Abstract:
Psychological assessment has had a historical relevance in the development of psychology as science and as a profession, both in international and in national contexts. Nevertheless, there have been times of both strong scientific and popular credit and discredit throughout its history. Understanding the factors that led to these ups and downs is paramount to finding the point of balance toward a sustainable and continuous development of this area of knowledge. Thus, the aim of this study was to draw a parallel between the history of psychological assessment in Brazil and in the world, in order to contribute to the understanding of the paths covered, the mistakes and successes, and the possible future directions. The ethical and technical aspects, as well as administrative and political actions identified as important in this trajectory and their impacts on the development of this area of psychology were discussed. Then, possible future directions are pointed out, especially in relation to the Psychological Tests Evaluation System (SATEPSI) and to the professional qualification in psychological assessment. We concluded that the researchers on psychological assessment have been able to take advantage of the criticisms as a source of inspiration for researches planning, development of new technologies and professional practices more attuned to the human rights, so as to contributing to scientific and professional strengthening of psychology and its commitment to society.
Keywords:
Psychological Assessment; Psychology History; Psychometric; Ethics; Human Rights