Hockenbury Discovering Psychology 5th txtbk

450 CHAPTER 10 PersonalityTable 10.6Simulated MMPI-2 ItemsMost people will use somewhat unfairmeans to gain profit or an advantagerather than lose it.I am often very tense on the job.The things that run through my headsometimes are horrible.Sometimes there is a feeling like somethingis pressing in on my head.Sometimes I think so fast I can’t keepup.I am worried about sex.I believe I am being plotted against.I wish I could do over some of thethings I have done.Source: MMPI-2 ® .according to type theory, a person is either an extrovert or an introvert—that is, one oftwo distinct categories that don’t overlap (Arnau & others, 2003).The MBTI arrives at personality type by measuring a person’s preferred way ofdealing with information, making decisions, and interacting with others. There arefour basic categories of these preferences, which are assumed to be dichotomies—thatis, opposite pairs. These dichotomies are: Extraversion/Introversion; Sensing/Intuition; Thinking/Feeling; and Perceiving/Judging.There are 16 possible combinations of scores on these four dichotomies. Eachcombination is considered to be a distinct personality type. An individual personalitytype is described by the initials that correspond to the person’s preferences asreflected in his or her MBTI score. For example, an ISFP combination wouldbe a person who is introverted, sensing, feeling, and perceiving, while an ESTJ wouldbe a person who is extroverted, sensing, thinking, and judging.Despite the MBTI’s widespread use in business, counseling, and career guidancesettings, research has pointed to several problems with the MBTI. One problem isreliability—people can receive different MBTI results on different test-taking occasions.Equally significant is the problem of validity. For example, research does notsupport the claim of a relationship between MBTI personality types and occupationalsuccess (Pittenger, 2005). More troubling is the lack of evidence supportingthe existence of 16 distinctly different personality types (Hunsley & others, 2003).Thus, most researchers in the field of psychological testing advise that caution beexercised in interpreting MBTI results, especially in applying them to vocationalchoices or predictions of occupational success (see Pittenger, 2005).Figure 10.4 The 16PF: Example Questionsand Profiles The 16PF, developed byRaymond Cattell, is a self-report inventorythat contains 185 items like those shown inpart (a). When scored, the 16PF generatesa personality profile. In part (b), personalityprofiles of airline pilots and writers arecompared. Cattell (1973) found that pilotsare more controlled, more relaxed, moreself-assured, and less sensitive than writers.Source: Cattell & others (1993).Strengths and Limitations of Self-Report InventoriesThe two most important strengths of self-report inventories are their standardizationand their use of established norms (see Chapter 7). Each person receives the sameinstructions and responds to the same items. The results of self-report inventoriesare objectively scored and compared to norms established by previous research. Infact, the MMPI, the CPI, and the 16PF can all be scored by computer.As a general rule, the reliability and validity of self-report inventories are fargreater than those of projective tests. Literally thousands of studies have demonstratedthat the MMPI, the CPI, and the 16PF provide accurate, consistent resultsthat can be used to generally predict behavior (Anastasi & Urbina, 1997).However, self-report inventories also have their weaknesses. First, despite theinclusion of items designed to detect deliberate deception, there is considerableevidence that people can still successfully fake responses and answer in socially desirableways (Anastasi & Urbina, 1997; Holden, 2008). Second, some people are proneto responding in a set way. They may consistently pick the first alternative or answer(a)EXAMPLE QUESTIONS1. I often like to watch team games.a. trueb. ?c. false2. I prefer friends who are:a. quietb. ?c. lively3. Adult is to child as cat is to:a. kittenb. dogc. babyNote: The person taking the test is instructed to answer“b.?” only when neither a nor c is a better choice for himor her.Reserved, unsociableLess intelligent, concreteAffected by feelingsSubmissive, humbleSeriousExpedientTimidTough-mindedTrustingPracticalForthrightSelf-assuredConservativeGroup-dependentUndisciplinedRelaxed(b)1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10Airline pilotsWritersOutgoing, sociableMore intelligent, abstractEmotionally stableDominant, assertiveHappy-go-luckyConscientiousVenturesomeSensitiveSuspiciousImaginativeShrewd, calculatingApprehensiveExperimentingSelf-sufficientControlledTense