Personality Psychology Pro – Palm OS Game

Most personality profiles have four major categories that they think we fall into. Usually we are ‘mostly’ one category, then partially another… which results in twelve general types like the Zodiac signs! (Of course, we all know there are really 10 types of people those who understand binary, and those who don’t!)

Personality Psychology Pro Opening Screen

Personality Psychology Pro from CrazySoft for $16.95 is sort of a psychological test, sort of a personality test, and sort of a game all at once. More accurately, it is a collection of about 50 different tests in one handy package.

Most of the tests are multiple choice ‘click the right answer’ format, and range in length and seriousness. Some are just meant for fun, such as:

– Paint Test, where you decide what color several objects should be.
– Image Test, where your selection of image choices reveals things about you.
– Dalai Lama Test, in which the words you use to describe one thing are assumed to also apply to other parts of your life.

The Fun and Games Screen

The Paint Test

The Paint Test Results Screen using random inputs

Some tests, the bulk of the program, are more serious, such as tests for sexuality, emotional stability, introversion, sympathy, politics, etc. The last few tests are lumped under “Updates” range from determining your Chinese Horoscope to “What Were You In A Past Life?”, where your birthday allows them to determine what kind of person you USED to be.
The program is easy enough to use, resource and memory friendly, OK graphics, and so on. In general, it is pretty well constructed and designed. Game play is also straight-forward and no instructions are really needed. The demo period is 10 uses with a few tests unavailable during this period.

The actual usefulness of the tests is an interesting issue. Most of the tests, especially the fun one and the “updates”, read like newspaper horoscopes. You know what I mean, the generic “good/bad/good” stuff, like “You are a fun person that values money. You find it difficult to let others know your inner thoughts. You are concerned about your health and wish you had more good friends.” We have seen things like this before on-line. Most of us have a friend who keeps e-mailing us these things all the time.

The more serious tests read more like a valid personality profile survey. “Read a statement, make a response, repeat for a long list of statements.” At the end, it gives you a quickie “snapshot” of one aspect of your personality. Over 1/2 of this program deals with personality tests, testing everything from self-esteem to dogmatism. While they can take a while to work through, they do seem to offer useful insights.

The Personality Tests- 2 of 5 Screens Worth

Now, what you actually DO with this insight is up to you! This program does not offer as much useful advice as to how to apply this to your real life as some other books and tests do, but it is nonetheless helpful.

The lack of follow-up info is one strike against this program. Strike two is that most of these tests or something similar can be found on-line or at the library for free. Strike three is the cost. $16.95 is a bit much in my mind for a program that you basically work through once, then pretty much use on friends (who have not already seen the tests on-line).

Psychology Tests Results Screen

Still… There is SOMETHING about this program I like. Maybe it is that most of the tests give mostly positive, upbeat messages. A nice moral booster, basically a “pocket yes-man”. It is hard to be upset with a program that tells you that in your past life you were a pretty decent person! Maybe it is the rather “plucky” way CrazySoft plugs away at offering software in the face of the competition and overall decreases in Palm software sales.