Personality is a construct that refers to the amalgam of our underlying characteristics, including temperament, behavioral, emotional and cognitive factors that we use to guide us through our interactions with our environment. It determines how we deal with other people and the situations in our lives. In some instances, components of personality, whether through genetics or environmental influence, develop in such a way that they preclude us from function at a more effective level. This could be due to the presence of depression, ability to contend with stress or deal with interpersonal conflict. During the course of the evaluation a number of techniques will be used to better understand how the persona being evaluated handles or mishandles situations in his or her environment so that appropriate recommendations can be made to improve functioning.