5 Real Personality Tests
Reviewed By: Kelley Johnson, LCSW
Written By: Daniel Mark Hipp
*The Healing Center does not administer Personality Testing. The Healing Center can assist you by discussing your results from Personality Testing or referring you for testing if you are a client.
Myers-Briggs is the Most Popular Personality Test
Myers-Briggs Type Indicator is probably the most popular personality test out there. There are four dimensions to the Myers-Briggs personality test.
1. Extraversion/Introversion (E/I)
Do you prefer to be around and work with others, or would you prefer to keep more to yourself on a daily basis?
2. Sensing/Intuition (S/N)
How do you experience reality?
3. Thinking/Feeling (T/F)
How do you tackle problems?
4. Judging/Perceiving (J/P)
How do you interact in the real world?
The Five Factor Model - OCEAN - Big 5
The official name is the NEO Personality Inventory-Revised. The Five Factor Model is probably the next most popular personality test behind Myers-Briggs. As you may have guessed, the Big 5 uses five dimensions to measure personality. We use the acronym OCEAN as a pneumonic.
1. Openness
Do you enjoy novel experiences, or would you rather enjoy your comfortable patterns?
2. Conscientiousness
Are you disciplined in tackling your responsibilities? Do you stick to a schedule? Are you reliable?
3. Extraversion
Do you prefer to be around and work with others, or would you prefer to keep more to yourself on a daily basis?
4. Agreeableness
How do you get along with others? Do you generate conflict for the sake of disagreement?
5. Neuroticism
How much negative emotion do you experience on a daily basis? Do you keep your cool, or do negative emotions run amok in your life?
Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2)
“The Minnesota Multiphase Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2) is both the most popular and the most psychometrically sound objective personality test used by clinical psychologists” (Pomerantz, 2017; Butcher & Beutler, 2003; Camara, Nathan, & Puente, 2000; Frauenhoffer, Ross, Gfeller, Searight, & Piotrowski, 1998).
The MMPI-2 is shockingly simple. You read 567 sentences about yourself and mark them either true or false.
What sets the MMPI-2 apart from most personality tests is that it is “a list of items that empirically elicit different responses” rather than a “list of items that should, theoretically, elicit different responses” (Pomerantz, 2017; Ben-Porath & Archer, 2008; Graham, 2012).
Unlike the previous two personality tests, the MMPI-2 has 10 dimensions. This is 2x the length of the Five Factor Model and 2.5x the length of the Myers-Briggs.
The 10 Dimensions of Personality for MMPI-2
1. Hypochondriasis
Worrying about potential symptoms you have. The type to surf web Md. all day self-diagnosing.
2. Depression
Presence of symptoms of depression. Low mood, sleep all day.
3. Hysteria
Stressed.
4. Psychopathic Deviate
Does not care about others or consequences.
5. Masculinity-Femininity
Classic stereotypes of men and women
6. Paranoia
Distrustful of others.
7. Psychasthenia
Anxiety, always worried.
8. Schizophrenia
Senses things which are not there. Auditory/Visual hallucinations,
9. Mania
Too much energy for what is appropriate to the situation.
10. Social Introversion
Prefers to be alone rather than socializing with others.
I think that this is a much more appropriate frame to look at personality through. All of the scales are derived from observable differences, rather than guessing. They even offer a shortened version of the test that is only 388 of the original 567 questions.
Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory-IV is Great for Diagnosing Personality Disorders
The Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory-IV is provided in the same format as the MMPI-2. The key difference between the two is that the MCMI-IV lists its dimensions as the potential personality disorders. This include antisocial, borderline, narcissistic, and paranoid.
There are 195 questions and it serves as great tool for clients who may potentially be suffering from a personality disorder.
Projective Personality Tests
There are three types of projective personality tests.
1. Rorschach Inkblots
In this test, the psychologist shows the client a series of inkblots. The client responds with what they see in the inkblots. How they respond and with what is used to measure the client’s personality.
Unfortunately, Rorschach died before he could release a scoring scale. There is a comprehensive scoring system developed by interested psychologists after Rorschach’s death. This does not yield good psychometric results, however.
2. Thematic Apperception Tests
In this test, the psychologist shows the client a series of pictures. The pictures are usually scenes one can be a part of. The psychologist asks what happened before, during, and after. They ask how the characters felt in the scene.
3. Sentence Completion
In this test, the psychologist provides the client with the beginning of a sentence. The client then finishes the sentence. The psychologist analyzes the answers to these sentence completions.
The Healing Center Would Love to Talk to You About Your Test Results!
The Healing Center in Las Vegas provides tailored mental health services facilitated by a team proficient in addressing diverse cultural backgrounds. Certified therapists deliver in-person or remote sessions, aiming to reduce stigma and foster a mentally healthy community. Our Boutique Psychotherapy Center employs spiritually attuned counselors, employing various techniques to reconnect individuals with their inner selves and foster self-worth.
With holistic approaches, these therapists equip patients with strategies to navigate life's crises effectively.
For further information on their therapies or to schedule a consultation, please visit The Healing Center's website at https://www.thehealingcentervegas.com/.
Contact The Healing Center via phone (702)505-1280 or email TheHealingCenterOperations@gmail.com
References
[1] Ben-Porath, Y. S., & Archer, R. P. (2008). The MMPI-2 and MMPI-A. In R. P. Archer & S. R. Smith (Eds.), Personality assessment (pp. 81–131). Routledge/Taylor & Francis Group.
[2] Beutler, L. E., Harwood, T. M., & Holaway, R. (2002). How to assess clients in pretreatment planning. In J. N. Butcher (Ed.), Clinical personality assessment: Practical approaches (2nd ed., pp. 76–95). Oxford University Press.
[3] Camara, W. J., Nathan, J. S., & Puente, A. E. (2000). Psychological test usage: Implications in professional psychology. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 31(2), 141–154. https://doi.org/10.1037/0735-7028.31.2.141
[4] Frauenhoffer, D., Ross, M. J., Gfeller, J., Searight, H. R., & Piotrowski, C. (1998). Psychological test usage among licensed mental health practitioners: A multidisciplinary survey. Journal of Psychological Practice, 4(1), 28–33.
[5] Graham, J. R. (2012). MMPI-2: Assessomg personality and psychopathology (5th ed.). New York: Oxford University Press.
[6] Pomerantz, A. M. (2017). Clinical psychology: Science, practice, and culture (4th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.