ABSTRACT
Although the NEO inventories are used around the world for basic research on personality structure and development, they are also intended for clinical use. Counselors, clinical psychologists, and psychiatrists can use the personality profi les provided by the NEO inventories to understand the strengths and weaknesses of the client, assist in diagnosis and the identifi cation of problems in living, establish rapport, provide feedback and insight, anticipate the course of therapy, and select optimal forms of treatment. In this chapter we will provide an overview of the instruments, and address three basic questions:
1. What is the scientifi c basis of the inventories? 2. For what populations are the NEO inventories appropriate? 3. How can clinicians use the instrument most eff ectively?
