How could we do a better job of assessing the personality of "important" people in our lives?

Theories of personality

Elaborate two interesting, provoked meaningful discussions, one for each topic. 300 words each topic

Topic#1

If you wanted to REALLY find out about a person’s personality, how would you go about it? Would interaction be the key or would you prefer to use a personality test (if you could)? Would simple observation be the key? Think about how many times we make judgments about people’s personality based on very little information (ie, choosing a President, choosing a lover or even a spouse, choosing a babysitter for our child). We often know much less about these people than we think. How could we do a better job of assessing the personality of “important” people in our lives?

Topic#2

One of Freud’s more interesting concepts is that of the Oedipus complex—boys subconsciously lust after their mothers, want to kill their fathers, and eventually model themselves after their fathers so they can hook up with a girl like dear old mom. Do you see any evidence for or against the Oedipus complex in boys? What about the Electra Complex (including penis envy) in girls?