Cyberchondria: A New Media Syndrome Essay

Have you ever tried to find a treatment for a really bad flu on Google? How about a persistent pimple that won’t go away? Has your throat hurt really badly that you decided to search for instant relief through the internet? Then you’re one of the millions who self-diagnose. Trying to name what kind of medical problem one has by using books, medical dictionaries, past personal or non personal experiences, the internet, or even software applications, is called self-diagnosis. With the wealth of information from the information superhighway, anyone of any age can readily access health related information through the new media. Innovative handy digital devices make information access as convenient as breathing. Data is a finger tap away. Although there are no current statistics as to the number of Filipino internet users who self-diagnose, this issue is certainly a reality. In fact, as a result of the said issue, a new condition has emerged — Cyberchondria. What is Cyberchondria? According to Wikipedia, Cyberchondria is the result of internet research on health related issues. It refers to the baseless increase of a person’s anxiety because of the online medical information he or she has gathered. The term is coined from the prefix â€Å"cyber† which pertains to anything of computers, information systems, virtual reality and the Internet (Encarta, 2009), and the psychological condition called hypochondria. People with hypochondria are preoccupied with their health and claim to feel real symptoms. They believe that they have a serious illness but upon the doctor’s examination, there is no objective evidence of the illness they claim to have. The British Medical Journal publication â€Å"Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry† in 2003 said that the word cyberchondria was first used in a British newspaper to refer to the use of the internet health websites to add to anxiety about health. Since the term hypochondria carries with it a rather offensive connotation, research studies have clarified that because the said word means â€Å"excessive concern about health†, cyberchondria is simply â€Å"online concern about health†. Cyberchondria and Search Engines Microsoft, a leading multinational computer industry that offers software, video game products, and online service conducted a comprehensive research in 2008 on cyberchondria and search engines like Google and Yahoo. Researchers Ryen White and Eric Horvitz concluded that if someone who does not have proper training and education in medicine searches the web about a symptom he or she has, they will most probably have increased anxiety. Aside from the escalation of worry, another result is the waste of time and money because of unnecessary doctor visits. The study also revealed that people who find medical information about their symptom online neglect to study all other options but rather focus on the first few results of the search. Among the 500 respondents that they questioned, nine out of ten admit that after researching on a minor symptom online, they were led to research about a much worse medical illness. They also found out that most users that self-diagnose online thought that the search results that appear are ranked according to the probability of them having that disease. This is actually not the real case since search engines rank search results according to computerized mathematic procedures called algorithms. Results are ranked according to how many times the searched word is found on the web page, the number of mouse clicks a web page receives and the number of other website links on the page. What causes Cyberchondria? Researchers and doctors alike have come up with reasons why online users have the tendency to develop cyberchondria. 1. Dr. Stephanie Bown, director of policy and communication of the Medical Protection Society, the leading provider of comprehensive professional insurance for doctors, dentists and health practitioners worldwide, said that the common people may not be able to correctly understand and interpret difficult medical information and terminology (GP Online, 2008). 2. Dr. Bown further said that web information on a certain minor symptom is so varied and so innumerable that they are conflicting. This causes confusion to the common person. 3. Microsoft researchers found out that online users do not have an accurate understanding of how search engines work. 4. Online users do not know that correct diagnosis of a certain condition requires so many considerations like age, family, and lifestyle. Dr. Google does not take up these factors into consideration. 5. For those who already suffer from anxiety, it is already a fact that they think worst of any circumstance. The unfiltered medical information will give anxious people the chance to know the worst case scenario about a minor symptom, which they will certainly brood over about. How to Avoid Cyberchondria 1. Dr. Stewart Segal, an American Family Physician who has dealt with patients having cyberchondria explains that online users need to understand the difference between medical â€Å"possibility and probability†. Possibility is always a certain likelihood, but medical probability is otherwise. Important health factors need to be considered very well before an illness could be found probable for a person. Therefore, anything is possible on the Internet, but it is not probable. 2. Understand how New Media marketing works. Information is packaged as a commodity online in order to attract more readers. Your online diagnosis may sound very real, but read any information with discernment. 