Personality Tests and What They Can Tell Us

by Jamie Kurtz (Author, Narrator), The Great Courses

The ancient Greek maxim “know thyself” speaks to the age-old human desire for self-understanding. Generations have made countless attempts to force the very subjective concept of self-understanding into a scientific measurement of what makes us us. From these endeavors have emerged a selection of questionnaires that purport to measure our personality, which we can then use to help us determine what will likely make us happy or unhappy, in which environments will we thrive, what methods of communications we respond best to, and—in general—who we are.

But not all personality tests are created equal, and most of them reflect very different aspects of our personality, even when the questions they are asking seem to be similar.

Join Dr. Jaime Kurtz in Personality Tests and What They Can Tell Us to get the information you need to critically evaluate what the most popular personality tests measure and which ones are best suited for your goals. Dr. Kurtz will lead you through the history of personality testing to bring you to the most used tests today, such as the Myers-Briggs, the Enneagram, the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory, and the five-factor model. You’ll learn how these surveys were developed, what they can tell you, and the underlying science behind the study of personality.

Genres: Psychology, Nonfiction, Audiobook, Science, Self Help

3 pages, Audible Audio

Published November 17, 2022

Reviews

[Cori · Rating 2 out of 5]

If statistical analysis is your jam, here's your peanut butter. But for me...meh.

Also, I would rate a G.

Original review posted 1/1/23.

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very cursory overview of personality tests, but does include some useful information -- reviews of both broad categories of tests and specific tests, as well as some of the factors which contribute to the validity of various tests. I was hoping for something far more in-depth, but for what it is, this isn't bad, just short.

[Gilbert Stack · Rating 3 out of 5]

Everyone knows that there are personality tests out there. Many of us have taken them on the internet or had them handed out in school. (We took one in high school that told everyone in my class of more than 400 that we should be farmers.) But when push came to shove, I realize I knew very little about them, so I read this very short Great Courses book. I enjoyed learning a little about the history and exploring the types of tests out there, but I didn’t come away thinking that these tests actually help very much to learn about peoples’ personalities.

[Andy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think that people are different and it's good if people understand that. But you don't really need a personality test to learn that, so it would be good to know more about the different tests out there and if any of them measure anything real.
I like the overall framework in this course of trying to figure out the scientific merits of personality testing. This is a pretty good overview of what's wrong with the major personality tests people are familiar with, like the Myers-Briggs. The whole thing is pretty short though, so there's not a lot on what's right with the personality tests the author likes better. The real test of any of these personality assessments would be: How do they help people? There was very little about that. One thing that caught my attention was the author's claim that the VIA survey had been used successfully to treat depression in teens. This seems hard to believe. How does giving someone a test alleviate depression? I spent about 5 minutes on Google Scholar and the VIA website and couldn't find any clinical trials or whatever that fit with this claim.

[Rob · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting professional assessment of popular personality tests(Myers-Briggs, MMPI, etc.), how they're developed, what they measure, and what the results might mean for an individual or a group.

[Elaine Jackson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not what I expected, didn't really answer my questions. Like What can they really reveal about a person.

[Esther · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice quick overview