Psychometrics and Personality: Who are we?

Glyn's Bio

Glyn has a background leading teams internationally and delivering through people. A certified business psychologist and qualified coach with Master’s degrees in both Psychology and Organisational Psychology, he is currently pursuing Chartership status to deepen his professional practice. Working primarily within the U.K. Civil Service, he enjoys supporting individuals in their personal and professional development and applying psychological insights to tackle organisational problems. His core interests include leadership, personality, and workplace resilience and wellbeing. Glyn is passionate about creating environments where people can thrive, grow into their best selves, and make meaningful contributions.

Glyn's Blog

Wouldn’t it be great if people came with a list of ingredients? Or maybe a chart showing what they’re made of? No surprises, no guessing… We’d know exactly what we were getting and life would perhaps be simpler...

Well, the science of psychometrics - measuring people’s psychological characteristics - tries to do just that. It explores the ways in which people differ, and quantifies how much of each characteristic they possess compared to others. Pretty useful if you’re looking to recruit the right people, select the right leaders, increase self-awareness, or help teams work together more effectively.

Perhaps the most well-known psychometric test is for IQ. It measures cognitive ability - how well we process information and solve problems. But there’s more to people than that. Personality, for instance, provides fascinating insights into ourselves and others.

So, What is Personality?

The American Psychological Association defines personality as:

“The enduring configuration of characteristics and behaviour that comprises an individual’s unique adjustment to life, including major traits, interests, drives, values, self-concept, abilities, and emotional patterns.” (APA, 2018)

In simpler terms, personality is about who we are, how we behave, and what matters to us. You’d be right in thinking this is complex and challenging, but philosophers and psychologists have been working on it for thousands of years. From Theophrastus in arounds 320 BC, who identified 30 different types of people, to today’s scientific consensus around five core traits that explain the majority of individual differences.

Five traits might not sound like many given the variety we see in people, but if each is measured on a scale of 1-10, that is 100,000 different possibilities (by the way, we usually measure them on a scale of 1-100!). And that’s before considering how traits interact or vary differently depending on context!

Traits vs. Types

This complexity is why psychologists tend to favour trait-based models over type-based ones. Instruments such as the MBTI (16 types) or DISC (4 types) simplify personality into categories, which can be helpful - but they can miss the nuance. However, their simplicity is their strength. Our brains crave quick and easy understanding, and simply recognising that people interact with the world differently can be transformative for some.

The ‘Big Five’

So, what are the five traits most commonly used in modern personality frameworks?

• Extraversion: How much someone seeks social interaction and stimulation. This tends to be expressed as confidence, assertiveness, and sociability.

• Neuroticism: The tendency to experience anxiety and tension. Often linked to how threatening the world feels.

• Agreeableness: Empathy, cooperation, and a desire to accommodate others’ needs.

• Openness: Curiosity, creativity, and a preference for novelty and new experiences.

• Conscientiousness: Organisation, discipline, and a drive for order and achievement.

  
  

Extraversion and neuroticism tend to be the most visible, as they broadly relate to positive and negative emotion. But all five traits shape who we are, how we navigate life, and how we interact with others. In addition to the big 5, a sixth trait - honesty/humility - has recently gained traction. Plus, there are assessments for values, emotional tendencies, ‘dark’ traits, and how we behave when no one’s watching, to name but a few….

Measuring the Intangible

How do we measure something as intricate, complex, and changeable as personality? It takes science, statistics, and rigour. A good psychometric personality test must:

• Measure what it claims to

• Predict meaningful outcomes

• Do these reliably over time

  
  

That’s the science part, but there is also quite an art in interpreting the results. A skilled practitioner doesn’t just read scores and trait descriptions - they engage in a thoughtful conversation; they connect results to real-life experiences, explore how traits combine, and consider how context influences behaviour. They might also skilfully uncover behaviours the individual is unaware of, and provide useful insight into how someone deals with those that differ. For example, someone high in extraversion might struggle to understand why some colleagues don’t want to chat constantly. Or someone high relatively high on the neuroticism scale might be baffled by why others ‘just don’t get it’. These insights can be game-changing.

Two Standout Assessments

Given that personality is so fascinating, and the insights and understanding it offers so useful, many assessments have been developed over the years. Here are two that stand out and are commonly used in business today:

Lumina aims to reduce evaluative bias. Low conscientiousness, for example, isn’t framed negatively - it’s seen as adaptability, spontaneity, and flexibility. Lumina also reveals 3 personas: how we are naturally, at our best, and under pressure. It’s especially useful for teams, positively highlighting each member’s unique contributions.

Hogan does something really clever: it measures reputation rather than identity - how others are likely to perceive us. It does this by comparing the test-taker’s responses to how others experience those that respond similarly. Hogan argues that reputation matters most, especially at work. The assessment also considers how we are likely to behave under stress, or when complacent, and includes measures of values and preferences. Hogan is particularly useful for leadership development.

If you’re curious about who you are, how you fit into a team, or what makes others tick, personality psychometrics is a powerful lens. It’s the result of thousands of years of thought, distilled into scientific tools that help us understand ourselves and others a little better.

References:

American Psychological Association. (2018, April 19). Personality. APA Dictionary of Psychology. https://dictionary.apa.org/personality

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 PBI Thoughts

At the PBI, we believe that self-awareness is the foundation of meaningful growth. Psychometrics provide a shared language for understanding ourselves and each other. It helps entrepreneurs identify their leadership style, psychologists refine their practice, and teams create cultures that value difference. But the real power lies in how we use these insights: to build connection, empathy, and environments where people can thrive.