Since our Discussion revolves around motivation & emotion, the Dropbox assignment will explore Personality.  This activity has also been a favorite of previous students.  It’s one that can really add personal insight…you can even have family & friends do this, too.  The activitiy will help you identify some of your “preferences”…not that you are this way all the time, but rather these are conditions that you “typically” prefer (especially when times are stressful).  This tool is something a life-coach or workplace may use.  It is not a Clinical instrument…which is what makes it appropriate for everyone in our class.  Have fun with this assignment!!  As you learn more about personality…enjoy learning more about yourself!!!

WHAT IS YOUR STRONGEST TRAIT?

As you approach the end of the Unit, you should have a very comfortable level of understanding and knowledge about the different ways psychologists investigate personality –including the different reasons behind each method.  For example, the inventory you take for this activity is a trait inventory that could never be used to determine if somone suffered from a personality disorder or deeper emotional issues.  Likewise a Thematic Assessment Test (TAT) wouldn’t really benefit the “well” population or help organizations motivate their employees to work together.  Many corporate organtizations pay to have professionals come in and administer personality inventories to their employees. Keirsy’s work is high quality. The learning gained from this type of activity helps increase worker satisfaction, collaboration, and personal motivation in the workforce.  It’s also something that might be used in couples therapy or family therapy in order to gain appreciation of the traits & qualities that others bring to the relationship…understanding our differences, can add insight into why certain conflicts or “personality clashes” occur.  NOTE:  This is a research based instrument and has been based off the work of Carl Jung and Myers-Briggs.

PART 1: TAKE A PERSONALITY INVENTORY

For this activity, you’ll take a free Personality Inventory.  It’s NOT a test or an assessment, it’s just an inventory (called a “sorter”…helping to sort out traits or personal preferences).  It’s the Kiersy Temperament Sorter and it is based on the work of Myers-Briggs.  The link below will take you to the sign on page.  You only need to get the “Free” version of the sorter.  You may desire to print off some of the other reports just for your personal growth, but that is totally up to you.

1. Click here to begin the Keirsey Temperament Sorter (if you have any problem with this link, google Keirsey Temperament Sorter and you’ll find their website)
2. Print off the “Free” version of the report to use for reference–also review their website to understand the report that was provided.  For this you will need to read the overview, as well as more information about the other types.
3. Re-read the section in our text titled, “Assessment of Personality” (section 8)

NOTE Since you are only required to get the “Free” version, you are not going to get as much information.  The results you get with the free version are much broader, and therefore not quite as accurate.  However, if you decide to pay for one of the reports, the results will be much more specific and will match your preferences even more.  There are a total of 16 different types that come from 4 different trait dimensions…the free version only provides details on two different dimensions.  But it’s still fun!

PART 2: WRITE A SUMMARY & REFLECTION

Taking the actual inventory or sorter takes just a few minutes.  The average person can finish in about 15 minutes or so.  The real work comes in reading the report thoroughly, reading aspects of the other traits to use for comparison, reading the text to make sure you understand the concepts of Personality Theory, especially Trait Theory, benefits & limitations of self-report instruments, and (if needed) any other research on the internet that helps you better understand. After taking the Keirsey Sorter you will have experienced a self-report instruments used for personality assessments. According to the text self report measures are “a method of gathering data about people by asking them questions about a sample of their behavior”.  The objective of such reports are to identify the presence of various personality traits or patterns of behaviors.

After reviewing your results, answer the following questions (questions are more of a guide, you can deviate as long as your paper is thorough) in brief reflection paper:

1. Provide a short summary of the report you recieved–what did you like or dislike? (be sure to include your “type” in your summary)
2. Did the instrument do a good job of accurately identifying “Your” personality traits? How does your “type” compare to others? Explain your position.
3. What did you notice about the way the instrument was designed in relation to its strengths & limitations? How does this relate to text or other information? Explain
4. Based on our text (or other outside source), what is this report evaluating?  What is it really telling those who participate?  What is it NOT evaluating?
5. How will you make use of the information you gained from completing this report?
6. There are many surveys and informal personality assessments in the media (online, magazines, etc).  Unfortunately, many are not based on science and give rather useless feedback–or at the very least, feedback that needs to be taken lightly.  What are some things you will look for in future surveys/self-reports, before you take their results seriously?