CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY M.A. 4th Semester

Specialization Elective-B

EC-1

Dr. Vijaysen Pandey

PG Department of Psychology

C.M. College , Darbhanga

Unit : 03 Clinical Assessment

Intelligence

Personality

Behavioural

Clinical Judgment

Syllabus

Personality Assessments

Carlos F. Martinez MHA, M.Ed.

Personality is:

Personality includes all the special qualities

people have that make them different from

each other. These include: charm, energy,

disposition, attitude, temperament, cleverness,

and all feelings and behaviors they exhibit.

Personality is:

Personality is the reasonably stable

patterns of thoughts, emotions, and

behavior that distinguish one person

from another.

Personality

What does personality

assessment achieve?

Personality Assessment

Personality Assessment assists counselors in:

Understanding the behavior of a particular individual

Helps counselor come to a conclusion about a possible future course of action

Helps counselor make predictions about a person’s unique future behavior.

Traits, States, and Types

There are three fundamental terms related to

personality

Traits

States

Types

Traits

Personality Traits can be viewed as the

distinguishing characteristics or qualities

possessed by the individual.

Traits are “dimensions” of individual

differences in tendencies to show consistent

patterns of thoughts, feelings and actions.

States

Personality States refer to a temporary

behavioral tendency.

Eg. A student may be described as being in an

anxious state before finals.

Whereas trait refers to an enduring personality

characteristic, state usually refers to a

temporary behavioral tendency.

Personality Types

Personality Types are regarded as a general

description of a person.

Eg. Extroverted/Introverted.

Personality Inventories

Inventories are commonly used to identify the

structure and features of one’s personality, or

one’s characteristic way of thinking, feelings

and behaving.

Examples

A career counselor administers an inventory in order to help a person choose a career.

A psychologist wants to look at symptoms to possibly diagnose a disorder

A school counselor implements inventors to see if a student is suffering from academic problems.

Examples (continued)

An employment counselor uses inventories to

see if an individual meets the right

requirements and performance.

A neurophysiologist administers an inventory

to determine the extent of a possible brain

injury.

Approaches to Personality

Inventory Development

Personality inventories may differ in the

approach by which they are constructed. Four

common approaches to personality inventory

development are Rational, Theory-Based,

Criterion Group, and Factor Analysis.

Rational Approach

Rational Approach is one of the oldest methods of

personality test construction.

Here, we use the use of reason and deductive logic to

construct test items.

Eg. Woodsworth Personal Data Sheet, from 1920,

which contained a 116-item self report in response to

needs for psychiatric screening during the U.S.

entry into WWI.

Theory-Based Approach

This approach is founded on an established theory of

personality, unlike Rational Approach. The

psychodynamic theory of personality is followed and

the unconscious/inner conflicts play a significant

role.

Clients are believed to eventually project or express

unconcious fears, conflicts, or inner needs.

Criterion Group Approach

C.G.A. is an empirical method of personality

test construction that involves selecting items

that can discriminate between relevant

criterion groups and control groups. Control

Groups are usually studied alongside

Criterion Groups to identify items that

distinguish the groups from one another.

References

Butcher, J.N., Hstetler, K. (1990). Abbreviating MMPI Item

Administration. What Can Be Learned From the MMPI for the

MMPI-2? Psychological Assessment: A Journal of Consulting

and Clinical Psychology, March 1990 Vol. 2. No. 1.12-21

Carlos F. Martinez MHA, M.Ed. carlosFmartinez.com

Thank You!!!