Personality Assessment
Expert-defined terms from the Certificate in Psychological Assessment and Testing course at London School of Planning and Management. Free to read, free to share, paired with a globally recognised certification pathway.
Assessment #
The process of gathering and evaluating information about an individual’s behavior, abilities, and skills to understand their personality, emotions, and cognition. This information is used to make informed decisions and provide appropriate interventions.
Cognitive Assessment #
An evaluation of an individual's cognitive abilities, including memory, attention, perception, problem-solving, and language skills. Cognitive assessments can help identify learning disabilities, intellectual disabilities, and other cognitive impairments.
Emotional Intelligence #
The ability to understand and manage one's own emotions and the emotions of others. Emotional intelligence includes skills such as self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skills.
Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) #
A widely used psychological assessment tool designed to measure adult psychopathology. The MMPI contains several validity scales that assess the test-taker's response style and reliability, as well as clinical scales that measure various symptoms of psychological disorders.
Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory (MCMI) #
A psychological assessment tool designed to measure adult personality disorders and clinical syndromes. The MCMI contains scales that assess various personality disorders, such as narcissistic, borderline, and antisocial personality disorder, as well as clinical syndromes, such as anxiety and depression.
Neuropsychological Assessment #
An evaluation of an individual's cognitive and behavioral functioning, with a focus on the relationship between brain function and behavior. Neuropsychological assessments can help identify brain injuries, neurological disorders, and other conditions that affect cognitive and behavioral functioning.
Objective Personality Assessment #
A type of personality assessment that uses standardized, structured measures, such as self-report questionnaires and objective tests, to evaluate an individual's personality traits and characteristics. Objective personality assessments are designed to minimize subjective bias and error.
Projective Personality Assessment #
A type of personality assessment that uses ambiguous stimuli, such as inkblots or pictures, to assess an individual's personality traits and characteristics. Projective personality assessments are designed to tap into an individual's unconscious thoughts, feelings, and motivations.
Psychological Testing #
The administration and interpretation of psychological tests to evaluate an individual's cognitive, emotional, and behavioral functioning. Psychological testing can help identify learning disabilities, intellectual disabilities, mental health disorders, and other conditions that affect cognitive, emotional, and behavioral functioning.
Rorschach Inkblot Test #
A projective personality assessment tool that uses a series of inkblots to assess an individual's perception, thought processes, and emotional functioning. The Rorschach Inkblot Test is designed to tap into an individual's unconscious thoughts, feelings, and motivations.
Self #
Report Personality Assessment: A type of personality assessment that uses self-report questionnaires to evaluate an individual's personality traits and characteristics. Self-report personality assessments are designed to assess an individual's conscious thoughts, feelings, and motivations.
Structured Clinical Interview (SCID) #
A semi-structured interview used to assess mental health disorders, such as mood disorders, anxiety disorders, and personality disorders. The SCID provides standardized questions and prompts to guide the interview and ensure consistency in the assessment process.
Subjective Personality Assessment #
A type of personality assessment that relies on subjective judgments and observations, such as clinical interviews and behavioral observations. Subjective personality assessments are prone to bias and error, as they rely on the observer's interpretation and subjective impression of the individual's behavior.
Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) #
A projective personality assessment tool that uses a series of pictures to assess an individual's perception, thought processes, and emotional functioning. The TAT is designed to tap into an individual's unconscious thoughts, feelings, and motivations.
Validity #
The accuracy and reliability of a psychological test or assessment. Validity refers to the degree to which a test measures what it is intended to measure and produces consistent results.
Washington University Sentence Completion Test #
A projective personality assessment tool that uses sentence stems to assess an individual's personality traits and characteristics. The sentence stems are designed to elicit responses that reflect an individual's unconscious thoughts, feelings, and motivations.