Since the birth of modern psychology, psychologists have been trying to develop instruments more scientifically to understand and interpret human behavior. Some of the psychometric instruments developed to interpret and predict behavior are:
Myer Briggs
The Myers-Brigg Personality Type system has sixteen different personality types.
The Myers-Briggs system measures people in four areas…subdivided by two functions
- How a person relates to others (either by Extraversion or Introversion)
- How a person takes in information (either by Sensing or Intuition)
- How a person makes decisions (either by Thinking or Feeling)
- How a person orders their life (either by Judging or Perceiving)
They came out with human characteristics under the four areas and classify human beings into 16 personality types.
Thomas International
Thomas International tends to classify human personality into four dimensions.
Dominance – People with high dominance tend to shape their environment by overcoming opposition to accomplish results
Influence – People with high influence tend to shape the environment by influencing and persuading others
Steadiness – People with high steadiness tend to cooperate and collaborate with others to get results
Conscientiousness – People with high conscientiousness tend to work within existing circumstances and constraints to produce results.
Human beings have all these four tendencies but vary in intensity. The relationship between the four tendencies to each other creates a profile pattern, which provides information about a person behavioral response.
The Big 5
The big 5 classify personality type into 5 dimensions. They are:
Extroversion: one’s tendency to be sociable, talkative and assertive. Extroverts have a need to be around others, a need to be sociable. They gain their energy by talking, socializing and working with others. Those who score low on extroversion are considered introverted. An introvert prefers having space, either physical or mental, to recover energy. They tend to pursue solitary activities such as quiet walks, reading, meditating or sharing time with a select few friends.
Agreeableness: one’s tendency to be good-natured, cooperative, and caring. Agreeable people tend to want to reach out and help others, they are compassionate and giving. People low on agreeableness have less of a need to be liked by others. Some tend to be focused more upon their own needs than the needs of others.
Thoroughness: one’s tendency to be diligent well organized, persistent, and achievement oriented. Thorough people are those that are responsible and conscientious, and they manifest those qualities that we attribute to good workers. Those low on thoroughness are free spirits who do not feel encumbered by responsibility or being reliable.
Openness to experience: one’s tendency to be creative, original, and open to new experiences. Open individuals have broad interests, they are imaginative and enjoy the aesthetic qualities of their surroundings. Those low on openness are conventional. These people feel most comfortable with traditional and well-established methods and topics.
Emotionality: one’s tendency to be tense, insecure, and experience distress. Emotionality refers to the stability of a person’s emotional response. People who are highly sensitive are bothered by the smallest stresses in life, while those low on emotionality are able to keep their composure, even under stressful situations.