Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Chapter 13
Measuring Personality
Genetic influences on personality
Environmental influences on personality
Cultural influences on personality
Psychodynamic influences on personality
The inner experience
Defining Personality and Traits.
Personality
Distinctive and relatively stable pattern of
behaviours, thoughts, motives, and emotions that
characterizes an individual throughout life.
Trait
A characteristic of an individual, describing a
habitual way of behaving, thinking, and feeling.
Projective Tests
Projective tests
Based on the assumption that the test taker will
transfer (“project”) unconscious conflicts and
motives onto an ambiguous stimulus.
Examples include the Thematic Apperception
Test and the Rorschach
Thematic Apperception Test
Person is asked to tell a
story about the “hero” in
the picture
Another projective test
Based on Murray’s
personality theory
People are distinguished
by the needs that
motivate their behaviour
The Rorschach Inkblot Test
Ambiguous stimuli
Person is asked to
report what they see
This type of test is
called projective
No clear image, so
the things you see
must be “projected”
from inside yourself Sample Rorschach Card
Objective Tests
Standardized questionnaires requiring written
responses; typically include scales on which
people rate themselves:
‘I am easily embarrassed’ T or F
‘I like to go to parties’ T or F
More reliability and validity than projective
tests.
Better at predicting behaviour.
Factor analysis:
A statistical method for analysing the
intercorrelations among various measures or
test scores; clusters of measures or scores that
are highly correlated are assumed to measure
the same underlying trait or ability (factor).
Example: Cattel’s 16 Personality Factors (PF)
Questionnaire.
Minnesota Multiphasic Personality
Inventory
Most widely used personality instrument
Now the MMPI - 2
Clinical & Employment settings
Measures aspects of personality that, if
extreme, suggest a problem
e.g., extreme suspiciousness
Long test ‑ 567 questions
Characteristics of the MMPI‑2
Has several different scales (multiphasic)
Scales thought to measure different kinds of
psychological disorders
e.g., depression
Scale scores indicate how you compare with
others
Overall assessment is interpretive
From inspecting profile of different scales
MMPI Score Profile
MMPI Validity Scales
Four scales designed to determine whether
respondent is presenting self accurately.
Example: L scale (‘Fake Good’) - Trying
too hard to present self in a positive light.
“I smile at everyone I meet” (T)
“I read every editorial every day” (T)
MMPI Sample Items
I usually feel that life is worthwhile and
interesting
Depression
Evil people are trying to influence my mind
Paranoia
I seem to hear things that other people can’t
hear
Schizophrenia
“Big Five” Personality Dimensions
Extroversion
Neuroticism
Agreeableness
Conscientiousness
Openness to experience
“Big Five” Personality Dimensions
The Big Five have emerged as distinct,
central personality dimensions in many
countries around the world.
Are stable over a lifetime.
Some argue it is incomplete; other important
dimensions (e.g., religiosity) are missing
Others (Eysenck) argue for only 3 factors.
Genetic Influences on Personality
Heredity and temperament
Heredity and traits
Genetic Influences on Personality
123 pairs of identical twins
and 127 pairs of fraternal
twins
Measured on “Big Five”
personality dimensions
Results suggest that
personality differences in
the population are 40 - 50%
genetically determined.
Heredity and Temperament
Temperaments
Physiological dispositions to respond to the
environment in certain ways.
Present in infancy and assumed to be innate.
Includes:
Reactivity
Soothability
Esteem
Belongingness
Safety
Physiological
Carl Rogers
Unconditional Positive Regard
Love or support given to another person with
no conditions attached.
Conditional Positive Regard
A situation in which the acceptance and love
one receives from significant others is
contingent upon one’s behaviour.
Carl Rogers’ Personality Theory