Personality test are all over the internet

If any branch of psychology truly fits the definition of pseudoscience, it's the personality tests.

I would be interested to see evidence that they actually really accurately describe people. That would be a hell of a double-blind test to set up.

The notion of extrapolating results to whole populations is so unscientific as to be ridiculous.

Personality tests are fun, but I don't believe they're scientific.

Some background:

In 1949, Psychologist Bertram R. Forer (1914-2000) published an eye-opening study that he called a demonstration of gullibility. Forer found that people tend to accept vague and general personality descriptions as uniquely applicable to themselves, without realizing that the same description could be applied to just about anyone else.

Consider the following as if it were given to you as an evaluation of your personality.

You have a need for other people to like and admire you, and yet you tend to be critical of yourself. While you have some personality weaknesses you are generally able to compensate for them. You have considerable unused capacity that you have not turned to your advantage. Disciplined and self-controlled on the outside, you tend to be worrisome and insecure on the inside. At times you have serious doubts as to whether you have made the right decision or done the right thing. You prefer a certain amount of change and variety and become dissatisfied when hemmed in by restrictions and limitations. You also pride yourself as an independent thinker; and do not accept others' statements without satisfactory proof. But you have found it unwise to be too frank in revealing yourself to others. At times you are extroverted, affable, and sociable, while at other times you are introverted, wary, and reserved. Some of your aspirations tend to be rather unrealistic.

Skeptic's Dictionary: the Forer effect (a.k.a. the P.T. Barnum effect and subjective validation)

This description could be applied to anyone. If people think the statements are positive and desirable enough, they will tend to accept them. Even false or questionable statements about ourselves might be accepted. People often feel they have been provided with valuable and personal information, which they actually have not.

Forer simply convinced people he could successfully read their character.

The most common explanations given to account for the Forer effect are in terms of hope, wishful thinking, vanity and the tendency to try to make sense out of experience, though Forer's own explanation was in terms of human gullibility.

The Forer Effect explains why so many people believe in pseudoscience like astrology, astrotherapy, chiromancy, enneagrams, biorhythms and personality tests.

Amusingly, the Forer effect is also called the "Barnum effect" in reference to P.T. Barnum's superior ability to manipulate people.

The problem is that people don't fall so easily into box categories. When you are presented with a question, such as "Do you only buy the things that you need?", limitations imposed on the subject's response ("like yes", "most of the times", "some of the time" or "ha, ha very funny") means that they cannot accurately record a real answer, which was the whole purpose of the quiz.

When personality tests are at their worst, they are used for hiring decisions; employers are making evaluations and hiring decisions on the basis of simplistic type tests.

Many people mistakenly view personality tests and their original intended purpose inaccurately as something intended to comprehensively define a person into an overly-simplistic category.

Pop personality tests are, at best, an amusing ice-breaker for parties or other forms of interactive group entertainment. Simplistic, 45-question tests of a multiple choice nature by no means provide any kind of in-depth profile of an individual.

Did you try the online personality test based on Forer’s?

My personality type was calculated to the personality "ZXNC":

You have a need for other people to like and admire you, and yet you tend to be critical of yourself. While you have some personality weaknesses you are generally able to compensate for them.

You have considerable unused capacity that you have not turned to your advantage. Disciplined and self-controlled on the outside, you tend to be worrisome and insecure on the inside. At times you have serious doubts as to whether you have made the right decision or done the right thing.

You prefer a certain amount of change and variety and become dissatisfied when hemmed in by restrictions and limitations. You also pride yourself as an independent thinker; and do not accept others' statements without satisfactory proof. But you have found it unwise to be too frank in revealing yourself to others.

At times you are extroverted, affable, and sociable, while at other times you are introverted, wary, and reserved. Some of your aspirations tend to be rather unrealistic.

And what about this one: The pig serves as a useful test of the personality traits of the drawer

I must reveal I draw the pig toward the middle of the paper meaning I am a realist. Because I draw my pig facing the front, that means I am directly, I enjoy playing devil's advocate, I don't fear or avoid discussions. Since I didn't made many details, I am supposed to be less analytical, cautious, and distrustful. Instead I am a risk taker, emotional and naive (I was in a hurry, when I did the test). I am living through a period of major change, I did less than 4 legs. The size of the ears indicates how good a listener you are, mine were big so I am a great listener! The length of the tail indicates the quality of your sex life. I better not say anything about whether I draw a tail or not (*LOL*).

These descriptions could be applied to anyone, I guess - and they have no scientific value at all.

Take some of the test and be amused, but don't count on it's the truth:
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