Psychological Testing and Assessment Paper - Essay Example

Psychological test is one of the recognized measurement tools used in psychology. Cohen, Swerdlik and Sturnam (2013) define psychological test as devices and/or procedures used to measure psychological variables with regard to their effects on human life. Cohen, Swerdlik and Sturnam (2013) alternatively define psychological test process of determining psychology related variables through use of procedures and devices designed to produce a sample of behaviors. Counselors, and marriage as well as family therapists rely on psychological tests to accomplish their treatment goals of dysfunctional elements in their clients.

Counselors need psychological tests such as interviews and observations to study behaviors and conducts of their clients. Interviews enable counselor to perform personality, intelligence, attitude, brain and behavioral tests on clients. Marriage and family therapists perform personality tests on related individuals facing difficult time to understand inherent motivators to act as they do. Personality tests enable counselors to weigh trust, confidence, courage, self-esteem, understanding, honesty and transparency between and among clients (Nichols, 2013).

Measuring trust is usually important in marriage therapy where couples experience problem due to distrust. A married woman may use observations of behavioral change in the partner to suspect infidelity. If the two have not found time to talk about their challenges, the woman would continue to express distrust in the marriage and behave in a manner that only escalates instability in the marriage. Marriage and family therapists also measure honesty levels in their clients to determine commitment of related members in their relationships.

Honesty here, concerns open and truthful communication among members. Therapists understand dishonest communication have great propensity to lead to unstable relationship within families.