4.14 Personality Assessment

Self-Report Inventories

Self-report inventories ask people to answer standardized questions about their own behaviors and feelings. The MMPI (Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory) is a well-known example, originally built to detect psychological disorders but now widely used. These tests are objective, reliable, and empirically validated, but can be affected by social desirability bias — people answering to look good rather than accurately.

Projective Tests

Projective tests present ambiguous stimuli, assuming people will project unconscious thoughts, feelings, and conflicts onto them. The Rorschach Inkblot Test and the Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) are classic examples rooted in psychoanalytic theory. Critics argue these tests have low reliability and validity since scoring is subjective and interpretations vary between examiners.

Comparing Assessment Approaches

Personality assessments differ by theoretical background: trait theorists favor self-report inventories for measurable, quantifiable data, while psychoanalytic theorists favor projective tests to uncover unconscious material. Good assessments require reliability (consistent results) and validity (measuring what they claim to measure) — a key limitation of many projective techniques.

Key terms

Self-report inventory

A standardized questionnaire where individuals report their own behaviors, thoughts, and feelings (e.g., MMPI).

MMPI

Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory — a widely used self-report test originally designed to diagnose psychological disorders.

Projective test

A personality assessment using ambiguous stimuli to reveal unconscious thoughts and feelings (e.g., Rorschach, TAT).

Rorschach Inkblot Test

A projective test in which people describe what they see in ambiguous inkblot images.

Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)

A projective test where individuals create stories about ambiguous scenes to reveal unconscious motives.

Try an AP-style question

The MMPI is an example of a…

1. self-report inventory
2. projective test
3. behavioral observation
4. brain scan