Free online personality tests are a means of finding out more about oneself without having to go to the expense of paying a psychiatric professional to administer it.
Most people who take online personality tests are either doing it for fun, or just out of curiosity, but they are also used by employers and professionals to learn more about the subject being tested.
Many parameters can be measured by personality tests, such as temperament, which job you are more suited to, if you are management material, how you handle stress, and how you would be as a parent or spouse. http://www.personality-and-aptitude-career-tests.com/history-of-personality-tests.html<ref>
Background
Personality testing has been around since the days of Hippocrates, and made major strides in the 20th century. Wilhelm Wundt (1879 A.D.) was the first to distinguish between human body and personality, by stating that temperaments can’t be limited to body fluids. His theory was that four temperaments; sanguine, phlegm, cholera and melancholy are four dimensions of the human personality. Wundt founded the first psychology laboratory in Leipzig Germany. http://www.personality-and-aptitude-career-tests.com/history-of-personality-tests.html
Today, Myers-Brigg is usually given in conjunction with Kiersey Temperament Sorter to present an overall picture of a subject. http://users.viawest.net/~keirsey/difference.html<ref>
Uses
Free online personality tests are taken every day by people wishing to learn more about themselves and their motivations. Takers use them to find out why they act the way they do, whether they truly are "normal" or "different", and what kind of job they should have. The latest, most popular free only personality tests are the color tests, such as the Dewey Color Test.
Free online personality tests are a private way to get valid information on yourself that you may not want to share with anyone else. For example, if you are thinking of changing careers, free online career assessment tests can be a great tool, without anyone finding out your intentions.
References
Fast Facts
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Purpose
To identify characteristics and compare them to an information database.
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Origin
The oldest known personality typing method is known as the Enneagram, which categorizes personalities into 9 numbered types.
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Varieties
There are at least 11 major personality tests, and dozens of less important ones.
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Online Test
Myers-Briggs is the most widely used online personality test in the world.
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Carl Jung
Carl Jung's Theories were the basis for the Myer-Briggs model.
