What Can A Personality Assessment Tell Us?

A common way to try to understand your personality can be to take a personality assessment. These usually come in the form of questionnaires, where you may answer questions as honestly as possible to receive results. In this article, you’ll learn about the MBTI, the DISC assessment, the Winslow Personality Profile, the Process Communication Model, and more. For further insight into your personality, consider scheduling a session with an online or in-person therapist. 

Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)

This test is named after a mother and daughter duo, Katherine Briggs and Isabel Myers, and it's generally one of the most popular personality tests. It's primarily based on the concepts of Carl Jung, a psychoanalyst who looked at how people perceive the world. It normally categorizes individuals into 16 personality types based on certain traits, such as sensing vs. intuition and feeling vs. thinking.

The MBTI typically also takes into account whether you are an introvert or an extrovert. In general, this is a spectrum that shows how you gain energy—from being alone or from being around others.

DISC Assessment

This assessment is mainly based on the concepts of Walter Clarke and William Marston, two psychologists, and it can be used to look at one's behavior. Like the MBTI, it's often used by businesses, and it can determine how suitable you might be for a job. Some people use the DISC similarly to a career personality test to determine which career path may be the best for them.

Winslow Personality Profile

This test normally works as a career fitter. It usually looks at different personality traits and helps people figure out their strengths and weaknesses. It can also measure one's happiness. People tend to like this test because of how easy it is to use and understand.

Process Communication Model

Created by NASA, the Process Communication Model (PCM) personality tool is often used to screen astronauts for missions to make sure their personality is a good fit for the job. This test is generally based on the belief that there are six personality types: harmonizers, rebels, thinkers, persisters, imaginers, and promoters. Like many of the other tests, it can enable someone to figure out which career path they may want to take.

Holtzman Inkblot Technique

When one thinks of inkblots, they may imagine the Rorschach test. The Holtzman Inkblot Technique is generally a different type of inkblot test that is believed to fix the criteria problems sometimes associated with the Rorschach test. Like the original test, the Holtzman Inkblot Technique usually measures personality and looks at different criteria. These criteria can include one's reaction time, space, place, rejection, inkblot form, and much more.

Hexaco Personality Inventory

This test generally has six characteristics one must measure: humility, emotionality, extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and openness to one's experience. The test can measure one's personality using adjectives. According to some critics, however, the test may be flawed because it may not allow for cultural differences.

The Personality Assessment System (PAS)

The PAS was developed by a psychologist who used to work for the CIA. As the name implies, it typically looks at your personality profile and assesses it. To do this, PAS normally uses the subtests of the Wechsler Scales in order to look at one's skills, intelligence, and other personality traits. This scale can look at the development of one's character and how it was formed. A company might use it to profile a person psychologically.

The Birkman Method

The Birkman Method was created by Roger Birkman, and it generally measures how one reacts to stress. Some people may be cool under pressure, while others may let the stress consume them. Many tests and theories can be used for this personality test, such as the classical test theory and item response theory. This may help the test be more reliable than others.

The Enneagram

The Enneagram is a test that can measure one's abilities. It normally sorts people into nine personality types: reformers, helpers, achievers, individualists, investigators, loyalists, enthusiasts, challengers, and peacemakers.

This test can use different shapes to represent its personality types. It normally has a ring that can look at the different personalities and how they unite. There can also be triangles, which may look at three personality types at a time and how they may influence each other. Meanwhile, an irregular hexagon can connect different personality types.

This test is typically quite thorough, and it tends to be one of the most popular tests out there.

Potential Problems With Personality Tests

Accuracy

One of the potential problems can be that there are many theories about personality, so each test may highlight different traits, leading to questions of accuracy.

Some personality tests may also lack a basis in hard findings. For example, in the MBTI test, Myers and Briggs aren’t believed to have had any psychological training, and the ideas of Jung are often questioned as well.

Dishonesty

In some cases, people may lie on these types of tests to make themselves look good or to give the answer they think is "correct." If a potential employee knows the questions they will be given, they may lie to get a result that shows they have the right personality for the job. Sometimes, this type of dishonesty may not be deliberate. Some individuals may unconsciously pick what they view to be the “best answer,” or they may not be introspective enough to answer the question accurately.

Unfairness

Another potential problem may be that personality tests can be used to exclude or include employees who may (or may not) be a good fit for the job. Someone who may have all the skills for a job may be rejected just because their personality isn't what the company thinks they are looking for. While it can be understandable that an employer would want a certain personality type, the tests they may use to find someone with that personality type may not be accurate.

Further Insight

Personality tests can be fun to take, and they can say a lot about a person. However, it may be unwise to think they are the ultimate determination of one's personality. 

If you choose to take a personality test, we generally advise that you take more than one of those discussed above to get a more complete picture of your personality.

Benefits Of Online Therapy

Online therapy can be an excellent way to gain professional insight into your personality. You can match with a therapist who fits your needs and preferences and schedule sessions at a time that fits your schedule. You may also choose between video call, phone call, and online chat to further personalize the experience.

Effectiveness Of Online Therapy

While there currently isn’t much research investigating the efficacy of online therapy for providing insight into a person’s personality, a large body of evidence suggests that online therapy and face-to-face therapy tend to be similarly effective. Both can be valid treatment options for a wide variety of mental health concerns.