Assessment of Personality and Psychopathology

This chapter discusses key challenges and improvements needed in the assessment of personality and psychopathology, which are accompanied with recommendations. The case is made that systematic reviews and meta-analyses should be required for psychological test scales like they are for psychotherapy. The chapter encourages the field of assessment to focus more thoughtfully on the nature of the assessment methods to best target specific psychological characteristics. The chapter advocates for using tests with valid application that include the setting in which the assessment takes place. In addition, the chapter encourages closing the gap between clinicians and researchers so that researchers stay involved in clinical work to inform their research and clinicians be required to understand the psychometrics of the tests they use in their practice. The challenges that assessors face in being reimbursed by insurance companies and that academics face in obtaining grant funding for their research are summarized. The importance of and challenge in understanding and addressing diversity in psychological assessment, especially when rapid changes occur, are discussed. Challenges in the international use of psychological assessment are raised, especially when the tests need to be translated, normed, and appropriately interpreted in the client’s particular cultural context. The chapter concludes with a discussion of existing and new technologies in psychological assessment (e.g., digital phenotyping) and how artificial intelligence is likely to change psychological assessment as it is currently known.