ALOIS ANGLEITNER and JERRY S. WIGGINS The personality questionnaire has been with us for more than 60 years. It has been, and still is, the most popular method of personality assessment and it no doubt will continue to be so. The method has been sharply criticized since its inception (e. g. , Allport, 1921; Watson, 1933; Ellis, 1946; Janke, 1973), and this criticism is also likely to continue. The long-standing indifference of test con structors to criticisms of their craft is brought home by noting the similarities between objections raised many years ago and those that are offered today (Gynther & Green, 1982). Within this context, one might well ask why a book on personality questionnaires should appear at this time. Despite the centrality of the personality questionnaire to personality as sessment, there are, to our knowledge, no recent books on the general topic of personality questionnaires. There are of course books on specific instru ments (e. g. , Dahlstrom, Welsh & Dahlstrom, 1972, 1975), books on interpre tation of specific instruments (e. g. , Comrey, 1980), and books on specific is sues such as response styles (e. g. , Block, 1965). Although not specifically focused on personality questionnaires, Bass and Berg's (1959) Objective Ap proaches to Personality Assessment dealt with a number of issues that are cen tral to questionnaires.

Since the 1980s, personality psychologists from a range of perspectives have found the five-factor model to be an effective tool for identifying and structuring personality attributes. Measuring individual differences in terms of degrees of extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, emotional stability, and openness to experience, the model provides a common language for the field of personality psychology while, at the same time, it supports widely divergent approaches. How has the model evolved over time, and how has it been challenged? Are these five dimensions adequate to describe the entire range of personality traits? This timely and inclusive volume addresses these and other questions as it explores the five-factor model's theoretical underpinnings, initiating a fruitful dialogue among some of the leading figures in contemporary personality research.

From distinguished scholar and teacher Jerry S. Wiggins, this authoritative text offers a uniquely integrative introduction to adult personality assessment. Part 1 identifies five major assessment paradigms -- psychodynamic, interpersonal, personological, multivariate, and empirical. Examined are the history of each paradigm, key figures in its development, and the current status of favored instruments and approaches. In Part 2, leading representatives of each paradigm are invited to interpret extensive test and interview data collected from a single subject. The resulting collaborative case study facilitates comparison of techniques, theories, and interpretations; illuminates the unique contributions of each paradigm; and suggests areas of common ground and potential integration. Special features include numerous clearly presented timelines and charts.

From distinguished scholar and teacher Jerry S. Wiggins, this book is a uniquely integrative introduction to adult personality assessment that will engage graduate and undergraduate students alike. Part I thoroughly reviews five major assessment paradigms--psychodynamic, interpersonal, personological, multivariate, and empirical. In Part II, leading representatives of each paradigm are invited to interpret extensive test and interview data collected from a single subject. The resulting "collaborative case study" facilitates comparison of techniques, theories, and interpretations; illuminates the unique contributions of each paradigm; and suggests areas of common ground and potential integration.