25 to 30 words: Write in your own words how the mass media affects personality.
- Answer the following question in 25 to 30 words. Describe Carl Jung's theory of personality.
- Write answers to the following question based on example only in a word:
- Explain the following concept in 25 to 30 words: Neuroticism
- Explain the following concept in 25 to 30 words: Conscientiousness
- Answer the following question with given points in 100 to 150 words. Explain the various methods of personality measurement. Points : Behavioural analysis Self report technique Projective method
- Anita consistently increased the amount of practice in sports. It also increased her playing skills. So what type of correlation is found between the amount of practice in sports and playing skills?
- Answer the following question in only 'one' sentence: What type of interview technique do industrial psychologists use while selecting a particular employee for a particular job?
- Answer the following question in only ‘one’ sentence: Students added a few questions on the spot in an interview as per the response given by the principal, which type of interview did students use?
- Thematic Apperception Test was developed by ______.
- The ink blot test was developed by psychologist ______.
- The sentence completion test measures ______.
- Write information about the various tests based on the projective method of measurement of personality.
