Personality Using terms such as traits, states, and personality, develop your own definition of the word personality. What does personality mean to you? Conduct research on the

Trait Theories.html

Trait Theories

In psychological assessment, personality inventories have a very broad range of uses and implications. The purpose of utilizing personality inventories in a clinical setting is to add to information that a psychologist or other professional already knows about an individual. Using what is known about certain types of personalities and behaviors that are typically associated with them, professionals can use personality inventories to better create a plan for treatment when an individual enters into therapy.

Another growing area in which personality inventories are utilized is organizational decision making. Narrowing down prospective employees is done using a variety of different methods, and the methods of each business or organization differ, but many give personality inventories as a way of deciding which employees would be a good fit with company workers and values. One of the most popular personality tests is based on the Big Five personality traits.

The Big Five personality traits consist of Openness to Experience, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism. The acronym OCEAN is often used to denote these five personality traits. The traits were created using statistical technique called factor analysis, where hundreds of words used to describe personality traits were narrowed down to these five categories.

Tests based on the Big Five personality theory typically have items that are all scored on a five-point scale; with possible responses range from strongly disagree to strongly agree. A person’s results on this personality inventory are thought to help decipher normal and pathological personality types, job performance, and a person's interests.

Personality Theory & Testing.html

Personality Theory & Testing

Personalities are complex and develop over time based on a combination of genetic factors and one's experiences interacting with the world and with other people. The development of personality has been a subject of interest in the field of psychology since its early years. A vast array of tests and theories about how a personality develops, as well as predictions regarding how social interactions occur between people with different personalities, have pervaded psychological research for decades.

Several theories and perspectives about personality have been developed, and one of the most well-known theories comes from one of the most well-known theorists in psychology: Sigmund Freud.

Freud’s Psychodynamic Theory focuses on the unconscious mental forces at work at any given time in an individual. This theory relies heavily on memories one has of events that occurred earlier in life, but especially repressed memories that create a feeling of anxiety and unease in a person. The id, ego, and superego are also important aspects of personality according to this perspective; the interactions between these three personality structures is thought to dictate how a person thinks and feels, thus resulting in behaviors characteristic of his or her personality.

Another perspective focuses not on the unconscious desires, but on the thoughts and beliefs that are at the forefront of a person's consciousness. In this perspective reside Trait Theories, which attempt to categorize personality on the basis of observable behavioral patterns.

Similar to Trait Theories are Type Theories, which posit that a cluster of traits make a larger, collective personality that is mostly present in an individual's life, and can generally be categorized as such. The Big Five (discussed more in depth later,) is an example of the trait perspective as it places individuals into a personality dimension based on responses to test questions.