Post by irynay on Oct 14, 2017 13:11:21 GMT
I've decided to go with a method of personality assessment by a trained observer in my answers for both A and B questions.
A. One limitation of the reliability of this method I think lies in the types of situations the person's behavior was observed in. I think people show different sides of their personality and behave differently according to their situations. The observer will have to draw conclusions based on what he witnessed. Another observer might witness different situations and come to different conclusions. Also, there is always a chance that even in a similar situation the person might behave differently. I think there is a possibility that this method will produce different results when used at a different time and by different people and therefore is not very reliable in general.
When it comes to limitations to validity, I think the main issue is whether true judgment about someone's personality can be made from the point of observation. I think the phenomena of personality is very broad and deeply rooted within the person. Observation is good for seeing what is on the surface, so to speak, and what's on the surface just might not be sufficient to judge what is under it.
B. Despite the issues with validity and reliability that I discussed above, I believe that it has two main advantages over the methods of self-assessment and reports from family and friends. The first advantage is the unbiased view. By not being involved in any kind of relationship with the person, the observer is able to create and express the objective opinion about this person. The second advantage I believe lies in the training of the observer. The broader knowledge about human personality and its traits contribute to the validity of observer opinion. Comparing to the ordinary person without such knowledge, the observer should be able to interpret the behavior more accurately and identify the traits more precisely.
Even though this method has great advantages over the other two methods, it is the least ethical. To maintain it's validity this method should be used without the person knowing he/she is being observed. In other words, assessing personality in this manner implies intrusion into person's privacy without his/her permission.
A. One limitation of the reliability of this method I think lies in the types of situations the person's behavior was observed in. I think people show different sides of their personality and behave differently according to their situations. The observer will have to draw conclusions based on what he witnessed. Another observer might witness different situations and come to different conclusions. Also, there is always a chance that even in a similar situation the person might behave differently. I think there is a possibility that this method will produce different results when used at a different time and by different people and therefore is not very reliable in general.
When it comes to limitations to validity, I think the main issue is whether true judgment about someone's personality can be made from the point of observation. I think the phenomena of personality is very broad and deeply rooted within the person. Observation is good for seeing what is on the surface, so to speak, and what's on the surface just might not be sufficient to judge what is under it.
B. Despite the issues with validity and reliability that I discussed above, I believe that it has two main advantages over the methods of self-assessment and reports from family and friends. The first advantage is the unbiased view. By not being involved in any kind of relationship with the person, the observer is able to create and express the objective opinion about this person. The second advantage I believe lies in the training of the observer. The broader knowledge about human personality and its traits contribute to the validity of observer opinion. Comparing to the ordinary person without such knowledge, the observer should be able to interpret the behavior more accurately and identify the traits more precisely.
Even though this method has great advantages over the other two methods, it is the least ethical. To maintain it's validity this method should be used without the person knowing he/she is being observed. In other words, assessing personality in this manner implies intrusion into person's privacy without his/her permission.