The Psychology of your 20s 337. Are personality tests legit?
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Sep 28, 2025 Explore the intriguing world of personality tests! Discover their scientific basis and the feminist history behind their development. Learn about the reliability and validity of these assessments and why we often believe their results. Delve into the Big Five model and its cultural limitations. Jemma also unpacks the origins and critiques of the Myers-Briggs test, highlighting its flaws and the Barnum effect that makes results feel accurate. Finally, gain insights on how to use these tests for personal growth without getting boxed in.
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College Quiz Memories
- Jemma recalls doing 16-personality quizzes in college and feeling the relief of being 'handed the manual' for her brain.
- That immediate satisfaction highlights why young adults especially gravitate to these tests.
Why Tests Feel So Appealing
- Personality tests give an illusion of clarity and cognitive closure about messy identities.
- People crave labels because they provide identity and social belonging.
Reliability Versus Validity
- Reliability means consistent results over repeated tests and validity means measuring what you claim to measure.
- A test can be reliable but invalid if it consistently gives the wrong result.