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Official personality certification · 2026 behavioral standards

Normal personality assessment in clinical practice: The NEO Personality Inventory

Paul T. Costa Jr., Robert R. McCrae (1992) — Psychological Assessment

Paper summary

This article discusses the use of the NEO Personality Inventory in applied settings and how normative trait measurement can support clinical and research practice. It situates the NEO within the broader Five-Factor trait framework.

Objectives

Explain how normative personality assessment with the NEO Inventory can be integrated into clinical practice and research contexts.

Methodology

Conceptual and psychometric overview of the NEO Inventory with discussion of normative interpretation in applied use.

Key findings

  • The NEO Inventory is presented as a practical tool for measuring five major personality domains.
  • Normative frameworks help interpret trait scores relative to population distributions.
  • Trait assessment can complement other clinical information when used appropriately.

Limitations

  • Self-report inventories depend on respondent honesty and insight.
  • Norms require appropriate selection for the population being assessed.
  • Trait scores are not diagnostic labels on their own.

Impact

Widely cited as part of the foundational literature connecting the Five-Factor Model to applied personality assessment with the NEO family of instruments.

Related researchers

Related research guides

Official sources

Summary is original editorial content. For the authoritative text, use the official DOI or publisher link above.

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