The TEST...

In studying psychology, one of the aspects I most enjoy is the study of personality 

I've taken so many tests Myself... DiSC, The Big Five Inventory, the Jung Typology Test, and the Keirsey Temperament Sorter (KTS-ll) are among the few.  Just now I took the shortened version of the big 5 again.... I find the results to be quite spot on and entertaining.  It's also fun to watch how things change from year to year... as My personality changes so do the results of the tests.  

Why do psychologists bother with personality tests...

 Personality testing refers to techniques that are used to accurately and consistently measure a person's personality. They are used for assessing theories, looking at changes in personality over time, evaluating the effectiveness of therapy, diagnosing psychological problems, and even screening job candidates (ever apply for a job and have some situational question ie... if you're with a customer and x happens what would you do?... yup that's a personality test)

When we talk about ourselves and others, we frequently refer to different characteristics of a person's personality.  We asses people's personalities informally every day.  Psychologists do much the same thing when they assess personality, but on a much more systematic and scientific level.


I'm not saying that they are always right.  They have their weaknesses and flaws.  But then again psychology in a whole is more of an art than a science, at least in My belief.  
  




Today I'd like to look at the Big 5.  It's one of My favorites because it's not as lengthy. 

Decades of research on personality has uncovered five broad dimensions of personality, note on broad here.    While they don’t capture the idiosyncrasies of everyone’s personality, (the little nuances that make each individual unique) it is a theoretical framework in which to understand general components of our personality that seem to be the most important in our social and interpersonal interactions with others.  These so-called Big Five dimensions are called:

Extraversion

Extroversion is marked by pronounced engagement with the external world. Extroverts enjoy being with people, are full of energy, and often experience positive emotions. They tend to be enthusiastic, action-oriented, individuals who are likely to say "Yes!" or "Let's go!" to opportunities for excitement. In groups they like to talk, assert themselves, and draw attention to themselves.On the opposite side of the spectrum we have Introverts.
Introverts lack the exuberance, energy, and activity levels of extroverts. They tend to be quiet, low-key, deliberate, and disengaged from the social world. Their lack of social involvement should not be interpreted as shyness or depression; the introvert simply needs less stimulation than an extrovert and prefers to be alone.


Agreeableness
Agreeableness reflects individual differences in concern with cooperation and social harmony. Agreeable individuals value getting along with others. They are therefore considerate, friendly, generous, helpful, and willing to compromise their interests with others'. Agreeable people also have an optimistic view of human nature. They believe people are basically honest, decent, and trustworthy.
Disagreeable individuals place self-interest above getting along with others. They are generally unconcerned with others' well-being, and therefore are unlikely to extend themselves for other people. Sometimes their skepticism about others' motives causes them to be suspicious, unfriendly, and uncooperative.
Agreeableness is obviously advantageous for attaining and maintaining popularity. Agreeable people are better liked than disagreeable people. On the other hand, agreeableness is not useful in situations that require tough or absolute objective decisions. Disagreeable people can make excellent scientists, critics, or soldiers.


Conscientiousness
Conscientiousness concerns the way in which we control, regulate, and direct our impulses. Impulses are not inherently bad; occasionally time constraints require a snap decision, and acting on our first impulse can be an effective response. Also, in times of play rather than work, acting spontaneously and impulsively can be fun. Impulsive individuals can be seen by others as colorful, fun-to-be-with, and zany. Conscientiousness includes the factor known as Need for Achievement (NAch).
The benefits of high conscientiousness are obvious. Conscientious individuals avoid trouble and achieve high levels of success through purposeful planning and persistence. They are also positively regarded by others as intelligent and reliable. On the negative side, they can be compulsive perfectionists and workaholics. Furthermore, extremely conscientious individuals might be regarded as stuffy and boring. Unconscientious people may be criticized for their unreliability, lack of ambition, and failure to stay within the lines, but they will experience many short-lived pleasures and they will never be called stuffy.

Neuroticism
Neuroticism refers to the tendency to experience negative feelings. Those who score high on Neuroticism may experience primarily one specific negative feeling such as anxiety, anger, or depression, but are likely to experience several of these emotions. People high in Neuroticism are emotionally reactive. They respond emotionally to events that would not affect most people, and their reactions tend to be more intense than normal. They are more likely to interpret ordinary situations as threatening, and minor frustrations as hopelessly difficult. Their negative emotional reactions tend to persist for unusually long periods of time, which means they are often in a bad mood. These problems in emotional regulation can diminish a neurotic's ability to think clearly, make decisions, and cope effectively with stress.
At the other end of the scale, individuals who score low in Neuroticism are less easily upset and are less emotionally reactive. They tend to be calm, emotionally stable, and free from persistent negative feelings. Freedom from negative feelings does not mean that low scorers experience a lot of positive feelings; frequency of positive emotions is a component of the Extroversion domain.

Openness to Experience
Openness to Experience describes a dimension of cognitive style that distinguishes imaginative, creative people from down-to-earth, conventional people. Open people are intellectually curious, appreciative of art, and sensitive to beauty. They tend to be, compared to closed people, more aware of their feelings. They tend to think and act in individualistic and nonconforming ways. People with low scores on openness to experience tend to have narrow, common interests. They prefer the plain, straightforward, and obvious over the complex, ambiguous, and subtle. They may regard the arts and sciences with suspicion, regarding these endeavors as abstruse or of no practical use. Closed people prefer familiarity over novelty; they are conservative and resistant to change.
Openness is often presented as healthier or more mature by psychologists, who are often themselves open to experience. However, open and closed styles of thinking are useful in different environments. The intellectual style of the open person may serve a professor well, but research has shown that closed thinking is related to superior job performance in police work, sales, and a number of service occupations.

Now, Myself... I scored high in Agreeableness and Openness.  Extremely high in Extroversion and Conscientiousness.  Extremely low in Neuroticism.

   What does this say about Me.... well, it reads like a description of Me at My core.... I'm an open minded explorer of life who is organized, detailed, and creative.  A very social person who tends to be friendly and genuine with others. Who truly enjoys being around other people, the attention I get from them, and the positive energy associated with it. And who doesn't mind too much the rejection in life that's inevitable handling life's stresses with a fair amount of ease and durability.  

Not that I'm ALWAYS sociable, calm, happy, or positive.... but in general I think I am.  


If you'd like to take the mini test you can do so here... http://psychcentral.com/personality-test/start.php

(description of the 5 dimensions courtesy of sevencounties.org)