1
Sample Psychology Essay
Assessment of FIRO B Test Results and the Identified Interpersonal Needs
In today’s multi cultural, multi racial society, the need for high interpersonal skills
are essential for success in both in work life and in personal life. As a part of human
nature, people interact with each other and form relationships on a day-to-day basis.
However there are differences in how such relationships are established and how people
interact. FIRO B is a personality test, which assess three dimensions of a person’s
inclinations towards interpersonal relationships. The model has been developed based on
William Schultz’s theory of small-group behavior. FIRO B test measures a person’s
Expressed needs and Wanted needs. Expressed needs indicate the level which an
individual behave towards the other while wanted needs indicate how you wish the other
would behave towards you. These two aspects of interpersonal needs are then assessed on
three dimensions of interpersonal needs: Inclusion, Control and Affection.
The inclusion aspect relates to how a person wish to be part of a group, how
readily one forms new relationships and how much belonging is sought. The Control
need is associated with a person’s wish to influence, persuade and make known the
wishes and ideas of his or her own. This aspect of interpersonal needs determines power
and authority within interpersonal relationships. The third dimension of Affection needs
is how close and personal the interpersonal relationships become. The level of emotional
attachment, openness, sensitivity and caring a person bring in to a relationship is
dependent on this.
A person with a high need for expressed inclusion would behave in a manner
which “make others feel included; join social organizational; have many friends;
introduce people to each other and be in the middle of the action” (Thomson & Schultz
2005).
People with high needs of wanted inclusion may have a personality which seeks
too much attention and invitations and can not handle rejections and not being invited or
included in any event. At the same time, those with low inclusion needs may give out
wrong signals of indifference so that other people hesitate to include such people in their
group activities.
Certain FIRO B test results, especially those conducted among foreign students
indicate that their usual personality traits are altered when they are in foreign
environments. For instance, someone who is new to a foreign country, with a generally
high expressed inclusion will display low levels of this as there are few friends for him or
her initially. His or her need for inclusion will be greater than his or her expressed
2
inclusion at initial years in a foreign country. Later on, the personality may revert back to
his or her core elements where expressed inclusion may dominate.
The Firo B tests also measure the expressed affection and wanted affection of a
person. The mid range score indicate that the expressed affection, closeness and intimacy
in interpersonal relationships are in mid range and that they are exhibited in restraint. It
should be noted that a person’s expressed affection is greatly affected by social
constraints, language barriers and class structure etc. Those with a mid range score for
expressed and wanted affection finds too much soul searching and sharing of too intimate
information to be unprofessional (Schnell & Hammer 2003).
In conclusion, many study results point that FIRO B test scores and their ability to
reflect actual personal behavior patterns has high validity. The scale is used in various
settings such as group creation, recruitment process, team building or simply for personal
use. The self analysis promoted by this test help individuals improve interpersonal
relations, and behavior, which is a key to success in both career and personal life.
Table 1 – FIRO B Test Score Chart
Inclusion
Control
Affection
(eI)
(eC)
(eA)
Total Expressed
Behavior
(wI)
(wC)
(wA)
Total Wanted
Behavior
Total Need
for Inclusion
Total Need
for
Affection
Total Need
for Control
Overall
Interpersonal
Needs
Expressed
Wanted