Throughout time, man has wanted to understand how humans function in the world. From the first nations and on there have been various groupings. Astrology, for example, was once considered a science. The first fully recognized sorting of man was by Hypocrites in 350 BC. After World War One the modern phase of psychology and management began to flourish.

In the 1920’s, theories and hypothesis were beginning to be written up in various scientific journals. In 1923, Carl Jung published his book "Psychological Type". William Marston completed another major work in his book "Emotions of Normal People" published in1928. In the same year, Thurstone created scales for measuring. Likert developed the first forced choice rating scale in 1932.

The next major move forward was in the 1950’s. People were taking these theories and models and developing experiments to try and validate the various hypothesis. Massive studies began and lots of data began to be collected. Isabel Meyers, the daughter of Katherine Briggs (hence the MBTI) is credited for introducing the self-report movement at this time. Prior to this, all assessments where administered by highly trained professionals. Walter Clark introduced the first DiSC Tools in 1952. Other assessments were beginning to be developed, such as FiroB in 1958.

 Astrology -Water 
- Fire 
-Air 
-Earth


Hippocrates -Melancholy 
- Sanguine 
- Phlegmatic 
- Choleric


Jung 
- Feeler 
- Intuitor 
- Thinker 
- Sensor

In the late 70’s, these tools began show up more frequently in organizations and where no longer the privy of psychologists. In 1975 the Association for Psychological Type and Center for Application of Psychological Type began to distribute MBTI. Not only were these instruments being used by career counselors, but we now had HR departments interested in using some of these instruments for development, hiring etc.

The Next Stage

We are now on the verge of the next explosion due to the accessibility through technology of online assessments – both those that are good and those that are not. This is creating a whole new set of pressures and challenges in the use of assessments.

Some of the terms that you are often used besides assessment are:
  • Inventory
  • Instrument
  • Tools
  • Survey
  • Strength Finder
  • Personality profiles
  • Measurements
  • Evaluations
  • Test  (I strongly discourage the use of this term as it has a value judgment of right and wrong.  Some true psychological tests are just that tests.)

The Art of Assessments

What is often called theory is in fact merely a working hypothesis. Good theory is a cluster of explicit and relevant assumptions – creating hypothesis that are subject to experimental tests and predictions are made. It is to help us gain greater understanding the world around us because it is not possible to ever fully understand such complexity.  Theories are largely descriptive.

Models are like road maps. We may sometimes mistake the map for reality. The model is only a pattern, an analogy. Models may be useful; they are not necessarily true. The purpose of a model is to communicate, in an effective and simplified way, complex information.

 

Models Represent; Theories Explain

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