One problem with using observable expressive behaviors as a method of personality assessment is that expressive style is often strongly influenced by cultural and social norms.
Personality Assessment, according to the American Psychological Association (APA) is a proficiency in professional psychology that involves the administration, scoring, and interpretation of empirically supported measures of personality traits and styles in order to:
Refine clinical diagnoses;
Structure and inform psychological interventions; and
Increase the accuracy of behavioral prediction in a variety of contexts and settings (e.g., clinical, forensic, organizational, educational).
Personality is interactional in two senses. Personal characteristics can be thought of as products of interactions among underlying psychological factors; for example, an individual may experience tension because he or she is both shy and desirous of social success. These products, in turn, interact with the types of situations people confront in their daily lives.
A person who is anxious about being evaluated might show debilitated performance in evaluative situations (for example, taking tests), but function well in other situations in which an evaluative emphasis is not present.
Personality makeup can be either an asset or a liability depending on the situation. For example, some people approach evaluative situations with fear and foreboding, while others seem to be motivated in a desirable direction by competitive pressures associated with performance. See more at www.britannica.com/science/personality-assessment.
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