Counselling-Based Personality Assessment Scenario
- Discussion Post
As an intake counselor, I believe that for most users of personality assessment instruments, test construction strategies tend to be of lesser interest. Many approaches that are applied tend to relate directly to the contract of measure and thus influence the way the available instruments need to be interpreted. It is critical that the selection of the procedure used during the personality assessment to be carefully conducted to be able to determine a valid and reliable final result. For instance, review for a level of reading can significantly reduce the complication of opinions being expressed; however, the assumption regarding sex variations is likely to influence if the scale entails gender-based norms, therefore determining the inferences that can possibly be drawn from a client. Just like in the case of Jane, who is a 32-year-old white female, with 14 years of formal education, and has an associate degree.
Psychological assessments tend to provide significant empowerment for a clinical psychologist, counselors, case manager, and even the client (Boers et al., 2014). I have also realized that many of my colleagues in the mental facility have not been given the practical opportunity to get to understand the merits of the evaluation of a client based on clinical personality assessments, mental status exams, and observations of the client.
I have had a chance to talk to some of the psychiatrists who have had challenges with their clients as their therapy indicated little impact in the course of treatment; such instances make me perceive personality assessment as one of the practical processes. In regards to tests, various personality tests are applied to assess every variable. Classification of tests that are more relevant to clinical assessment may encompass the following: Omnibus measures such as the Rorschach, the MMPI – 2 or the PAI-2 (combining personality, coping style, and psychopathology assessments). Every clinical assessment has its unique strengths and weaknesses. In my opinion, I would facilitate the use of MMPI-2, the most broadly useful for clinicians and patients. The purpose of this clinical evaluation is to assess the client’s current mental well-being and determine the possibility of any clinical interventions. For instance, Jane does not have a record of long-term hospitalization in any mental health center, nor has she attempted suicide. Besides, the family has no record of mental illness. Despite being a savvy young lady, the clinical evaluations will help determine Jane’s mental health, and she can seek treatment/ medication if the results indicate she needs the interventions.
The standard use of the personality assessment
The MMPI is commonly used. It inquires about a series of true or false questions that are developed to give a clinical profile of a specific patient (Butcher, 1990). The projective tests such as The Rorschach Inkblot Test will use ambiguous stimuli to assess Jane’s unconscious fears, challenges, and desires. The MMPI-2 takes 1–2 hours to be accomplished (Butcher, 1990). Nonetheless, the feedbacks are scored to give a clinical profile of the patient, and it entails ten scales, including hysteria, hypomania, psychasthenia, paranoia, and hypochondriasis, masculinity versus femininity, social introversion, social deviance schizophrenia, and depression. In the case of Jane, she will be assessed based on The Depression scale since she had earlier been admitted due to signs of significant depression with possible psychotic features. Currently, MMPI is typically administered in the form of MMPI-2 and MMPI-2-RF (Choca, 1999). I would recommend the use of MMPI-2 since it has a significant research base and is the most popular among professionals; thus it’s likely to be reliable and initiate valid results.
Validity Scales of the MMPI are four in totality. The four validity scales are developed to assess an individual’s test-taking attitude and strategy to the test; they include Lie scale, The F scale, K scale, and the Back F scale.
Based on the case study, Jane to be less comfortable in a variety of situations and often isolates her. According to the report, Jane has a reduced ability to handle stress and is at the risk of developing suicide ideation. Though Jane has 14 years of formal education and has an associate degree, she indicated that she would be hesitant to start therapy based on some of the results. Jane is also at the risk of suicide, as indicated by a high score (t=79) Social Introversion Scale indicating its validity. Furthermore, cultural consideration is critical in the personality assessment since when interpreting cultural variations in personal traits, we need to put into account Jane’s experiences of various cultures.
The Potential Ethical Issues
Regardless of the emphasis on the existing standards of personal assessment, there are little guidance on the ethical principles of tests applied and test adaption for international professionals (Barron, 1998). Some of the tests may be adapted without the consent of the original publisher; thus, copyright policies are likely not to be adhered with. It should be noted that The Association of Test Publishers has provided guidelines and procedures on specific steps to initiate test adaption. Furthermore, the informed consent and confidentiality of Jane need to be put into condensation before imitating any form of test (APA, 2012).
The Use of the Personality Measure
In case the repercussions of personality assessment may show the negative outcome, or positive, there may be a need to tamper with the responses to personality questionnaire items. To regulate the distortion of the response, various instruments engage different validity and correction scales. There are various scales for detecting random responses and those that determine other sets of feedbacks; they include the L scale of the MMPI/MMPI-2, Eysenck Personality Questionnaire, and social desirability measures, among others. Additionally, assessment of psychopathology typically entails several criteria to assess the validity of the measures and connected issues.
Other Possible Instrument
Psychologists tend to measure personality via various strategies. The other alternative instrument that can be applied in the case of Jane is the uses of The Rorschach test that entails ten inkblots. The inkblots are designed to dribble inks marks on a paper and then fold the paper to build a readable systematic model (Bracken-Minor & McDevitt-Murphy, 2014). During the test, Jane is shown the inkblots, and the clinician will ask her what each inkblot looks like. The administrator would then link every response to the available inkblot. This specific test would be an appropriate alternative to s examine Jane’s personality traits and emotional functioning, motivation, or even unconscious attitude.
References
Barron, J. W. (1998). Making diagnosis meaningful: Enhancing evaluation and treatment of psychological disorders (pp. xxiii-363). American Psychological Association.
Boers, M., Kirwan, J. R., Wells, G., Beaton, D., Gossec, L., d’Agostino, M. A., … & March, L. (2014). Developing core outcome measurement sets for clinical trials: OMERACT filter 2.0. Journal of clinical epidemiology, 67(7), 745-753.
Bracken-Minor, K. L., & McDevitt-Murphy, M. E. (2014). Differences in features of non-suicidal self-injury according to borderline personality disorder screening status. Archives of Suicide Research, 18(1), 88-103. https://www.tandfonline.com/
Choca, J. P. (1999). Evolution of Millon’s personality prototypes. Journal of personality assessment, 72(3), 353-364.
Cohen, Y., Ornoy, H., & Keren, B. (2013). MBTI personality types of project managers and their success: A field survey. Project Management Journal, 44(3), 78-87.
Eley, D. S., Cloninger, C. R., Walters, L., Laurence, C., Synnott, R., & Wilkinson, D. (2013). The relationship between resilience and personality traits in doctors: implications for enhancing well being. PeerJ, 1, e216.
Evaluating Mental Health Patients. http://www.jamesmorrisonmd.org
Wu, S., Miao, D., Zhu, X., Liang, J., Liu, X., Luo, Z., & Wang, W. (2007). The personality types of Chinese dental postgraduate students. Social Behavior and Personality: an international journal, 35(8), 1077-1086.
References
Butcher, J. N. (1990). The MMPI-2 in psychological treatment. Oxford University Press.