Renowned psychologist Bertram R. Forer had recruited some 39 college students who were told to take a personality test. Then, ignoring their answers in the test, he gave each student the same evaluation consisting of the following statements:
- You have a need for other people to like and admire you, and yet you tend to be critical of yourself
- While you have some personality weaknesses you are generally able to compensate for them
- You have considerable unused capacity that you have not turned to your advantage
- Disciplined and self-controlled on the outside, you tend to be worrisome and insecure on the inside
- At times you have serious doubts as to whether you have made the right decision or done the right thing
- You prefer a certain amount of change and variety and become dissatisfied when hemmed in by restrictions and limitations
- You also pride yourself as an independent thinker; and do not accept others’ statements without satisfactory proof
- At times you are extroverted, affable, and sociable, while at other times you are introverted, wary, and reserved
- Some of your aspirations tend to be rather unrealistic
Forer then asked each student to evaluate the accuracy of the evaluation above on a scale of 0 (“very inaccurate”) to 5 (“exceedingly accurate”). The class average was a staggering 4.26.
In short, the students were convinced that he could successfully read their character (despite the fact that every one of them had received the same evaluation).