3. Look for credible health websites. Go for the reliable sites that have bona fide doctors and health practitioners as contributors. There are now medical online clinics where doctors can be contacted through online communication anytime of the day, such as WebMD. In our country however, online clinics are not yet available, except for a few practitioners who offer help from their personal web pages. Then again, do not let the information you get from online symptom checkers worry you. Think of possibility and probability. 4. Do not self-treat based on information from the internet, especially the use of medications. Your incorrect treatment may lead to other medical concerns, which will make things, including anxiety worse. Buying drugs online isn’t very reliable, too. Websites may offer medication along with your diagnosis. Do not fall for it, this is still marketing strategy. Also there may be lapses as to how we understand terminologies since we are not medically trained. Misunderstandings of dosages and other pertinent medical information is very dangerous. 5. Do not stick to any single diagnosis, which goes both for the public and physicians alike. This leads to errors. Doctors always study more than one diagnosis and they usually begin considering the least serious. Their initial findings are subject to tests and conclusive verifications before the final diagnosis is reached. 6. If you have the information you need, consult your doctor with an open mind. Trust your physician that he or she can come up with a way better diagnosis than Dr. Google or Yahoo. 7. Do not worry yourself to death. Stress from anxiety can aggravate little symptoms that we feel. The best way to take care of our health is to live healthy and avoid worry. Remember that online medical health information can work two ways: for you or against you. How we handle what we find out online will determine this. Knowledge may be very helpful, but it can also be very crippling. You choose. Facebook Testimonials on â€Å"Have you tried online self-diagnosis?† â€Å" I wouldn’t recommend consulting the internet. tendency is you will get more anxious. my daughter has G6PD deficiency and when i looked it up the internet all i can say is poor baby but when her pedia explained it to us it is just a simple case and what we really need to avoid is feeding her soy. well her world won’t end if she can’t taste taho 😉 and my boy then had umbilical granuloma which is quite nerve wracking for me thinking it will be cauterized or operated when all the pediatric surgeon did was only tie it with a suture and after 1 week it is as if nothing happened†¦[sic]† -Kim Gumban Tinedo, 31 â€Å"Yes i did! It helped me in so many ways when I was pregnant. Since it was difficult for us to get an obstetrician who can speak English here in Dalian,China, I relied on the internet about what’s happening with me and my baby. There was one instance when we went to Beijing for general check-up and we were informed on the phone a week later that I will have a trisomy 21 baby and was advised to go for amniocentesis. We were alarmed when we heard about their findings but after several researches on the internet we didn’t submit to their suggestion but instead we relied on what we’ve researched and waited for my due date. Perhaps I just happened to get a reliable site which was perfectly right to what I’m looking for. I even get a weekly update on what to do and it did serve as my guide without consulting the OB anymore. And now everything’s fine with me and the baby is normal! Thanks to the internet! [sic]† – PS Charity Esmaya Alibo gha, 32 â€Å"Yes†¦ just last week, the result of our annual PE for employees came out. my result showed a lot of recommendations due to some health risks. And one of them was my high albumin result( 2+) †¦ i was alarmed. i googled it and found out that it can lead to serious renal problems if it progresses. I was anxious the whole day†¦[sic]† – Ryan Mark Pelaez, 32 http://www.gponline.com/News/article/934329/MPS-urges-caution-internet-self-diagnosis/ http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats3.htm http://health.howstuffworks.com/mental-health/mental-disorders/cyberchondria1.htm http://livewellthy.org/2011/04/10/cyberchondia.aspx http://webMD.com http:// wikepedia.com

Anti War Activism in the World of Cyberspace & Beyond Essay

The group this study examines is an anti war group, called IVAW or Iraq Veterans Against the War (http://www. ivaw. org) initially organized by veterans of the Iraq War in 2004, one year after the start of the war in Iraq, and have expanded their mission to opposing the conflict in Afghanistan. This is clearly a group with potential, with a defined core demographic, but one which is, while sophisticated in the tools it is using, failing in its fundamental mission and goals, not to mention not maximizing the considerable power of the tools it has at its disposal. Yet despite these failings, the group is extremely holistic and uses many proven tactics, albeit unsuccessfully or not maximally utilized or executed, either lifted directly or fused into a new medium, used across many historical struggles – ones for civil rights, gender equity, art as protest, AIDS activism, and even class struggle, although in the latter issue, the group is still struggling to find its way to define its strategy effectively as all social activist groups do in America on this issue. But the fact remains, you won’t find many graduates of Harvard stationed in Kabul. And