Personality Tests Essay

Application of personality tests

“Personality is an unbroken series of successful gestures.” -- F. Scott Fitzgerald

Personality tests are the mirrors to the human psyche. They help us in understanding those aspects of ourselves which we are unaware of. There are a series of personality tests -- some objective and some subjective, some that yields qualitative results and some that quantifies the measurable personality attributes.

This article is an endeavor to cover the vast area of application of personality tests. Where, how and when can the different personality tests be used -- will be the main focus of this work.

Applications of Personality Testing

In profession

Most employers and recruiters rely on PATs (Personality Assessment

The test contains some gender specific cards and some general cards, each having a clear picture. The respondent is asked to concoct a story based on what he perceives to be going on in the picture. There is a different adaptation of the same test specially designed for children (Child Apperception Test or CAT) that is heavily used by Child Psychologists for addressing all issues of child mental health.

Mindfulness Strategies by Personality Type -- The concept of Mindfulness has spread out to personality testing and is practiced by mental health professionals all over. The theory states that in the face of an adverse situation, a person should be encouraged to practice a mindful exercise that matches his personality type. This approach beautifully blends personality tests with mindfulness and personally I feel it is immensely effective. Gabriel Taylor, a writer and researcher suggested 4 personality based Mindful strategies

Mindful Meditation -- Lets you regulate your breath patterns, focus in the moment and detach from any other intruding thoughts. This is useful for all personality

It may include Yoga, Walking, or anything that one can do attentively. Extroverts and outgoing people benefit more from this as they have a low attention span and find it difficult to sit in one place.

Personality Tests for Stress Relief -- It may sound weird when I say personality tests can be used for relieving stress. But it really does. The first and most essential step towards step reduction is knowledge and acceptance of your situation. And personality tests address this very issue. Out of the many personality tests that therapists use for reducing stress, the more popular ones are discussed below.

Stress Symptom Test -- It is basically a quiz where the answers reveal your strengths, weaknesses and indicate the possible stress symptoms you are experiencing. It will help you discover your stress signals and initiate reduction.

Perfectionist Personality Test -- Applicable for people who focus more on perfection and end up achieving low, hence increasing stress.

Type A Personality Test -- Type A personality people are more likely to have relationship stress and depression. It is advised for people who want to explore what traits of their personality make them vulnerable to stress and how to deal with it