Advertisement

Personality Testing

36:17
Download Audio
Resume
photoPersonality testing has become a ubiquitous method of categorizing people in pursuits from education to work to therapy. But in efforts to better understand ourselves, are American institutions recklessly brushing over the nuance of human personality?

Proponents of testing assert that by learning more about a persons personality type businesses save money on expensive employee turnover. Critics of testing worry that personality testing provides an inaccurate picture of a person and can lead to making important and lasting decisions based on subjective and inconsistent information.

Hear about America's love affair with personality testing.

Guests:

Annie Murphy Paul, author of "Cult of Personality"

Malcolm Gladwell, writer for The New Yorker magazine

LD Moran, president of Achievement Tech.

This program aired on September 22, 2004.

Advertisement

More from On Point

Listen Live
Close