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Are the results cross-cultural? For example, would someone who was not from an individualistic, change-focused, and esteem-oriented culture like America agree with the results? Is the Barnum effect more pronounced amongst certain types of people and are some individuals more apt to disagree with the results?
In contrast to the theory of the Barnum test, the Jung Typology posits that there are real differences between persons who are introverted and extroverted, for example, that can be measured on a personality test. Even Jung allows, however, that most individuals are not pure introverts or extroverts, but rather manifest one tendency to a slightly greater or lesser degree. The Barnum inventory, acknowledging this, specifically states that the test-taker is both extroverted and introverted at different times in his or her life. One of the sources of dissatisfaction with the Jung inventory is that most people are extroverted in some situations and introverted in others. Some people are very confident at work, but reserved at home. Others like speaking in front of people but hate having one-on-one conversations with others at a party. This acknowledgement of how contextual personality can be, and the fact that people can manifest a variety of traits, depending on the situation calls into question legitimate personality tests like the Jung Typology test -- it also explains why the vague, false readings of the Barnum test may feel more accurate than the results of a real test.
Personality tests imply that the human personality is a fixed and stable entity. But experiences tend to suggest otherwise. Who we are with can change our personality, as can where...
This is why popular personality test results should never be used in isolation to make decisions. They may be useful in some circumstances as a means of self-examination. But people should not attach too much significance to them, given the difficulty of validating the accuracy of such tests. It is tempting to feel that the tests are valid, because the descriptions are likely to resonate with at least some parts of our psyche but 'feeling' correct is not the same as actual scientific accuracy. Merely because a personality test sounds correct in terms of its results or seems scientific on the surface does not mean it has actual scientific validity. Even when tested by an objective authority, personality tests that are used in business, education, and mental health fields must be rigorously tested for their validity and reliability on large and diverse populations if they are to have any weight in an evaluative process. Personality tests should be used as only one component among many to evaluate a candidate.
References
The Barnum effect. Retrieved September 29, 2011 at http://psych.fullerton.edu/mbirnbaum/psych101/barnum_demo.htm.
Barnum effect feedback: Personality inventory. Retrieved September 29, 2011 at http://psych.fullerton.edu/mbirnbaum/psych101/LittleBig5B.htm.
Whitbourne, Susan. (2010). When it comes to personality tests, a dose of skepticism is a good thing. Psychology Today. Retrieved September 29, 2011 at http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/fulfillment-any-age/201008/when-it-comes-personality-tests-dose-skepticism-is-good-thing
The Jungian personality inventories are to some degree 'Westernized' one could argue, in the sense that they were originally developed by the psychoanalyst Carl Jung, around Western archetypes of personality. The MMPI also makes use of such tests in its more extensive survey, but more flexible use of the Jung system has yielded less dogmatic career recommendation and personality type instruments. After answering a series of questions, the tester receives
Personality Tests REVISED In taking the Myers-Briggs personality test, my results indicated ENFJ, or Extraverted Intuitive Feeling Judging. One interpretation calls this type "The Teacher" for shorthand (presumably because Extraversion is required for a teacher or professor to willingly stand in front of a classroom and "perform," while the Judging component helps with grading papers). Another weblink offered to show me a list of famous people with the ENFJ type: after
Personality Test Results: The Administrator The world is filled with millions of very different people. In fact, no two people are ever truly alike. This means that in the contemporary work environment, there are people who may share your views and work habits, but also those who may be staunchly against them, presenting their own very different philosophies on work and on life. After taking a personality test, I found that
Personality Test Analysis My scores on the "Big Five" model personality test are Openness: 96%; Conscientiousness: 86%; Extraversion: 27%; Agreeableness: 69% and Neuroticism: 37%. (John, 2009) On the Jung Typology test, my type is INFJ: Introverted: 89%; Intuitive: 75%; Feeling: 25%; Judging: 44%. (Humanmetrics) This was very similar to the Keirsey Temperament Test, which also classifies me as an INFJ, also known as the "Counselor." (Butt, 2010) According to the analyses that
personality tests are assessment tools that require the individual to choose answers from a restricted set of response options as well as validity scales that are intended to determine the truthfulness of the answers of participants. In other words the tests offer options for answering that are intended to be unpredictable to the individual answering the questions, i.e. there are no right or wrong answers and the answer options
Analysis of research: personality, integrity and cognitive abilities Should personality inventories, integrity assessments, and cognitive ability assessments be used in the employee selection process? Why or why not? These personnel hiring strategies must not be utilized. Based on research of applicants' responses to numerous hiring systems utilized by companies, personality assessments establish an increased unfavorable response compared to other kinds of screening. Numerous candidates consider the questions intrusive, damaging, or ridiculous. They