Discussion Post: Scrutinizing Personality Trait Assessments
Companies large and small use personality trait assessments as tools for screening applicants and for assessing strengths (and limitations) of employees on the job. If a prospective employer asked you to take a personality trait assessment, do you think you know your personality well enough that you would recognize the traits that would emerge?
But what if the results revealed traits that you did not recognize about yourself? Would it be more likely that the test is inaccurate, or can these assessments reveal personality traits of which an individual may be unaware?
For this Discussion, you will take a personality trait assessment and, based on the results, explore some or possibility all of those questions. Keep in mind that the purpose of this Discussion is to consider the question of test accuracy and the depth of what personality trait assessments can reveal. You may keep private specific results from your assessment that you prefer not to share with colleagues.
Post a response that includes the following:
a. Describe the assessment you completed and your score.
b. Explain to what degree you think the assessment results reflect your personality and why.
c. Explain at least two strengths and two limitations of the personality trait assessment that you took if it were used in the workplace.
Respond to at least one of your colleagues in one or more of the following ways:
a. Ask a probing question and provide insight into how you would answer your question and why.
b. Ask a probing question and provide the foundation, or rationale, for the question.
c. Expand on your colleague's posting by offering a new perspective or insight.
d. Agree with a colleague and offer additional (new) supporting information for consideration.
e. Disagree with a colleague by respectfully discussing and supporting a different perspective.
Homework: Personality Trait Theories
Think of situations that require you to describe your personality. It might be for a profile on a dating site or introducing yourself on a resume or cover letter. How you present yourself may vary according to your purpose, and the exact words you use might change. But most likely you would consider the qualities, or traits, that you want to highlight about yourself-such as fun-loving and curious or intelligent and dependable. In fact, your description might be a string of personality traits. And for those reading about you, most likely those traits would create a fairly clear picture of who you are.
When called on to describe personality, most people typically turn to the vocabulary of traits. The idea that personality is driven by identifiable, observable traits can be easier to grasp than more abstract personality theories. For help in identifying traits, there are a variety of personality trait assessments. They are used informally (think pop psychology quizzes) or for career guidance, and also as a workplace tool for screening job candidates.
Yet, what are personality assessments measuring? Are they truly objective? Are they scientific? Are their results accurate, measurable, and valuable? This week you will examine these questions as you explore personality trait theory and the value of personality trait assessments. You will base at least some of your conclusions on your experience in taking a personality trait assessment this week and evaluating the results. As you consider the effectiveness of these tools, you will also apply personality trait theories to your understanding of human behavior.
Learning Objectives
a. Evaluate applicability of personality trait assessment
b. Analyze strengths and limitations of personality trait assessment
c. Evaluate effectiveness of personality trait theories in explaining human behavior
d. Compare personality trait theories with psychoanalytic and humanistic theories
e. Examine contributions of theorists to personality trait theories
f. Demonstrate an understanding of personality trait theories
Format your homework according to the give formatting requirements:
a. The answer must be double spaced, typed, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides.
b. The response also includes a cover page containing the title of the homework, the course title, the student's name, and the date. The cover page is not included in the required page length.
c. Also include a reference page. The references and Citations should follow APA format. The reference page is not included in the required page length.
Reference
• Cervone, D., & Pervin, L. A. (2019). Personality: Theory and research (14th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
o Chapter 7, "Trait Theories of Personality: Allport, Eysenck, and Catell" (pp. 180-204)
o Chapter 8, "Trait Theory: The Five-Factor Model and Contemporary Developments" (pp. 205-240).