Exploring Personality

There are many excellent Web sites that can assist you in your exploration of personality. There are Web pages for each of the major theorists that present overviews of their understanding of personality, biographical sketches, and critical evaluation of their contributions to psychology. Other sites will allow you to view samples of the major personality tests (for example: http://www.queendom.com/tests/). Be careful, however! Remember to be skeptical in your inquiry and always consider the scientific credibility of the source of information you find on the Web.

A good way to get started is to pick several key words or phrases that are related to personality and try to find something related to them using your favorite search engine. For example, try searching on "personality theory," or "projective test," or "Carl Rogers." Once you've exhausted this approach, try the American Psychological Association's Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page (http://www.apa.org/science/testing.html). See if you can find the answers to the following questions:

1. Where would you find a test to measure self-concept?

2. Who is qualified to administer such a test?

3. What are some of the responsibilities of those who administer personality tests?