Personality Assessment and Theories
Michelle Leonard
Axia College
There are four types of assessments use to determine an individual’s personality. These are assessments are: the personal interview, observation, objective tests, and projective test. Along with these four types of assessments there are four theories which correspond with each assessment. These theories are: psychodynamic, humanistic, trait, and cognitive-social theories. Both the assessments and the theories can help to explain an individual’s personality.
The first type of assessment is the personal interview. There are two main ways that the interview can be conducted: unstructured and structured. In an unstructured interview the interviewer asks random questions as things come up and follow up questions when appropriate (Morris & Maisto, 2005). In a structured interview the interviewee is asked specific questions relevant to the interviewer’s topic. A structured interview is less personal, but is more effective in obtaining information that would not be discussed if the interview was unstructured.
Many different theories can be used when conducting a personal interview depending on the questions asked. If the interviewer asks the person to recall a past event, such as a childhood memory or a repressed feeling this could be considered the psychodynamic theory. If the interviewer asks about positive goals, their own feelings and self image this could be considered the humanistic theory. If the interviewer asks about their life expectations or standards this could be considered the cognitive-social theory. Each of these theories would have different result for the interviewer based on the questions asked and the individual who answered them.
The second type of personality assessment is direct observation. Direct observation is just what it sounds like. In this type of assessment the individual is observed to find out what their behavior is. The longer the person is observed in...