Integrative Assessment of Adult Personality

INTEGRATIVE ASSESSMENT OF ADULT PERSONALITY
Edited by Larry E. Beutler and Michael R. Berren

* What questions should a personality assessment address?
* What types of information are necessary to complete an
assessment?
* What instruments are needed to answer the questions?
* How can the data be integrated and understood once various
types have been collected?
* How can the integrated assessment be best utilized in
treatment planning?

Addressing these issues and more, this unique volume presents an integrative approach to the process of personality assessment. This process includes the administration, scoring and interpretation of psychological tests; clinical interviewing, observation, and the gathering of historical and collateral information; and, finally, the integration of those unique pieces of information to reliably predict a patient's functioning. While maintaining the standardized administration methods necessary for using test norms and comparing results across subjects, the approach described in this text shows how to construct a "moving picture" that takes into account the complexities of individual personalities and provides insights that will be invaluable in deriving effective treatment strategies.

All the chapters share the same perspectivethat the information provided is just one piece of the assessment puzzle. The book begins with a basic discussion of test development and validation, followed by a description of the methods used for integrating information from disparate sources and the presentation of a model of report writing. Issues related to the selection of assessment instruments are discussed, as is the use of the clinical interview both for gathering information and for setting the stage for the rest of the assessment experience. Specific chapters focus on assessment procedures that include the clinical interview, the WAIS-R, the Rorschach, the MMPI-2, and the MCMI, and on the ways information can be applied to the task of making treatment recommendations. The final chapter is a workbook that assists the reader in learning the principles both of test interpretation and of integrative report writing. Illustrated with four case examples, it demonstrates how to complete a worksheet designed for integrative assessment. The workbook also includes the results of procedures, blank worksheets for the reader to complete, sample forms completed by the authors, and a model assessment report based on the information provided.

Ideal for graduate courses in personality assessment, Integrative Assessment of Adult Personality is the only text that addresses both interviewing and integration. A useful guide and reference for practicing psychologists and counselors, the volume's broad focus makes it appropriate for use regardless of one's theoretical orientation.