Well-Being Term Paper Examples

Final Project: Personal Assessment

In concluding the final project for the Communication Theory for Managers course, a personal assessment is developed. The assessments incorporate a series of questions, when answered, are meant to gain proper comprehension of the personality and communication style most efficient and likely to result in successful interpersonal relationships on a macro and micro level. Upon completion of the questions and answers provided in the Schell textbook used for class, a theoretical analysis of the concepts and theories will be applied to the results of the assessment. The results will help to discover personal insights to understand myself and recommendation of strategies that may help improve my skills in my personal and professional life.
The results from the assessments were very thorough and eye-opening providing insight that will definitely be useful in application on the macro and micro levels. Several factors about my strengths and weaknesses were not aspects of my personality that were evident to me. Using the positive traits that will provide benefit can be easier seen now that I am aware of the specific characteristics that come easily to me. The weaker sides that I discovered through taking the assessments are areas that could you further development if the goal is to maximize my effectiveness and happiness in the way I handle various parts of life.
In the goal to advance professionally in a management position, understanding oneself intimately will be crucial towards a successful outcome. Self-awareness allows the individual to better handle interacting with co-workers and especially in managerial duties where leadership is required by the individual. Numerous assessments were provided to discover a deeper knowledge of one self. The following essay will explore the results of each assessment and develop a strategy for moving forward with a study foundation.

The first series of assessments taken focused on finding the results of the well-being of the test taker. One may ask why or how this would be applicable to the work place, but needless to say that how the individual is feeling in their own lives will influence the behavior and attitude on the job. The scores for job contentment and enthusiasm show a high score leading the individual to recognize that this person is satisfied with and encouraged in their job. The personal competency and aspirations are slightly lower than for the job, which seems evident when noticing that there is a high rate of job duty that is carried over to personal life. The results are promising for the future of the individual to grow in the organization, but some balance may be required to separate the job duties from personal life.
Fortunately the Social Readjustment Rating Score (SRRS) provides excellent evidence of a healthy sense of self-control, which provides minimal threat or risks toward unacceptable outburst or behavior. Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) is somewhat elevated compared to the national average. The past month of life has been challenging and stressful, which is an area that needs work. It is important to take note that some activities aimed at minimizing the stress level are encouraged under these conditions. The final section of testing under the well-being section of the assessment tested The PANAS (positive affect, negative affect). Signs of elevated stress over the past few weeks and year are present; however the PA scores are high enough to assume that there is not much to be concerned about thus far.

Job Characteristics

The next set of questions measure the relationship between the individual and the job and organization that he or she belongs to. These questions will help decide if any changes need to be made for job satisfaction. It could be possible that the organization is not fulfilling the expectations or is not a good fit for the employee; therefore, recognizing these factors will be helpful.
Based on the results of the test taker, the organization seems to be a good match for the employee. Although there is not tremendous excitement for the job, there is great enthusiasm and contentment, further evidenced by a high level of decision latitude and heavy work-load that the individual is willing to take on. The trust in management may have a lot to do with the willingness to put in the hard work. The willingness to stay involved and loyal to the organization is also rated in the higher range providing adequate evidence that the job characteristics are suitable for the individual who has taken the assessment.

Outward Signs of Distress

A valuable consideration of the individual that may often be overlooked especially in professional life is the internal troubles that may be occurring for a person. The assessment is designed to rate the level of distress that can be measured based on the test scores. This could be a great tool to notify employers and the employee that some medical attention may be needed before the situation becomes dire. The results in this particular individual show that the outward signs of distress were very low at 10 out of a possible 105 points. A problem is not evident considering the individual’s routine has not changes much recently either. One cannot be sure if this is good or bad, but one concern that may need to be examined further is the score providing evidence of moderate depression. It seems that this person does an excellent job of covering their stress and upset in the workplace, and holds these feelings in potentially needing an outlet to address personal issues.

Handling Difficulty at Work

A brief analysis to gain comprehension on the what type of behavior to expect under difficult scenarios in the workplace show that the candidate showed almost equal signs of vacillating between being a controller and escaper. These results allow the individual to acknowledge that there is not a set way of behaving that can be expected in challenging moments, but it is likely that the individual’s situations bring forth certain responses. For example, if the employee feels at fault for a problem occurring during a project, they may find themselves wanting to escape the situation and hide since they are to blame. However, under different circumstances where another colleague has caused an issue that the person is highly capable at handling, then the controlling side comes forth. This particular characteristic analysis is useful for self-awareness so that these traits are exercised appropriately and for the benefit of the organization, the self, and the peers.

Lifestyle and Health Habits

Although this part of a person’s life is highly personal and meant to be managed outside the workplace, it is becoming a larger concern for organizations. The health of the employees is directly affecting the productivity, finances, and morale within the company. Knowing that the employees are leading healthy lives is actually a very important concern that many organization have begun to implement Corporate Wellness Programs to encourage the employee base to lead healthy lifestyle.
The results for this particular person show that they are doing very well in terms of making healthy decisions and staying active. The overall lifestyle is in alignment with the values a company who is committed to wellness would want as a part of their organization. The numerous benefits to health go beyond just the physical, but also change the mental and emotional status of most people. Earlier in the test, signs of stress were seen to be prominent for this individual, but the fact that they opt to lead a healthy life, many issue that could arise from stress are offset or under control.

