The TCI Tests have been translated into many languages, many of which are available on the Anthropedia Foundation website. If you would like to request the TCI in a language that is not currently available, please contact us.
a. Adults (15 years and older) • full self-report form (240 items) • short self-report form (144 items) • form for rating another person (spouse, friend, adult child, etc.)
b. Children and Adolescents (7 to 14 years) • self-report form • parent rating form • rating form for informants (teachers, other observers)
c. Preschoolers (3 to 6 years)
It is also possible to take the TPQ, which measures only temperament.
There are three major versions of the TCI, as well as several variations. The major versions are Versions 8, Version 9, and the TCI-R. Versions 8 and 9 have the same TCI items; the only difference lies in the non-TCI items. Both are True/False. The TCI-R uses a 5-point Likert scale.
TCI, version 8 This version has 238 items and is in True/False format. This is the version based on the 'Mall Sample' and is reported upon in the 1993 Archives of General Psychiatry articles. In version 8, there are 226 actual TCI items plus the 12-item perceptual aberration/dissociation scale. This version is the TCI version upon which most translations are based. The temperament scales in this version have 90 of the 99 items in original TPQ; hence, the TPQ cannot be extracted from it.
TCI, version 9 226 TCI items in this version are identical to those in version 8, both in content and in position on the test. The items are True/False. This version, however, has 240 items. It was created to allow the recovery of the TPQ to allow direct comparison with earlier studies using only the TPQ. To accomplish this, we removed the first 9 items from the perceptual aberration/dissociation scale and replaced them with the TPQ items that had been removed in the transition from TPQ to TCI. Two of these items were placed at the end of the test as items 239 and 240 in order to allow version 9 to be easily distinguished from its predecessor. While version 8 and version 9 are identical with respect to the 226 TCI items, version 9 has been our standard version because of its expanded scope.
TCI-R The TCI-R was winnowed from the TCI-295 and is the latest version of the test. It has 240 items; 235 are TCI items and 5 are validity questions. This version uses a 5-point Likert scale. In this version, 28 items that were in the TCI (version 8/9) have been omitted and 37 new items have been added. Thus, the TCI-R represents a big break in terms of content and none of the former scales can be extracted from it.
TCI-295 This is the expanded version, which started out as True/False and was then transformed to the 5-point Likert Scale by Lew Goldberg. This version is no longer available, but was critical for the transition to the TCI-R.
TCI-125 This is a short version of TCI version 8/9. It contains the top 5 items from each of the 25 sub-scales in the parent versions. It is in T/F format.
TCI-144 This is a short version; it is based on the TCI-295. Carmen Bayon did the work to pull the best 20 items from each TCI domain as found in the TCI-295. This version has a set of items that can only be found in the TCI-295; no other long version of the TCI contains all the items in the TCI-144. This is a Likert scale version. This is the test, which has been in use at the WU PET Lab for their brain imaging studies.
TCI-140 This short version is based on the TCI-R and, in fact, consists of the first 140 items of the TCI-R. There are 136 TCI items and 4 validity items. This will be the standard short form of the future.
Below are alternative forms of the TCI for various age and clinical groups and different formats and respondents. (See below the chart for descriptions of each TCI.)
TCI-R is recommended for full individualized personality assessment in adults or adolescents 15 or older. It provides most precise measurement of 7 higher order dimensions and 29 subscales.
Short TCI-R is recommended for research applications in which time available for subjects may be limited. It provides reliable measurement of the 7 higher order dimensions and most, but not all, of the subscales.
TCI is the original true-false version for adults and includes a validity analysis that makes it specially useful for forensic applications or situations were the subjects may have motivation for misrepresentation of their self-image. It provides reliable measurement of 7 higher order dimensions and 25 subscales (persistence is measured by one short scale rather than 4 in the TCI-R and reward dependence is measured by 3 scales rather than 4 in the TCI-R)
Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire (TPQ) is the original self-report form that measures only temperament dimensions. It provides reliable measures of 3 dimensions of temperament (Harm Avoidance, Novelty Seeking, and Reward Dependence), including 11 subscales, plus one short scale for persistence. Character is not measured so level of maturity versus personality disorder is not evaluated.
Junior TCI (JTCI) is the self-report form for children 10-14 years of age. It provides reliable measures of 7 higher order dimensions.
Junior TCI-he/she is the form for description of children 5-14 by those who know them well, such as parents or teachers. It provides reliable measures of 7 higher order dimensions.
Pre-school TCI (PSTCI) is the form for description of preschool children (ages 2-4 years) by those who know them well, such as parents, care-takers, pre-school teachers. It provides measures of 7 higher order dimensions.
The temperament dimensions of the TCI are the same as the original 1987 TPQ, but additional subscales have been developed in the TCI for improving the precision of estimating Reward Dependence and Persistence. For clinical use we always recommend use of the TCI rather than the TPQ because the character dimensions of the TCI are essential for evaluating degree of maturity in regulating emotional conflicts.
The TCI is a potent tool for helping individuals grow in self-awareness. The TCI test is designed to be a comprehensive inventory of personality and as such has broad applications in both clinical and non-clinical settings. Studies have shown the TCI to be a valid and reliable measure of personality throughout the world in a variety of contexts and cultures. Due to this fact, counselors, therapists, and others with training in psychology, psychotherapy, and human development may have interest in using the TCI in their clinical work and for research. Equally, individuals in the general public who wish to understand themselves and their personality better may be interested in taking the TCI.
The Center for Well-Being has partnered with the Anthropedia Foundation to facilitate the transmission and dissemination of the TCI. Information on the TCI and other materials useful for self-exploration, or as adjuncts to therapy (i.e. Know Yourself Series) can be found on the Anthropedia website.
There are two main options currently available for those who want to purchase/take the TCI instrument:
1. The TCI can be purchased and taken online at the Anthropedia website. a. The Anthropedia Foundation offers two types of accounts: an individual account and a clinician/researcher account. b. With the purchase of an online test, users will receive automatic scoring, saved test results, and an automatic interpretation of scores with descriptions of temperament, character types, as well as additional descriptions of personal affect and life satisfaction.
2. A paper and pencil version of the TCI can be purchased and downloaded in a variety of languages on the Anthropedia Website. a. Downloads are in pdf format and include a scoring key. b. Scoring must be done by hand. c. A manual which includes additional information on the scoring and use of the TCI in a professional context can also be purchased on the Anthropedia website.
After purchasing the online version of the test, an email will be sent with instructions on how to register to take the test on the Anthropedia website and create an account. Researchers and clinicians can create logins and passwords for their patients/participants and emails will be automatically sent with instructions on how to login and take the test (Researchers/Clinicians need to specify the Clinician account when registering for their account). For more information please visit the Anthropedia web store.
For information on obtaining copies of older versions of the TCI or TPQ not sold on the Anthropedia website please contact Carla Coleman by email or by phone at +1-314-362-7005.
In order to better understand the scores on the TCI test, you are strongly advised to read the section What does the TCI measure, where dimensions are defined and explained.
The tests available on this site are professional instruments used by many clinicians and researchers in the U.S. and worldwide in their practice or research. It should be understood that no clinical decision or statement about the person should ever be made solely on the basis of test results without the clinical consideration or other information about the person.
Therefore, the interpretation of the test scores that you will be given is established on the basis of normative studies that have been replicated with satisfactory statistical significance. Consequently, the results of TCI findings are suggested interpretations that apply usually or with an empirically estimated probability to groups of people.
FAQs
