ABSTRACT
THE interview is the method most frequently used for assessing personality either for educational or vocational purposes, and for the diagnosis of maladjusted children and mental patients. There may be a single formal session conducted by a headmaster, prospective employer, or a group of people, where a rough picture of the personality of the interviewee is obtained and recorded in the form of notes or a personality sketch, or used to guide the decision to accept or reject. Or there may be a series of interviews, interspersed with observations of behaviour in the school, factory, or clinic, leading to the completion of a school's or personnel manager's record card, or the writing of a full case-study. The more sophisticated vocational psychologist may sum up his impressions by rating a series of standard traits. The psychological processes involved in conducting interviews and making judgments of personality are well described by Oldfield 1 (cf. also Chap. VII), and several useful books have been published on the technique of interviewing. A general summary is given by Vernon and Parry.
