In connection with the standardization of work and the development of the influence of psychology and psychiatry, many enterprises introduce a psychological examination of most groups of people, for one reason or another, interacting with society: candidates for the position, service workers, teachers, and schoolchildren. The situation is associated with more frequent cases of industrial conflicts and even disasters associated with the unfavorable psychological background of the employee or the collective as a whole. HR specialists developed a multifaceted psychophysiological examination, borrowed from the experience of clinicians, psychiatrists and counseling psychologists. In the foreseeable future, such a program promises many research prospects and an improvement in the work of various services.
Practice of techniques in HR. Is it so scary?
In most cases, methods for psychodiagnostics are offered to respondents when applying for a job that requires certain psychological parameters: stress resistance, moral normativeness, sociability. The desire of the employer to get the employee “healthy, beautiful, sociable, without bad habits” creates a number of obstacles to the unemployed to his position.
However, the expectations of businessmen interested in their own profit are certainly justified and create the right level of competition. Psychophysiological examination is offered, as a rule, to responsible persons and senior managers. The need for this procedure is due to the need to quickly find out what potential is in the future employee, and whether the game is worth the candle.
In addition, many techniques help to identify employee motivation to work and contribute to improving the enterprise management system. Managers who are not stingy with the psychologist-coach or an experienced personnel officer rarely encounter the problem of staff leaving or assuming the position of employees who are unable to fulfill their job duties.
Psychophysiological examination: Ministry of Internal Affairs, security forces and the army
Great attention is paid to testing in law enforcement agencies that are connected with the deviant and criminal contingent of people. In this case, a full examination is carried out not only when applying for a job, but also with a certain frequency during the period of adaptation and further service. Particular attention is paid to employees of the Federal Drug Control Service and the Ministry of Internal Affairs. These structures automatically issue “red cards” to applicants who have even slight psychological deviations, or who have dealt with a narcologist or psychiatrist.
In this case, the management needs not only a psychophysiological examination, but also complete anthropometry data. The well-known proverb “In a healthy body - a healthy mind” in the interpretation of HR specialists in the case of a new employee, sounds like “Both the body and the psyche must be ready for stress”. And the loads are often colossal. That is why personnel officers use a psychophysiological examination: tests and projective techniques to identify the necessary psychometric parameters.
Luscher color test
The vastness of its application is due to the speed of the study and a fairly accurate interpretation of the results. The test subject is invited to arrange colored cards in a row, based on personal preferences. At the beginning of the row is a card with the most pleasant color for the subject.
Next are the colors that you like less (descending). As a result, the series should end with the least pleasant color for the subject.
Advantages : speed, ease of interpretation, the ability to automate the process.
Disadvantages : the ability to provide socially desirable answers. The technique cannot serve as a battery (primary).
Picture test
It is a very effective, but rather laborious diagnostic method. The candidate for the position should undergo a creative task related to the outline of the object or group of the object (“Non-existent animal”, “House, tree, person”). The psychologist evaluates the pressure on the pencil, the location of the objects, the geometry of the drawing, the emphasis on certain features of the drawing (eyes, structure, plants, animal hair, etc.).
Advantages : very effective projective psychophysiological examination. In the hands of an experienced psychologist becomes a real "psi-microscope." With the help of the figure, a very wide range of psychological parameters is determined. The test subject cannot give a socially desirable answer,
Disadvantages : the complexity of the process, the inability to automate using a computer.
Psychophysiological examination of intellectual abilities
Using IQ research is a pretty controversial issue when applying for a job. Psychologists note that respondents with high rates may be ineffective, and with low - highly effective. And vice versa. So, the methods for determining IQ cannot give a full answer to the question of professional suitability. Many businessmen do not take this fact into account, introducing discrimination based on intellectual abilities into the personnel policy of the enterprise . From this they, by the way, lose more than gain. But it’s still worth considering popular methods.
Eysenck test
The test subject is invited to solve a number of problems in a certain period of time (depending on the version of the test). The data obtained by the psychologist are verified with the key, and the subject receives an assessment of his intellectual abilities. Most of the respondents have intelligence in the range from 90 to 110.
The tests of D. Wexler, J. Raven in obtaining results and processing are identical to the Eysenck test.
Advantages: Providing an IQ picture in a relatively short time. The ability to automate the technique.
Disadvantages : the validity of the methodology for determining suitability is questionable.
Summarizing the above, it should be remembered that there is no need to be afraid of tests. They reveal only part of the data about our psychological characteristics. If the employer sees in the applicant a valuable employee, he will never refuse to provide the necessary space.