Have you ever been curious about what kind of person you are? You can learn more about yourself through personality tests which are tools for evaluating the behavioral pattern of a human person. These tests were first introduced with scientific backing by modern psychology in the early 20th century. But do you know that personality tests existed long before the discipline of psychology?
Some of the oldest personality test techniques include tarot card reading, palmistry, astrological charts, and more. While most of them are considered pseudoscience, there are some fun and interesting aspects that can make for an interesting read. Here are the most common scientific and pseudoscientific personality tests out there and a rundown of how they work!
Tarot Card Reading
Tarot cards have been around for probably as long as recorded history since the Middle Ages. The practice of using cards representing certain deities to predict a person’s past, present, and future. Personality tests first emerged in Berne in 1367 A.D and later spread all over Europe. Thanks to the French clergyman Antoine Court de Gebelin, tarot readings were popularized in the 16th century.
After the Renaissance era, traveling bands of gypsies formed the basis of the modern tarot deck. In a tarot card personality test, one has to voluntarily choose a card at random, which the reader interprets. Studies of the occult by many personalities like Crowley in Europe form the basis of the rules and interpretations of modern tarot-card reading.
Simple Virtual Test
Thankfully, personality tests in the form of psychological evaluation offered by different websites and mental health experts are more dependable as they’re backed by scientific studies and research. These tests involve answering different questions or responding to a series of images and patterns like the famous Rorschach Test.
Psychics also use similar question patterns in tests to ascertain an individual’s psychic potential. Some experts continue to use this methodology in evaluating test subjects. Psychic readings are carried out in various ways. If you want to know more, here are some reviews of psychic readings.
Palmistry
Another traditional technique for ascertaining an individual’s personality is through palm readings, also known as chirology. It has been in practice since ancient times, with records present in Indian and Greek culture thousands of years before Christ was born. Today, palmistry personality tests are seen more as a novelty than anything else.
Palmists ascertain personality traits by observing certain patterns and creases on the palm as well as the structure of one’s arms, fingers, and more. The techniques used in palmistry are highly questionable and proven to be bunk in more than one study. A similar pseudoscience called phrenology is based on the principles of palmistry.
Astrological Charts
The study of astrology is as old as human civilization, dating back to the early Mesopotamian and Babylonian civilizations. Unlike palmistry and some other personality test techniques in this list that don’t have any factual basis, astrology is often taken more seriously as the interpretations are based on data observed and confirmed over thousands of years of studies.
An astrologist will often take note of various constellation-related information from a person, primarily the time and date of important events of an individual’s life. Based on that information, they find the planets and stars that influence a person’s life and personality based on the predetermined characteristics in different constellation categories.
The Use of Mediums
Using mediums to glean information on an individual is a technique used by different occult and psychic experts around the globe. This technique is highly dubious and often considered ineffective as no one who claimed to be a medium in history has proven their authenticity beyond doubt. Frankly, many of these so-called ‘mediums’ have been proven to be frauds in almost all instances.
Aside from offering a laugh or scare in movies, psychic mediums are very few and far between these days. While Europe and America had an immense obsession with psychic mediums throughout history, it’s mostly forgotten these days.
Be Careful With Your Information
Despite being very fun to read, it’s best not to go for or try any pseudoscientific personality tests without any good reviews.
Since these personality tests’ authenticity and factual correctness are often based on sharp observations and patterns rather than anything mystical, shady con artists will often try to manipulate others to reveal personal information that might seem irrelevant.