Performance-Based Personality Measures

Performance-based personality measures are assessment techniques that require the respondent to perform a task and that are designed to uncover or elicit information or insight into the personality in action. These tasks might, for example, involve completing a sentence, telling a story, or characterizing an emotion or verbalizing a statement in response to a depicted situation. Performance tests bring aspects of relevant behavior, associations, perceptions, organizations, emotions, and interpersonal attitudes and styles into the consulting room to be observed (Levy, 1963). The task itself is typically incomplete, contradictory, or ambiguous. With little external structure, direction, or guidance provided, respondents must rely on themselves in formulating a solution, which maximizes the effects of individuals' interpretation, processing, and personality on their performance.

Keywords: assessment; performance; personality; projection; tests