in a country reeling from high unemployment it is a perfect time to hit the establishment on exactly this issue. Overall Organizational Structure National Overview The current organization is a mostly virtual 501(c) 3 (non lobbying) non profit, with a national office located in New York City, and a website. There are four full time employees, 1,700 members, who are listed online, and 61 chapters in 48 states. Figure 1: IVAW Chapters Nationally Regional Organization The regional chapters are staffed by volunteer state/field organizers to coordinate state wide campaigns of all sorts (described below). The group has volunteer speakers (mostly vets) and a board. Core Demographics & Membership The core demographic are vets, both old and young, and their families. The socioeconomic level is primarily blue collar working class and those from America’s heartland, who signed up to serve because they had no sense of American foreign policy, or enlisted in the National Guard to get a college or advanced education in the first place, without realizing that they would be called upon to serve in actual combat and for repeated tours of duty which is unprecedented in American history. To the extent that the organization provides educational outreach, they are exceptional in their holistic approach. Where the group fails is how they do not effectively use the tools at their disposal to mobilize their membership. And that failure is contributing both to their low member count and to their ability to mobilize a mass protest to both wars. Fundraising The group raises funds through membership dues, volunteer fundraising efforts and selling merchandise. What is interesting and highly unique if not commendable about the merchandising it sells, however, is that much of it is produced by members, so the group is actively contributing both through their membership dues AND through their personal experiences to support the organization financially. It is a unique, therapeutic, and self sustaining model and one that creates greater unity for members. It is also a tactic, along with alternative outlets for TV production borrowed from the AIDS movement and The Quilt, which used the same tactics, albeit not always online, although the gay community, in particular, was one of the FIRST niches as a community, to use the internet and art as a way of building community, particularly in response to AIDS and social exclusion, not to mention build a social protest movement over 20 years ago. Tactics Employed & Why Website As Information & Organizing Tool The group uses various tactics including predominant reliance on its website as an information source and organizing tool. Despite the cyber advantage, their tactics mirror many of those used in classic anti war organizing efforts, from Vietnam onwards, with a few other movements mixed in (such as ACT UP). It’s just mostly anti Vietnam war protest gone cyber. However the website also includes valuable information that includes sections for those who would not necessarily know how to find it, or have the education to even know where to look. As a result, it is a valuable information tool for its members alone, not to mention free to anyone who stumbles across the website. Information includes: Supporting War Resisters Publishing the activities and ongoing stories of those who are actively refusing to participate in the policy of stop-loss, or the policy of forcing soldiers to serve repeated tours of duty against their will. Further the group is following each case and actively encouraging its membership to support each active resister by contacting the army base in question to support the resister to the army brass. Providing Information on IRR (Resisting Individual Ready Reserve Recall) Intimidation Tactics The group provides information about DoD’s increasingly aggressive tactics to force people who are no longer required to report for National Guard Duty, how to avoid being penalized or how to get legal guidance and representation online. Resources for Active Duty Service people, National Guard and Reserves The group provides information to active duty service members about what rights they have, posted on their website. Press Aggregator/Social Media Tool The group is actively promoting its message throughout both the traditional media and the blogosphere. The articles it generates are also posted on its website as links to the other sites and these articles serve as both information for readers and as links in a social community as part of an online activist strategy. Active Projects In addition to being a passive information source, the group is actively documenting the experiences of vets both as a healing tool and as an education and outreach effort. These include: Combat Paper: A sort of AIDS Quilt project for veterans, who literally beat their uniforms into paper and make these into art projects, transforming psychological scars and wounds into art as a healing process. Warrior Writer’s Project: A collection of essays that are the culmination of creative workshops (3 already have been held) where vets talk about their experiences in a healing environment and then write these experiences down. One book has already been compiled from such writing. At the second and third exhibits, readings from the first book were combined with photographs from the war. More exhibits are planned and so is a second book. Truth In Recruiting: Small groups are organized where vets talk about the lies the military perpetuates in recruiting and what to expect of active service. Veteran Gulf