Acceptance of personality interpretations: The "Barnum effect" and beyond.

The "Barnum effect" is the phenomenon whereby people willingly give their approval and acceptance of personality interpretations purportedly derived from the results of assessment procedures. The research over the last 25 yrs relative to this acceptance phenomenon is reviewed. Characteristics of clientele who accept such interpretations are summarized, with the deduction that it is of questionable usefulness to study such personality characteristics independent of situational factors that elicit acceptance. These factors are examined, with the conclusion that clientele acceptance cannot be construed as validation of either the clinician or his assessment procedures. Implications of the acceptance phenomenon for the clinical diagnostic process are discussed. (47 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)