Abstract
15 adults took the Socialization, Responsibility, Well Being, and Good Impression scales from the California Personality Inventory three times each day on two workdays and two leisure days. They took it in the morning upon awakening, in the afternoon, and in the evening while relaxing before going to bed. They were instructed to answer the questions each time as though they had never seen them before. Analysis showed that, as previously on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, scores on the California Personality Inventory showed diurnal changes and large individual differences in amount of change. Presumed centrality of personality aspects measured had little effect. People changed more on workdays. Therefore, both time of day and context should be taken into account when interpreting personality tests, and the tests given several times to obtain a profile of the person. For both applied and theoretical reasons, diurnal changes and factors influencing individual differences need to be studied further.
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