Where personality tests began, and who created them

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Before we delve into the types of tests you may want to consider, it’s worth understanding how they emerged. Let’s take a look at the history of assessing personalities. 

Believe it or not, the origins of the personality test can be traced back to the first world war. Charles Myers, a doctor with the Royal Army Medical Corps, documented a case of a 23-year-old soldier who was suffering from ‘shell shock'. 

While the condition of shell shock would later be better understood as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), the work Myers conducted created a system that would come into widespread use by the US Army. 

Fast-forward to 1918, and a telegram to the War Department read: “Prevalence of mental disorders in replacement troops recently received suggests urgent importance of intensive efforts in eliminating mentally unfit from organizations new draft prior to departure from the United States.” 

“It is doubtful whether the War Department can in any other way, more importantly, assist in lessening the difficulty felt by Gen. Pershing than by properly providing for an initial psychological examination of every drafted man as soon as he enters camp.”

By this point, the U.S. Army already had neuro-psychiatry and psychology divisions alongside a school of military psychology within the Medical Officers Training Camp. That led to more than a million new recruit soldiers having psychological assessments. 

Robert Sessions Woodworth, a professor at Columbia, created what would later become the Woodworth Personal Data Sheet for draftees. The brief test consisted of a series of yes or no questions that helped to determine each soldier’s traits and psychological state.

The widespread use of personality tests during the first world war sparked intrigue in the labor sector. While the theory behind the original assessments was that psychologists could use them to work out whether an individual was suffering from shell shock, it became clear that these tests could reveal more about each individual. 

Employers soon began using tests to avoid hiring job applicants with neurotic tendencies who were likely to cause trouble in the workplace. However, as the working world advanced, employers saw the value in using such assessments to delve into the characteristics of employees’ personalities. 

One example was the Bernreuter Personality Inventory, which came out in 1931. The assessment evaluates characteristics including neurotic tendency, self-sufficiency, introversion or extroversion, and dominance or submission.

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-Myers Briggs 

 

First up, let’s take a look at one of the most famous personality tests. The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator was originally developed by Isabel Briggs Myers and her mother, Katharine Briggs. 

The system is used to identify different personality types based on participants’ answers to a series of questions about their typical behaviors and reactions to given situations. 

The results are given as an acronym of one of the 16 types of personality the test assesses. For example, “The Protagonist” is otherwise known as an “ENFJ.” An ENFJ result represents that the test taker has Extraverted, Intuitive, Feeling, and Judging personality characteristics. 

While possessing “The Performer” personality, also known as an “ESFP,” means that the test taker has extraverted, sensing, feeling, and perceiving as their dominant personality characteristics. 

Within the modern world of business, the Myers Briggs Type Indicator is often used in various sectors to work out which candidates will be a good fit for specific roles. 

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Now, these days you can find a lot of small online quizzes about personalities, but those are quickly made and just for fun. There are more serious tests out there that aren't in the same category. 

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Below I've added a link to an easy-to-use website to take a quiz if you're interested in learning yours!

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