Reconstruction Project: The group is trying to raise money online to help rebuild the destroyed gulf communities they believe the money going to fight the wars is being diverted from rebuilding and further, vets living in the region. Coalitions: The group is building coalitions online with other natural allies. Listed groups on the website include: Veterans for Peace, Military Families Speak Out, Gold Star Families For Peace, Vietnam Veterans Against the War, Bring Them Home Now! Campaign, National Youth and Student Peace Coalition and United for Peace and Justice. The Blog & Social Media: The group has its own blog on its website and its members are clearly using social media networks as well (including posting video on You Tube and Vimeo for example). Field Events/Individual Speak Outs/Educational Events: The group holds events around the country, organized by the state organizers and often filmed and posted on the website. These range from policy discussions to individual vets’ who’ve served, who talk about their experiences in the field and why they are opposed to the wars. The Winter Soldier Project: By far, the most effective and powerful tool but underutilized for some unknown reason, is a project they have initiated called the Winter Soldier Project. It consists of short films, distributed almost everywhere on the internet, from the actual website of the group, to Vimeo to You Tube. One particularly powerful documentary is linked here. Why these have not gone viral is beyond comprehension, particularly given their powerful testimony, gripping video, and every day people reacting to what they hear in hardly militant circumstances, hardly the â€Å"hippy radical militant† anti war protester stereotype. The Role of the Group as an â€Å"Activist† Organization The activities of the group are clearly activist, as described in the activities above with a clearly defined agenda: to stop the wars and reinvest the money in America to build a more just and peaceful country and world. That is the fundamental definition of an activist organization, and one that uses traditional tools of an anti-war group at that, updated for the cyber age. The fact that they are so conscious and holistic in their approach to both stopping the wars and linking this to social inequity, civil rights and other societal injustices is even further evidence of their rightful appellation as an activist group. A Holistic Approach to Resistance The group is clearly using tried and true tactics as many online organizing groups before it. Unfortunately, in part, probably due to lack of funding, a mostly volunteer organization and a battered population of members, many of whom are on disability themselves, the group is severely limited in the kind of money it can raise and the ability of its members due to complicated disabilities that doctors still don’t know how to treat. Strategic and Tactical Failures Part of the group’s failure is the failure to identify the right demographics or utilize â€Å"cross niche† strategies for viral and social marketing for the powerful information they have to share and have already collected. Clearly they understand that linking to other veterans’ and student organizations is important, and clearly from the videos they produce, they are attracting a multicultural audience across middle America for their presentations, and not turning them off with militant tactics (such as Larry Kramer used or those used during the white student campus protests during Vietnam). That said, the latter two campaigns were highly effective, and achieved their goals, as much as they engendered violent reaction. One issue that is directly responsible for the group’s failure to capture more attention, is that they fall short, just as many before them, including the Obama campaign, of connecting in the way different demographic groups use the technology they have access to – in other words understanding that with the proliferation of G3 cell phones capable of accessing the internet for example, lower class people have access to the internet, but activists who want to reach them, in this case precisely the demographic this group wants to reach, but don’t know how to do so. A theory expanded upon by Lavato when he writes: â€Å"The next step of activism is for grassroots groups to connect online and offline organizing like Obama did, but targeting working-class people†¦. And the first step is for us to learn how our communities use their media and to engage them on their own terms. † This certainly answers the question for example, with a national unemployment rate as high as it is, and again falling predominantly on this demographic, why aren’t these videos, much less membership going through the roof? Even Larry Kramer was able to organize the sick and dying into an effective national organization WITHOUT THE INTERNET. That said, his tactics were very different. Perhaps that might explain why anti war efforts now including this group are so ineffective. Because the population Larry Kramer was fighting for was far more ostracized if not stigmatized than mostly straight young kids fighting for their country. How come these soldiers and vets are so ineffective seven years into two wars when Kramer effectively changed the way the government dealt with a devastating epidemic it otherwise would have ignored in far less time with far less effective tools? The answer lies in that IVAW have all the right instincts, and all the right tools, but they are fundamentally failing to implement them in the right ways. And that comes from a disconnect in