One applications of these personality tests is in job selection and career guidance. Jane Howard, author of The Owner’s Manual For Personality At Work, suggests that as many as 25% of people are in the wrong job. Perhaps personality testing can help people understand their own capabilities and limitations a little better.
It’s good to hear some critical notes sounded about self-report measures of personality. Matt Ridley points out that they may only be measuring people’s self-perception. Perhaps more dangerous is the element of political correctness in the way the results are presented. One of the scales is called ‘neuroticism’, a generally well understood word. This is often translated to ’emotional stability’, a more neutral phrase that actually obscures the meaning.
There is no supporting website for this programme but you can hear the audio stream online for 7 days after the broadcast. The first programme is now available online, so listen now while you can.