Pitfalls of Personality Psychometric Instruments and How KYKO Psychometric Instrument Addresses them

Pitfall 1 - To design the instrument based on one or two theoretical constructs Using one or two theories from one school of personality theories has its limitations. Let us use the analogy of the elephant as your personality. It is akin to the fables of six blind men of Hindustan trying to guess what an elephant is like. Using one theory to explain human difference is akin to one blind man touching the belly and validates the belly and claims that the belly is your personality. Clearly, it is imperative to develop an instrument using multiple theoretical constructs to enable us to see the whole elephant to enhance greatly the predictive value and accuracy of psychometric assessment instruments.

Pitfall 2 - To put a number on the typology of personality Human beings are not so simple that we can put a number on the typology and slot them, for example, into 16, 32, 243, 625 pigeon holes. It is a fallacy to put a number on the typology of personality. The reality is that no two human beings are alike even if they are identical twins growing up in the same environment due to genetic differences. Every personality is unique. Therefore the number of personalities is infinite

Pitfall 3 - To assume that our behavior pattern is constant and is not affected by the environment Some psychometric instruments interpreting personality from four quadrants use this assumption to interpret human patterns of behavior. As such some predictor variables in each quadrant are not supported by their theoretical constructs. Human behavior is not only a function of the genes. It is also affected by the environment. Predictor variables in the four quadrants are not sensitive to environmental influences. Pitfall 4 - To classify human differences using adjectival descriptors Psychometric instruments using the four or other adjectival descriptors are not inclusive of all psychological traits. For example, how do you classify the word prudent, calculated risk taker, and impulsive, under openness, extraversion, conscientiousness, agreeableness and neuroticism? Likewise for the categories we call dominance, influence, steadiness and compliance? When there is a confusion to classify traits under steadiness and compliance, the adjectival descriptor compliance is replaced by consciousness. In addition certain traits under the adjectival descriptors are not supported by their theoretical constructs. Such traits are thrown everywhere in the interpretation of human differences. The interpretation is limited to telling you what you are and cannot explain why you behave the way you do.

Pitfall 5 To assume that human beings are simple and their behavioral patterns are recognizable, predictable and are consistently persistent between situations and across time While certain people are simple and have recognizable patterns of behavior, they are also human beings whose behavioral patterns are unrecognizable, complex and vary between situations and across time. Psychometric instrument should not be limited to predict simple human beings by classifying human beings into one type or another, such as "A is an extrovert, B is an introvert". Both A and B can be extroverted and introverted depending on the situations. In the midst of important people, one chooses to be introverted whereas in the midst of his or her friends, one can choose to be extroverted. Likewise for the thinking type and the feeling type. One becomes the thinking type if the issue is very important, and if it is a trivial issue, one may use ones gut feelings to make a decision. Psychometric personality assessments should be able to predict complex human behavior that can be this type or that type depending on the situations and the environment over time.

Pitfall 6 - To limit the interpretation of personality to positive traits only Psychometric instrument should not confined to predicting positive traits and qualities of human beings only. It should also be able interpret personalities with negative traits, characteristics and qualities as well. Psychometric personality tests which do not measure neuroticism often limit its interpretation to positive traits only.

Pitfall 7 - To assume that the prediction of variables is not free from personal biases Ideally the interpretation of the variables is supported by a body of knowledge in the theoretical constructs described and explained by the existing gurus of personality theories. Every predictor variable must be supported by psychological theories.

How KYKO Psychometric Instrument address the above Pitfalls? Pitfall 1 - Designing the instrument based on one or two theoretical constructs The instrument of between 150 200 items is designed to measure the five dimensions developed from multiple theoretical constructs via the six psychological schools of thought as follows: Psychodynamic Theories Humanistic theories Behaviorism Social Cognitive theories

Evolutionary theories Genetic theories

By looking at the personality (elephant) through the windows of six theoretical constructs we can see a more complete picture of the personality (elephant). KYKO instrument is calibrated and validated using the Rasch Model which is a loglinear model to ensure the items measure the five dimensions on a common scale so that they can be legitimately compared in magnitude between each other. The error of measurement on the items in the five dimensions vary from 0.03 to 0.07% which shows a high degree of accuracy (See Table 15 of the article on Validation and Calibration of Item for KYKO Instrument on www.scribd.com)

Pitfall 2 - To put a number on the typology of personality KYKO psychometric instruments measure the intensities of five dimensions on a common scale with the units expressed in logits. The range of the intensities of the measures may be categorized as High, Fairly high, Average, Below Average and Low for each dimension. With each of the dimensions having five intensity categories, the combination of category intensities over the five dimensions for each person is 55 = 3125, which means that there are 3125 possible different profiles that each person's "character" may fall into. The high, Fairly high, Average, Below Average and low is determined by the logit (or its derived unit, the "thau") range. Hence the number of personalities from the combinations of the intensities of measures on the five dimensions obtained from the Rasch Model is infinite.