strategy and class that is always present in every social movement that is driven from top down, rather than the grassroots. Which seems to be the problem here too. Strategic and Logistical Overhaul The group needs to start targeting states where there are large populations of military bases, and thus vets, and states with horrific social services (i. e. Medicaid), combined with high unemployment rates, like Texas, North Carolina, California, Colorado, etc. as shown on the map below. Figure 2: Map of 3 Month Decline in Economic Activity February – April 2010 The group needs to plot strategy demographically and economically if they are really going to make a difference, just like a political campaign. Cyberspace is a very nice place, but you have to ground it to have an effect. Feet on the ground and votes in ballot boxes are ultimately the most effective weapon in any organizational change â€Å"we can believe in,† to paraphrase a recent presidential candidate who used such techniques far more effectively. Conclusion The group is using tactics borrowed from successful grassroots and cyber online activist organizations such as Move On, (which may be the source of one of its failings) and of course political organizations of all kinds, offline and on including the presidential campaign of Barack Obama, MoveOn, ACT UP to even those used in the early days of anti-Vietnam protests. Why they haven’t connected to OTHER niche groups outside of the traditional ones they are already connected to is rather shocking, particularly given their sophistication in other areas. It also explains why they aren’t meeting their mission. Particularly as Obama has just pushed through the largest military budget in history. America is spending more for war under a Democratic administration, than even Bush, who expanded DoD’s budget to an all time high. The time is ripe for a group like this, with all the tools it has at its disposal, to explode, based on historical precedent and current widespread economic domestic suffering. It is a tragic case of a great idea, with all the right tools and dedicated people, who just don’t know how to execute their strategy and connect it to a larger, mainstream (or cross niche audiences) who will connect with the right message to help them achieve the ends they desire. An end to all wars and a reinvestment of America’s considerable resources in causes that are both domestic and associated with socioeconomic justice in America. Bibliography Cappuccio, S. N. (2006). Mothers of Soldiers and the Iraq War: Justification through Breakfast Shows on ABC, CBS, and NBC. Women and Language, 29(1), 3+. Retrieved May 11, 2010 Cox, M. S. (2006). â€Å"Keep Our Black Warriors out of the Draft†: The Vietnam Antiwar Movement at Southern University, 1968-1973. Educational Foundations, 20(1-2), 123+. Retrieved May 11, 2010 Hayes, C. (2008). MoveOn Ten Years Later. TheHollywoodliberal. com. Retrieved May 12, 2010 Juhasz, A. (1995). AIDS Tv: Identity, Community, and Alternative Video. Durham, NC: Duke University Press. Retrieved May 11, 2010 Lovato, R. (2008, November/December). Upload Real Change. Colorlines, 11, 16+. Retrieved May 11, 2010 Poitier, B. (2007). Activist Larry Kramer Is Not Nice. Harvard. edu. gazette. com. Retrieved May 12, 2010 Seiler L. & Hamburg D. (2010). Obama’s first year: leading an empire in decline. Greenchange. org. Retrieved May 12, 2010 Wyatt-Morley, C. (1997). AIDS Memoir: Journal of an HIV-Positive Mother. West Hartford, CT: Kumarian Press. Retrieved May 11, 2010 Zuniga, R. (2002). The Work of Artists in a Databased Society: Net. Art as Online Activism. Afterimage, Vol. 29. Retrieved May 11, 2010

Comparative study between commencement addresses

By analyzing texture of speech and choice of content, we will observe that though the speakers are early Identical In age, choice of career and professional status; there Is disparity In the personae projected and ultimately the message delivered by them. The message in Jobs' speech (Stanford university News, 2005) was to encourage the students to not be afraid to do what they love, and he arrived at this point by lugubriously narrating three stories of adversity from his life.Gates' speech (Harvard gazette, 2007) In contrast was aimed to inspire the students to strive to reduce Inequity In the world, which he achieved by humorously recounting his exploits at Harvard and his thoughts on inequity. We notice here that despite similar situational influences, the two men try to present antithetic images of themselves by the tone of their speech and also by carefully filtering which aspects of their life they disclose (Leary, M. R. , & Allen, A. B. , 2011, p. 1199).The first major differe nce is the tone of the speech; Jobs opts for a very solemn approach with few humorous departures while Gates Is very liberal in his use of humor which In fact forms a very Integral part of the first half of his speech. The second difference Is the kind of content In the speeches; Gates shares his thoughts on inequity, the journey of his arrival at this epiphany and his thoughts on how the problem could be tackled while Jobs divulges very personal stories about his adoption, getting fired from Apple and being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.Due to the fact that Jobs' speech contains more elements personal to himself, we see a very clear congruence of animator, author and principle and as a result his speech seems more authentic as compared to Gates' speech (Montgomery, 2001 , p. 00). We discern this from the sense of passion and honesty which