• Learning and Exploring

    More Personality Test Ranting and Links

    Another post from the past. I bounce back and forth to interest and aggravation in personality tests and boredom. Here is a period of interest and aggravation.

    Charity and Katie have been posting explanations about personality tests, and I wanted to post my results and I found this draft in my archives

    So, what types get hung up on stuff? Because I just can’t let this Myers Briggs thing go. I know its absolute hogwash, but seeing all these people make funny videos or talk about their type, I keep wanting to find a type. I get ISTP from like every test I take, but I don’t “relate.” I’ve also gotten ISTJ (I can be ISTJ towards people, “follow rules, fit in a box, leave me alone.” (well actually, now, I’m leaning towards avoider) But oh, honey, don’t try that on me! I’ve also gotten INTP. But none of them “fit.” And the functions, what the heck? Looking at the function, I’m like three introverted ones which you “can’t have.” Yeah, okay. I wanted to know what a function based test would look like.

    This test used a couple frameworks. I didn’t put any types on the questions at the bottom because #1 I wanted to know/didn’t relate and #2 I didn’t want it to affect the test. Guess what I got ISTP (also, INTP on two).

    I’ve also done this cognitive function test as few times. I think I usually got the same results.

    Adobe Creative Types. I took this in April and October and both times I got the Thinker.

    Character strength finder.

    America’s Mood Map

    Edit 10/9

    I took the 4 Temperament Test tonight. This framework was the first personality tests I took or I had tests based on it. The closest to the original I took put me as mostly choleric with I think melancholic, the plegmatic, then sanguine, for a while I kept the results, but I don’t know if I still have those, this had to be over a decade ago. Before I took the test this time, reading over the explanations here, I thought I’d been choleric and melancholic, guess what I got 51% choleric and 49% melancholic. I personally don’t think the definitions match me very well, this test looks to focus too much on the positives maybe. I don’t see much of my low-energy-ness. I don’t have the temper I used to either.

  • Learning and Exploring

    My Issues with the Whole Personality Hoopla

    Everything about personality is subjective; the terms (different connotations, different frames of reference), the assessment (how can you understand someone else’s brain, preferences? How can you truly know your own in other people’s terms?), the concept of personality itself. So I find it extremely annoying when people try to say it is scientific or can be made so. I think that psychology itself is a pseudo-science (at best) because how can you prove the abstract, dynamic, and subjective IN SOMEONE ELSE’S mind, emotions, etc. For that matter, how can you define and determine the beginning or end of the mind, emotions, instinct, etc.?

    So, I have fun taking all these tests, but I inevitably don’t match, and I inevitably run into so many false correlations, false dichotomies, such as implied associations “if you are emotional, you are an empathetic, people pleaser,” “analytical equals quiet,” or “if you have a logical mind, you aren’t run by emotions.” That last, HAHAHA, who says your mind has any control over your emotions or actions?

    If this was a “what kind of cookie are you?” sort of test from Buzzfeed, everything would be fun, but people inevitably try to push all this as fact, and that is what, exacerbated by the obvious logical errors, drives me INSANE. That, and repeatedly trying to type myself by various versions of a highly anti-scientific typology. I’m learning more about the “cognitive functions.” Which again, has SO many false correlations/dichotomies, why do you have two extroverted functions and two introverted?

    If you are wondering, on 16 Personalities. I’ve gotten ISTP (a couple times), ISTJ (once), and INTP (once); and they’ve all being Turbulent (my highest percentage). On other dinkier tests, I’ve gotten ISTP. Oh, and another thing, I’m NOT a quiet person. I don’t understand people-lover=talker and people-dislike/hater/fearer=quiet. Most people like at least some people, we are human after all. Some of us just aren’t highly motivated to socialize with or please everyone.

    ISTP are “doers.” Mechanical sort of people. I don’t think that fits. Being mechanically minded can probably be confused with being kinesthetic. But that is tied to my thinking, I think best when my hands are busy. That doesn’t sound like ISTP.