Personality Types

A few methods of discovering the personality type are in the assessment to expand self-awareness for the sake of personal and professional life. One of these tests, called the Slocum and Hellriegel’s Short Inventory on ‘Type’ was included to determine one aspect of personality type. Slocum and Hellriegel are both professionals in the field or organizational behavior and management, having done a lot of research and work in this field making them experts in the study of organizational behavioral management studies. The results for the short inventory show that the test taker strongest personality features include intuition and feeling in their interactive and decision making methods. The chances of the person as an emotionally charged individual are likely considering the score. Although it is not bad, considerations should be made to work on balancing themselves by working towards stepping away from letting emotions guides them on certain ventures.
The Five Factor Model of Personality is a commonly used test to determine the strengths and weaknesses of one’s personality. It is not only used in psychology but also by organizations with potential candidates who may get hired in the company. It is a way for companies to get a sense of what type of person they will be hiring and where he or she may be best suited. According to the results of this specific individual, there is a very high score for neuroticism, which can be beneficial in certain situations and a hindrance in others. The second high score is a tie between the extroversion and openness of the person. This characteristic could be great for a leadership role where he or she may find themselves speaking in front of many individuals or taking on a role that requires these traits. Conscientiousness is evident as an important aspect of the personality type, but more work needs to be done in the area of being agreeable. The last two are the lower scores. If thinking of a personal who is not agreeable in situations, it is easy to see that there is a level of conscientiousness that they lack for the other people who are sharing the experience. This is an important area that could use to strengthening.
The last personality test called Six Personality Type that displays the physiological predisposition as a factor in the personality type. As the name states there are six types that an individual tends to fall into, sometime results show more than one personality type holding strong. In the case of the individual who is the subject of the assessments, Types 2 and 3 scored the highest, tying at 8 each. Taking all three of the personality tests, one can conclude that the individual is a vibrant, emotionally charged, ‘life of the party’ type person who is great to have around but need some work in balancing out with using internalization for increasing their effectiveness in work and life.

Energy Expenditure & Interpersonal Behavior

Understanding how one uses their energy is not a concept that would occur to most people when looking for a job. However, the way that a person expends energy can influence how they function in life. For example are they a person who puts every waking hour into avoiding struggle at work, or are they a person who obsesses about success focusing every action towards that goal. The scores for this case show that the person who took the test is managing their energy expenditure is a fairly reasonable way. There is some slight emotional expenditures and minor depersonalization involving work, but fortunately they feel a good sense of personal accomplishment in their work life according to the scores of the test.
Another important area a person could learn to improve themselves from comes through realizing situations where interpersonal behavior is involved. Most people on a regular basis find themselves in situations where a request or comment by another person can cause discomfort. Knowing when this discomfort gets in the way of the ability to respond in situations is something that will be useful in so many situations that people generally prefer to avoid. The scores for the test taker show that there is a high level of discomfort in interactions with others, but they are still very assertive and do not allow this feeling to take charge of the direction they wish to be headed. For example, if a friend asks to borrow money, some people become uncomfortable and cannot say no. If the person lending the money is going find themselves in a financial pinch by lending this money, they should be able to decline. Sometime, people allow this discomfort to take over what is important and then they begin to experience a sense of loss of control of their choices. Almost becoming the person who everyone turns to because they are known to always say ‘yes’ no matter what.

Personal Insight and Recommendations

Using the scores and findings about my personality from taking these tests is going to be a tremendous benefit and value to a large part of my life. As I took these tests I began to think of areas in life where I have had difficulty or felt stuck, and interestingly it started to make perfect sense the further I returned to review the scores of the tests. The troubles I have experienced in my private and professional life are clearly in conjunction with the strengths and weaknesses that became evident during the various series of tests.
I can see that my highly emotional personality type can become a culprit and obstacle in many circumstances. I tend to be out-spoken and open, which benefits me during initial meetings, but when I become immersed in a situation, the same extroverted behavior that is celebrated becomes disliked. Often I occur pushy and obnoxious because of my willingness to speak my mind. I noticed in one of the series of tests, when my interpersonal behavior was measured, the evidence was unbelievable accurate. I may be assertive, but it is usually after immense discomfort of dealing with requests or comments that I do not like. It makes me wonder if that assertiveness is one of the positive uses of my emotional side.
There are areas that mostly require quieting the emotional side and allowing the thinker to step forward will help improve on the weaknesses about myself that tend to sabotage situations in life. I seem to bottle up these emotions in an unhealthy way that is turning into stress. It is as if the very sensitive and worrisome concerns are the ones I hide and the smaller ones I blurt out. Seeing the results for Appendix 6.1 showing that I am both a ‘controller’ and ‘escaper’ is determined by this emotional side. When I am unwilling to deal with or express a concern, I bury the emotion and become an escaper and avoider. Whereas if I do not feel threatened and have complete confidence, my confidence mixed with over zealousness transforms me into a controller.
Using the concepts and theories explored in class, as well as ongoing opportunities to work on my management skills I hope to address all the information that I obtained from these assessments. Continuous growth and self-analysis are an important part of my plan on becoming an excellent leader who is capable of leading and managing a group of inspired individuals.

Works Cited

Schell, B.H. (1997). A Self-Diagnostic Approach to Understanding Organizational and Personal
Stressors: The C-O-P-E Model for Stress Reduction. Westport, CT: Quorum Books. (S)