What will you learn from this book
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History and Proliferation of Personality Tests: Exploring the origins and evolution of personality tests, their rise in popularity, and their pervasive use in fields such as employment, education, and personal development.
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Limitations and Criticisms: Highlighting the limitations, biases, and controversies surrounding personality tests, including issues with reliability, validity, cultural biases, and oversimplification of human behavior.
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Impact on Individuals: Discussing how personality tests can affect individuals' self-perception, career choices, and opportunities, sometimes leading to stereotyping and pigeonholing.
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Psychometric Properties: Analyzing the scientific basis and accuracy of various personality tests and questioning their predictive power in determining job performance or success.
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Ethical and Legal Concerns: Examining ethical dilemmas regarding the use of personality tests in employment, education, and other settings, including potential discrimination and privacy issues.
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Alternative Perspectives: Presenting alternative viewpoints on understanding human behavior, strengths, and capabilities beyond the constraints of standardized personality assessments.
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Industry Influence: Discussing the influence of the personality testing industry, its marketing strategies, and its impact on organizational decision-making and policies.
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Call for Caution and Critical Thinking: Encouraging individuals and organizations to approach personality tests with skepticism, critical thinking, and a deeper understanding of their limitations and implications.
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Balanced Assessment Methods: Advocating for a more balanced and comprehensive approach to evaluating individuals' capabilities, including multiple assessment tools and qualitative methods.
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Future Trends and Recommendations: Discussing potential improvements or reforms in the use of personality tests, along with recommendations for more ethical and informed practices.
| Language | English |
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| ISBN-10 | 0-7432-8072-5 |
| ISBN-13 | 9780743280723 |
| No of pages | 302 |
| Font Size | Medium |
| Book Publisher | Free Press |
| Published Date | 03 Oct 2005 |
About Author
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Award-winning psychology writer Annie Paul delivers a scathing exposé on the history and effects of personality tests.
Millions of people worldwide take personality tests each year to direct their education, to decide on a career, to determine if they'll be hired, to join the armed forces, and to settle legal disputes. Yet, according to award-winning psychology writer Annie Murphy Paul, the sheer number of tests administered obscures a simple fact: they don't work. Most personality tests are seriously flawed, and sometimes unequivocally wrong. They fail the field's own standards of validity and reliability. They ask intrusive questions. They produce descriptions of people that are nothing like human beings as they actually are: complicated, contradictory, changeable across time and place. The Cult Of Personality Testing documents, for the first time, the disturbing consequences of these tests. Children are being labeled in limiting ways. Businesses and the government are wasting hundreds of millions of dollars every year, only to make ill-informed decisions about hiring and firing. Job seekers are having their privacy invaded and their rights trampled, and our judicial system is being undermined by faulty evidence. Paul's eye-opening chronicle reveals the fascinating history behind a lucrative and largely unregulated business. Captivating, insightful, and sometimes shocking, The Cult Of Personality Testing offers an exhilarating trip into the human mind and heart.