permeates throughout Jobs' address, and the fact that he divulges stories of some of the lowest points in his life.This is a clear attempt to break free of the impression of himself as an ultra-successful businessman in the audience eyes, and instead replace that image with a more human one so that the audience can fully appreciate the struggles of his life and the truth about his success. As such we see that Gates seems more open to audience Interaction while Jobs seems to be In a ore pensive and distant mood which is apparent in both his vocalic and gestures.We can observe this distant mood of Jobs speech most clearly in his gestures, more specifically in his gaze and pause, because sentences are rarely uttered in a behavioral vacuum (Tim Wharton, 2009, p. 1). During Gates' speech we see that he is very responsive to audience reaction, in that he always and looks up at the audience to accommodate for their applause.By contrast Jobs does not take this approach, he feature of the speech ties into the previous two we have discussed, and contributes o the personae that they are trying to project; Jobs' being that of a solem n successful tech-enthusiast while Gates' is that of a humorous successful philanthropist. These personae that they have constructed over the course of the speech are not superficial to the speech, but in fact play an important role in fulfilling the respective purposes of their speeches. The main aim of any commencement address is to inspire the audience in some way, be it to bring about a change in their lives or a change in the oral.Both Jobs and Gates have achieved the objective of inspiring the audience, but we have seen that they went about it very differently. Since Gates' message is one of global proportions, he uses his fame and background as a philanthropist to convey his message and this is why the content of his message is structured around humor, but in contrast Jobs' message is personal to each individual and so we see that in his speech he tries to be more personal himself to elicit the kind of response he wants.

Personal Effectiveness Report Objectives Research Paper

Personal Effectiveness Report Objectives - Research Paper Example the Big Five Locator), self-monitoring, and extroversion are presented as well. The ways on how the two individuals may leverage on their strengths and downplay their weaknesses based on these tests are explained. Background Individuals that work within one setting have distinct ways of thinking, feeling, and behaving. Thus, the profound understanding of these cognitions, attitudes and behaviors is critical in ensuring that the enterprise’s bottomlines are effectively met. A person may be better managed if his manager or colleague knows his personality, preferences, and styles of learning and behaving (Melamed & Jackson 1995). A comprehension of the nuances of personality, learning styles, self-monitoring, among others, will aid the manager in determining the best way to increase the motivation; optimize the development; and increase the effectiveness of management (Engleman and Kleiner 1998). Assessment accord insight to management on ambiguous characteristics that may spell the difference between mediocre and exemplary performance (Yeung & Berman 1997). The utilization of assessments heightens mastery of self, and benefits both the incumbent and his manager. Ultimately, such mastery has implications on how the person relates to others; how we works within a team; how driven he is to deliver results; and how substantially he contributes to organizational strategy (Darcy and Tracey 2003). In having such knowledge, managers may be able to recommend apt interventions for development and for filling gaps. Moreover, their motivators are more precisely identified, which will allow them to give more significant contributions at work. Such knowledge will likewise enhance their personal sense of satisfaction and well-being (Melamed & Jackson 1995). Overall, these assessments can aid organizations in achieving desirable bottomlines such as enhanced productivity; seamless cooperation; increased camaraderie; and a more marked emphasis on organizational learning and development (Yeung & Berman 1997). Personality assessments are important organizational tools that help ascertain the strengths and improvement areas of employees that may have implications on their capacity as individual contributors to organizational objectives (Judge, Higgins, Thoresen, & Barrick 1999). The peculiarities among employees should not be a reason for conflict, but rather as a means for productive synergy. Moreover, these assessments may be utilized for recruitment, training, and retention purposes. These standardized assessments are not without limitations (Rhodes & Hammer 2000). They may cause employees to be stereotyped. It is critical for these tests to be accurately interpreted to make sure that the hiring or development decisions that are brought forth are appropriate (Judge et al 1999). Aims The main aim of the paper is to ascertain the ways through which personality assessments may be used to recommend interventions for increased collaboration and team effect iveness. The outcomes of two team members on 1) hemisphere dominance; 2) learning styles; 3) interaction styles; 4) the Big Five Locator; 5) self-monitoring; and 6) extraversion are presented. These results may be used by their superiors and by the HR Department to recommend development interventions for these two individuals. This paper also intends to demonstrate how the outcomes of such assessments may b