Gladwell, Malcolm. “Annals of Psychology: Personality Plus”. The New Yorker. 20 September
2004.
http://www.gladwell.com/2004/2004_09_20_a_personality.html
or see attached document
Questions
1. What heroic acts did Sandy Nininger perform during World War II? Why could it be said
that his heroics were unforeseen?
2. What is the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)?
3. For what is the MBTI used?
4. What are the flaws of the MBTI?
5. What was the basic design of Walter Mischel’s studies?
6. What was revealed in the results of Mischel’s studies?
7. What was the design of Gladwell’s (the author) personality test? Where do you think you
would fall in each of Gladwell’s categories?
8. What were the origins of the Myers-Briggs test? In what ways were the origins of the test
problematic?
9. What is the Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)? Who developed the TAT?
10. What are the flaws of TAT?
11. How does DDI go about testing personality? What four skills does a DDI test measure?
12. What are the drawbacks of DDI’s personality tests?
13. Do you think personality traits are relatively stable or considerably flexible depending on
the situation? Explain the reasons for your answer.
Assignment by AP Psychology Instructor: Mr. C. Thun