Sabila Naseer M.

Phil in Applied Psychology IAP (PU), Visiting Associate Lecturer UON

Assessment of Personality
The topic of personality is of the most interesting not only to the students of psychology
but also to the common people who want to know about its individuality and complexity in all
walks of life for better adjustment and success. In present personality is assessed through a
person’s particular nature of traits or scores on traits.
Trait: In psychology, trait refers to the ways in which a person is generally described. Traits can
be defined as a stable characteristic that causes a person to depict a response to any situations in
certain ways. Trait theories indicate that the traits are always constant regardless of the
situations.
Psychologists developed two different strategies for describing personality.
1) Nomothetic Approach: It is used in the form of group participants. The scores of an
individual is compared with others in the group on various dimensions of personality.
2) Idiographic Approach: It is based on the organization of personality traits of an
individual telling his most outstanding or the central trait which shape his/her
individuality.
Now-a-days emphasis is being laid on the standardization of measuring devices or tests
of personality. The tests which do not fulfill the requirement of norms of validity and reliability
are rejected. Personality tests can be classified into two major categories.
1. Objective Tests/Techniques
2. Projective Tests/Techniques
1) Objective Tests/ Non Projective Tests of Personality
An objective test is a psychological test that measures an individual's characteristics in a
way that isn't influenced by the examiner's own beliefs; in this way, they are said to be
independent of rater bias. These are paper -pencil tests of multiple choice questions (MCQ), true
false, right or wrong and fill in the blanks. Questions are classified according to the age sex,
education and socio economic level and find out the average norms for latter comparison. The
key is prepared, all instructions are given in manual which explain the timing, scoring method
and evaluation of personality profile. The objective tests are valid and reliable. So thse are called
standardized tests.
Sabila Naseer M.Phil in Applied Psychology IAP (PU), Visiting Associate Lecturer UON

Non-Projective Test
Non-projective test/technique is a direct method of assessing personality. In this
technique the person under measurement knows that his personality is being judged. So the
person consciously tries to express his good aspects and conceal his drawbacks.
The following Non-projective test/techniques are used for personality assessment.
1. Interview
2. Observation and behavioral assessment
3. Psychological tests
4. Self-report measures
5. Rating Scales
1) Interview:
 Interview refers to direct face-to-face encounter and interaction.
 Verbal as well as non-verbal information is available to the psychologist.
 Interviews are usually used to supplement information gathered through other sources.
 Skill of the interviewer is very important since the worth and utility of the interview depends
on how well he can draw relevant information from the interviewee.
Types of interview:
1) Structured Interview
2) UN-Structured Interview
2) Behavioral Assessment
 Direct observation measure for studying and describing personality characteristics.
3) Psychological Tests •
 In order to objectively assess personality and behavior standard measures are devised. These
measures are called psychological tests.
 Psychological tests have to be valid and reliable. Besides they need to be based on norms.
4) Self- report measures •
 Measures wherein the subjects are asked questions about a sample of their behavior. These
are paper and pencil tools or tests. For example MMPI.

MMPI (Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory)

 The most frequently used personality test. It was initially developed to identify people having
specific sorts of psychological difficulties. But it can predict a variety of other behaviors too.
 It can identify problems and tendencies like Depression, Hysteria, Paranoia, and
Schizophrenia for example.
5) Rating Scales:
Sabila Naseer M.Phil in Applied Psychology IAP (PU), Visiting Associate Lecturer UON

 Rating scales give measurement of an individual’s trait by the raters who know him well.
 Rating scales are framed about a trait in a varying degree from the least to the most.
 According to Garrett and Bonner, Rating scale is a devise for obtaining systematic judgment
of the extent to which an individual possess certain traits or exhibits certain kinds of traits.
 Ratings may be expressed as numbers by dividing the rating line into 3, 5, 6, 7 or 11 points.
 Rating scales provide useful estimates of personality traits. i.e.,
Three point Scale
1 2 3
Agree Undecided Disagree
Five Point Scale
1 2 3 4 5
Lowest Lower Middle Upper. Upper Most

Projective Tests/ Techniques

Tests in which the subject is first shown an ambiguous stimulus and then he has to describe it
or tell a story about it. The most famous and frequently used projective tests are:
1. Rorschach Inkblot Test
2. HIT (The Holtzman Ink-Blot Test/Technique)
3. TAT (Thematic Apperception Test)
4. CAT (Children Apperception Test)
5. HTP (House Tree Person Test)
6. WAT (Word Association Test)
7. RISB ( Rotter Incomplete Sentence Blank)
(consult book for projective tests)