The Importance Of Psychological Assessment

Psychological tests and ethical considerations There is no doubt that psychological assessments are an important tool to evaluate a variety of mental facets. The main purpose of assessments is to gather enough information to issue a report regarding one or various mental aspects of an individual. These reports can significantly change a person 's life or society either favorably or unfavorably. That is why evaluators who conduct and emit reports must have the necessary expertise to make accurate ones. Furthermore, evaluators should use the appropriate assessment tools in order to be accurate. A test that has been of much controversy is the Rorschach inkblot test (RIT). The RIT is a psychological test, consisting of ten inkblot cards, oriented

A negative assessment report may cause direct or indirect consequences to the person who was evaluated, (Michaels, 2006). The RIT has no apparent good or bad answers, (Radford, 2011). Answers that are judged as improper by the evaluator could disfavor the assesse. For instance, a direct consequence of an incorrect diagnosis can lead to leave a person in jail that perhaps deserves a reduction of sentence or parole. Indirectly, it can harm a person by classifying it as mentally ill, (Michaels,

In addition, they must indicate any significant constraint of their analyses, (APA, 2010; Michaels, 2006). The interpretation of the RIT rests on judgments of evaluators. Several studies have indicated that this test scores poorly according to traditional psychometric standards. It has also been found that two experts can observe the same data and draw different or even contradictory conclusions, (Kaplan & Saccuzzo, 2009). Misinterpretations of psychological tests could be detrimental in many ways, such as releasing a dangerous criminal, or leave a person without adequate treatment. Moreover, misinterpretation of tests could label individuals as mentally ill and limit them to get certain services or jobs, (Michaels,