Analyze your psychological world

Author: Lu Yingzhi
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-09-01
Features: He became obsessed with "psychological" tests
Xiao Chen graduated from university 5 years ago, but Cupid's arrow had yet to strike him. Many kind-hearted friends offered him advice and guidance. Most of them believed Xiao Chen's main problem lay in his personality, and the best solution was to take psychological tests to accurately understand his own personality, to leverage his strengths and avoid his weaknesses, which would surely help him find a satisfactory girlfriend. After listening to his friends' advice, Xiao Chen felt like he had struck gold, becoming obsessed with the various psychological tests on the voice messaging service, and also favoring the psychological tests in newspapers and magazines. He was particularly interested in questions like "Is your personality introverted or extroverted," "What kind of girlfriend are you suitable for," and "Do you possess leadership qualities." Strangely, every time Xiao Chen took a test, the results were either contradictory to each other or far removed from his self-perception. Some of the test explanations themselves were also contradictory. Just as Xiao Chen was confused and at a loss about psychological tests, he was introduced to my psychological therapy room by someone. He first explained how he had been taking psychological tests through the voice messaging service and newspapers and magazines, then expressed his confusion and difficulty accepting the test results.
I. Can Psychological Activities Be Measured?
As a psychologist, we often encounter questions similar to those raised by Xiao Chen. So, what exactly is a formal psychological test? Are the test questions randomly chosen? How accurate are psychological tests? And what exactly is the so-called "psychological CT"?
For normal people, "psychology" is a very abstract concept. It refers to a person's internal activities, encompassing their feelings, perceptions, memory, thinking, imagination, attention, emotions, intelligence, temperament, and personality, among other psychological phenomena. Most people believe that psychological activities are elusive. In reality, psychological activities, like physiological activities, can be measured and follow certain patterns. Over the long term, scientists have developed many methods for measuring psychology, which are also known as psychological tests. Psychological tests involve using pre-designed forms (professionals call them scales or questionnaires) or props (such as the Adult Intelligence Scale of China, the Contemporary Intelligence Test Tool Kit) to survey or test examinees, collect and record various psychological phenomena, and then conduct statistical analysis to draw conclusions. The results are used to assess the mental health status of the examinees. During the process of psychological counseling, psychologists frequently use psychological tests and rely on the test results as references and evidence for diagnosing psychological problems or mental illnesses.
II. Who Creates the Test Questions?
A psychological test with practical value that accurately reflects psychological phenomena must undergo a "standardization" process during its development. Scientific methods must be employed, including scientific sampling, followed by statistical and analytical processing to derive norms. It is not enough to simply write questions based on experience. Whether the test is developed domestically or imported from abroad, the standard for judging its accuracy lies in whether it has undergone a "standardization" process. Standardized tests should include instructions, and these instructions must clearly state the test's reliability and validity (as well as its consistency and effectiveness).