Criticism on Big Five Personality Tests
Controlled ResponseThe big five personality tests claim to measure your intensities in relation to the five big factors. The structure of the tests requires you to select your options from the multiple choice questionnaire. Higher demand for jobs and strong copetition forces the subjects to go for those options whicht they consider shall ensure their success. It becomes lot easier when they know which jobs are related to what qualities.In such situations, the results of the big five personality tests fail to build a definitive personality profile. Concept of PersonalityHere is my oft-repeated question…What is the personality? (Read Personality Testing; Myth and Realities). The big five personality tests equate your personality to your collective degrees of behavior in five factors. For screening purposes, it is suggested that your personality shall remain the same in the real world situations. However, the personality is an amazing abstract entity. You can improve, refine and even control your intensities. It proves the results of the big five personality tests can’t be definitive throughout your life. Pervin (1993) and Mischel (1995) claim that consistency in the results of psychometrics depends upon the individuals in the selected groups, circumstances, situations and the parameters adopted for the testing sessions. Cultural InfluencesThe five big personality tests give you certain statements. You are asked to agree, disagree or even stay in between. You shall, naturally, go for the options that are culturally and socially acceptable. On finding a purse full of money, you may not like to return that to the owner, but this kind of response proves you honest in the eyes of the employer. So, the results of big five personality tests are culturally tainted.Lexical HypothesisIt is claimed that the big five personality tests don’t follow some kind of theory but the empirical data that was collected by the psychologists. However, its critics claim that that the big five factors were result of the challenge that Allport threw to his contemporaries. They believed that all natural languages have capability to explain all variations in human personality. Their lists caused generation of big five factors and the subsequent tests.Too Complicated to DescribeThe 16 types, 4 temperaments and even 12 astrological signs are easier to describe because they put you in somewhat tight boxes. However, the big five personality tests mention at least 5 degrees to each factor. Different people have different levels of intensities. When you compute them all it becomes very hard to interact and describe them. Only certified professionals may have depth to explain you.But most of the smaller organizations don’t have sufficient budgets to hire capable professionals. They contend with the second category of psychologists and often fail to get what they want. Barnum EffectPalmistry and astrology have history of centuries behind them. However, most of the psychologists claim that the people accept different descriptions because they wish to see themselves as described. They also claim that most of such descriptions are open enough to fit any reader.Same is true with the big five personality tests... ...it is called Barnum Effect. Level of Your Self EstimationHow much you respect yourself?Carolin Showers claims that results of psychometrics depend upon the level of your self-esteem. A higher level converges your focus upon your strengths and lower level enlarges your weaknesses. It is advisable to know your strengths with free big five personality tests before encountering a real session. It shall enhance your self respect and affect your personality profile. Reward Structure and Working EnvironmentsThe big five personality tests lack evidence to prove that selections made with their help are better than the rejections. However, it has been repeated proven that reward structure and working environments influence the performance of the employees. Lavish rewards and unbiased accountability shall force the people to give their best, whatever their personality profile may be. Training can also improve their performance.Monotonous SelectionThough, like other psychological instruments, the big five personality tests are not 100% reliable but they have potential to cluster candidates having same levels of intensities for the time being. This may generate a good team but the organization shall miss diversity. Different approaches, decision styles and intensities always cause novel ideas and breakthroughs.Advice before Encountering Big Five Personality Tests
The exponents of big five personality tests claim that they neither test your virtues nor your fitness for a particular job. However, when a test qualifies you extremely nervous, it is not a quality at all. Secondly, higher intensity in any factor may qualify you for a particular type and disqualify for another. However, a moderate scoring may declare you a suitable candidate for most of the jobs. The moderate degrees are considered having potential to shift to the either side when you face certain situation. It doesn’t mean that you should strive for the moderate scoring. When the big five personality tests are professionally designed, your conscious effort may produce inconsistent results. Of course an inconsistency ‘personality’ is not suitable for most of the jobs. The best advice is to be honest. Whatever the results may be, your targeted career is not end of the world. The opportunities shall come to you when you swim with the social evolution of the mankind.
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