Pitfall 3 - To assume that our behavior pattern is constant and is not affected by the environment KYKO Manipulative Dimension defined as the need, desire and want to adapt, change, influence and make use of others for survival and growth and to satisfy dominant needs was established to address the above pitfall. Under this dimension two types of personalities are identified. 1. Static personality with low needs, want and desire to adapt, change, influence and make use of others for survival and growth and to satisfy dominant needs enable us to predict behavioral pattern that are persistent and consistent between situations and across time.

2. Dynamic personality with high needs, want and desire to adapt, change, influence and to make use of others for survival and growth and to satisfy dominant needs

enable us to predict complex behavior patterns that vary between situations and across time. Clearly static descriptions of personalities are less sensitive while dynamic descriptions of personalities are more sensitive to environmental differences.

Pitfall 4 - To Classify human differences using adjectival descriptors KYKO classifies human differences under inner states such as needs, wants and desires enabling the inclusion of all psychological and motivation traits. When needs, wants and desires are energized behavior becomes observable. From the observable behavior, we are able to predict the thinking, feelings, and doings of a personality. For examples to predict what car a person is likely to buy. A personality with high security needs will buy a conventional car with all the safety features. One buys a conventional car because one wants to be safe and secure. A personality with low security needs is adventurous and is likely to buy a sports car. One buys a sport car because one is adventurous and wants sensational experiences. A personality with high egocentric needs is likely to buy a luxury branded car. One buys luxury branded car because one wants to project ones image and status. A personality with high egocentric and low security needs is likely to buy a branded sport car. A personality with high egocentric and security needs is likely to buy a conventional branded car and so on. Notice that the above examples are able to predict what and why of a persons patterns of behavior.

Pitfall 5 To assume that human beings are simple and that their behavioral patterns are recognizable, predictable and are consistently persistent between situations and across time. KYKO manipulative dimension takes care of the above pitfall. This dimension enables us to predict both simple and complex behavioral patterns Pitfall 6 - To limit its interpretation of personality to positive traits only KYKO is able to address the above pitfall by combining the self actualizing dimension with the other four dimensions to predict patterns of behavior. For example:

Negative traits such as being violent, bullying, being hot-tempered and other aggressive type and demeaning traits can be identified by combining the high egocentric personality (High measure on the Egocentric Dimension) with the neurotic personality (Low measure on the self-actualization dimension) Positive traits such as confidence, high self esteem, persistence, can be identified as a combination of the high egocentric personality (High measure on the Egocentric Dimension) with the normal personality (High measure on the self-actualization dimension) Negative traits such as jealousy, revengeful, envy can be identified as a combination of the high sociocentric personality (High measure on the Sociocentric Dimension) with the neurotic personality (Low measure on the self-actualization dimension) Positive traits such as cooperation, caring, helpful can be identified as a combination of the high sociocentric personality (High measure of the Sociocentric Dimension) with the normal personality (High measure on the self-actualization dimension) Negative traits such as nagging, worries, peevish can be identified as a combination of the high security personality (High measure on the Security Dimension) with the neurotic personality (Low measure on the self-actualization dimension) Positive traits such as being organized, loyal, meticulous, being precise can be identified as a combination of the high sociocentric personality (High measure on the Security Dimension) with the normal personality (High measure on the self-actualization dimension) and so on. Clearly, KYKO Psychometric Instruments can identify all the positive and negative psychological traits in the lexicon of our dictionary Pitfall 7 - The prediction of variables is not free from personal bias KYKO address the above pitfalls to support the predictions of variables based on the theoretical concepts of a group of psychologists. For example, To predict leadership variables Vision 1. Satellite Vision - High Manipulative 2. Tunnel vision - Low Manipulative

Leadership style Autocratic High Egocentric Participative High Sociocentric Bureaucratic High Security Laissez Faire Low Security Situational High Manipulative

Leadership behavior People who push others to produce results - High egocentric + High Self-Actualization People who force others for their own personal gains - High Egocentric + Low Self actualization A deceptive leader (High Manipulative) uses his legitimate power (High Egocentric) and relationship (High Sociocentric) to satisfy his hidden motives (Low self-actualization.