Personality assessment:

The assessment specialist seeks to define these traits, to measure them

objectively, and to relate them to socially significant aspects of
behaviour. A distinctive feature of the scientific approach
to personality measurement is the effort, wherever possible, to describe
human characteristics in quantitative term.

Interview:
In over the an interview the individual under assessment must be given
considerable latitude in “telling his story.” Interviews have both verbal
and nonverbal (e.g., gestural) components. The aim of the interview is to
gather information, and the adequacy of the data gathered depends in
large part on the questions asked by the interviewer. In an employment
interview the focus of the interviewer is generally on the job candidate’s
work experiences, general and specific attitudes, and occupational goals.
In a diagnostic medical or psychiatric interview considerable attention
would be paid to the patient’s physical health and to any symptoms of
behavioral disorder that may have occurred years.

Self-report tests:
The success that attended the use of convenient intelligence tests in
providing reliable, quantitative (numerical) indexes of individual ability
has stimulated interest in the possibility of devising similar tests for
measuring personality. Procedures now available vary in the degree to
which they achieve score reliability and convenience. These desirable
attributes can be partly achieved by restricting in designated ways the
kinds of responses a subject is free to make. Self-report instruments
follow this strategy. For example, a test that restricts the subject to true-
false answers is likely to be convenient to give and easy to score. So-
called personality inventories (see below) tend to have these
characteristics, in that they are relatively restrictive, can be scored
objectively, and are convenient to administer. Other techniques (such as
inkblot tests) for evaluating personality possess these characteristics to
a lesser degree

Projective techniques:
One group of assessment specialists believes that the more freedom
people have in picking their responses, the more meaningful the
description and classification that can be obtained. Because personality
inventories do not permit much freedom of choice, some researchers
and clinicians prefer to use projective techniques, in which a person is
shown ambiguous stimuli (such as shapes or pictures) and asked to
interpret them in some way. (Such stimuli allow relative freedom in
projecting one’s own interests and feelings into them, reacting in any
way that seems appropriate.) Projective techniques are believed to be
sensitive to unconscious dimensions of personality. Defense
mechanisms, latent impulses, and anxieties have all been inferred from
data gathered in projective situations.

Behavioral assessment:
Objective observation of a subject’s behaviour is a technique that falls in
the category of behavioral assessment. A variety of assessments could be
considered, for example, in the case of a seven-year-old boy who,
according to his teacher, is doing poorly in his schoolwork and,
according to his parents, is difficult to manage at home and does not get
along with other children. The following types of assessment might be
considered: (1) a measure of the boy’s general intelligence, which might
help explain his poor schoolwork; (2) an interview with him to provide
insights into his view of his problem; (3) personality tests, which might
reveal trends that are related to his inadequate social relationships; (4)
observations of his activities and response patterns in school; (5)
observations of his behaviour in a specially created situation, such as a
playroom with many interesting toys and games; (6) an interview with
his parents, since the boy’s poor behaviour in school may by
symptomatic of problems at home; and (7) direct observation of his
behaviour at home.

Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory:

The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) is a highly
validated psychopathology test that is generally used in a clinical
psychology setting and may reveal potential mental health disorders.
Notable situations in which the MMPI is often used include final
selection for police officers, firefighters, and other security and
emergency personnel, especially when the employees are required to
carry weapons. The controversies associated with assessing mental
health for the purposes of job selection are discussed below; in these
cases, however, an assessment of mental stability and fitness can be
reasonably related to and necessary for optimal job performance