Evaluation of «deep» individual psychological characteristics from facial photographs

This work is devoted to the experimental investigation of the possibility of adequate assessment of «deep» personality traits of a stranger by a subject’s interpretation of photograph of his face. Photographic images of two male and two female faces were presented to the participants of the experiment on screen in random order. Level of the existential fullness (EF) of personality of models, observers, and also representation of personality of the model of the observer were assessed with the help of the «Scales of existence» (A. Langley, K. Orgler). It is shown that 28% of personal properties can be adequately perceived by the photograph of a face. Observers are able to differentiate levels of existential fullness of model’s personality and besides all models with lower level of EF are perceived more adequately than those with high levels of EF. The high level of existential fullness of observers can be considered as a predictor of adequate perception of the «deep» personality traits. Not only «deep» properties of the model and the observer, but also their individual characteristics, among which the most important role is played by self-distance and self-transcendence, included in the process of interpersonal perception

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