Self-assessment results from the introspection of one's own qualities and abilities. Self-assessment is useful in discovering one's personality type, reviewing individual values and skills, and evaluating strengths and weaknesses. Some people engage in self-assessment before making important life choices, such as choosing a college major or making a career change. Others self-assess to gain perspective on problems in their lives or to reflect on their identity and the ways in which they fit into family and society.
Personality Research
Researchers in social psychology have identified three elements that affect the formation of an individual's identity. All three reflect the idea of self and the assumed social nature of humans. They also contribute to the psychological health of the individual. First, the individual self includes factors that make a person unique, such as personality, skills, experiences, preferences, and interests. A second part of identity is the relational self, or that part of a person that is shared with another, such as a spouse or romantic partner, a parent, a sibling, a child, or a close friend. This self usually shares some interests, values, and experiences with the other person in the relationship that helps to nurture the bond. Third, the collective self reflects membership in one or more groups with which the individual has something in common. While less important than the first two, group membership also contributes to the well-being of an individual. Groups can include coworkers, clubs, a church community, sports teams, or other organizations. Although the relational and collective selves are important facets in the makeup of an individual, in self-assessment the individual self is most important.
Interest in assessing personality developed in the early twentieth century. Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung first developed the idea of personality types within his analytical psychology. While Jung applied his observations only to his patients, Isabel Briggs Myers later expanded the research and applied the ideas to the personalities of ordinary people who did not suffer from psychological disorders. She worked with her mother, Katharine Briggs, to develop the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, which allowed everyday people to self-assess their understanding of the world around them. Each of the sixteen personality types indicated by Myers-Briggs reflects a combination of four factors taken from four pairs of opposite traits: introversion/extraversion, intuition/sensing, feeling/thinking, and perception/judgment.
Self-Assessing Personality
When people engage in self-assessment, it is often to explore or verify their understanding of their strengths and weaknesses. There are many paths to self-assessment, including online testing, books on personality type, and assistance from professionals. Usually the person taking the assessment answers questions on scales ranging from "always" to "never" or similar means of evaluation. Certain tools require interpretation and discussion, while others are designed to help with career decisions as people seek new directions or move up the corporate ladder. Self-assessments are also available for learning competencies, which can help individuals evaluate their intellectual strengths in preparation for classes or careers.
The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator offers two choices, called dichotomies, to indicate preferences. Individuals answer questions that place them in four different personality categories based on their levels of introversion or extraversion, use of senses or intuition, and preference for thinking or feeling, judging or perceiving. Each category is represented by a letter, and the combination of the four categories identifies types by four representative letters. For example, a person who is introverted, intuitive, feeling, and perceptive is identified as INFP. These categories help individuals understand why certain activities and occupations are comfortable and rewarding, while others are stressful or frustrating.
The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator is one of several personality rating scales used by certified professionals. Other psychological assessments can be found online. The Internet offers a wide variety of tests, some of which give free, instant feedback while others require payment. Many include the opportunity for professional evaluation. Once completed, the self-assessment can guide the individual in making choices or understanding feelings and inclinations.
Faulty Self-Assessment
In some cases, individuals approach self-assessment by using a selective process to verify or enhance their existing self-concept rather than seeking or accepting new information. As a result, they tend to focus on positive outcomes regarding their abilities and personality traits, see ambiguous findings as affirmative, and avoid or ignore weaknesses or limitations. Furthermore, a person who lacks competence in a given area is by definition unable to judge competency in that field. For example, a man who has poor driving skills is not qualified to judge his own performance behind the wheel, but that might not stop him from considering himself a skilled driver.
Others wish to verify their own views about themselves, both positive and negative, through feedback that is consistent with what they expect. If they believe they are good at writing but poor at math, they tend to hear and absorb only information that matches their own self-assessment. In other cases, individuals use misleading feedback to judge their positive and negative attributes. For instance, they do not take into consideration social factors such as the tendency for people to offer positive comments rather than criticisms regarding the abilities of others. Even when they readily agree that they themselves do not provide honest criticism to others, people accept positive comments as accurate assessments of their abilities.
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