    I’ve also (anecdotal evidence, hello, inconsistent), feel (subjective) that Myers-Briggs draws certain types, namely the I-F people (although, you could run some sort of Big Data test to pull up the most used Myers-Briggs type on the Internet or a search engine; digital footprints are concrete though not conclusive or necessarily entirely representative). The least-likely to be scientific people in other words.

    Confused by Meyers-Briggs

    Hexaco Personality Inventory

    23 Signs You’re Secretly a Narcissist Masquerading as a Sensitive Introvert

    The Enneagram Types of Your Favorite Books, Characters, and Authors

    Google “Sedig Enneagram Test” to pull up the PDF test (this is the best free online one I’ve seen with nice explanations)

  • Learning and Exploring

    Personality Again and Links

    I’m sure I’ve posted too many personality posts, but I am continually finding interesting articles or blog posts.

    I enjoy taking these for fun . . . but then it gets too complicated and too rule based. Too many little boxes. Meyers-Briggs is fun for FUN but it’s not a good tool for serious issues (well, not much in psychology is really, much of it is quite frankly, opinion, psychologists are NOT medical doctors, psychiatrists are). The T/F is the one where I really saw an issue. That is NOT a continuum. Plus, I always wonder how honest people are about their faults. Anyway. I have a hard time placing myself in these boxes; nevertheless, I find this interesting
    I’ve read about HSP. And well, it smacks of the same special snowflake snobbishness that the introvert obsession does. And then there is this, perhaps we are just extremely selfish and irritable?
    Speaking of, is there anyone else that cannot handle certain senses? I have a low smell toleration and low noise toleration. I can’t seem to have too many sensory things going on at once.

  • Learning and Exploring

    Extrovert, Introvert, Ambivert . . . Personality Tests and Research Are SO Much Fun

    I love all sorts of personality/character tests . . . from Harry Potter House Placement (Ravenclaw through and through, peoples) to the scientifically questionable MBTI knockoffs to the Big Five test.

    Generally, on the free Meyers Briggs tests I get the same answers, but the percentages change (I have taken some a couple times). Also, some the descriptions don’t match well. I know of the problems with Meyers Briggs and agree (particularly the thinking or feeling issue), but I still find it fun, particularly when so many people assign the types to book and movie characters. I am seriously considering taking some paid tests, including the MBTI.

    I recently learned about Ambiverts. Duh, people. A lot of the descriptions of introverts and extroverts are pretty extreme. And people in the middle are not all similar either; there are those who are steady and balanced in their middle characteristics, and then there are those who swing from side to side and their characteristics “average” out in the middle.

    Take a quick test on the Quiet Revolution. And if you are introverted, what kind of introvert are you? Recognizing Meyers Briggs personality types in real life.

    Kindred Grace has posted tons of articles and links about personality types and various tests. Here is the link to their resource lists.

    The Enneagram Institute has a free, shorter form of the enneagram test on their website here (homepage).

    Here is the link to a long Big Five personality test.

    Also, this is kind of hilarious point of view (a lot of the personality types act like everyone is sweet and sensitive). Speaking of sensitive narcissists, have you seen this hilarious Emo Kylo Ren twitter? I discovered it from this blog post.

    And this is not personality, but after reading Ultraviolet, I found synesthesia interesting, especially as I noted that this sensory disorder/superpower explains certain ways L.M. Montgomery described concepts in her novels. Unfortunately, I am not remotely synesthetic (is that a word; it needs to be for explanatory purposes), but I find it interesting to hear about anyway. So, here are some tests of the different types of synesthesia.

  • Learning and Exploring

    Personality Link Love

    “I’m not a psychopath, Anderson, I’m a highly functioning sociopath; do your research.” But is he really? Are the two disorders clearly defined and distinct?

    And while we are on EQ, IQ, and manipulation, how is this for disturbing?

    I love the four temperaments. I think the descriptors are easily defined, observed, and layered. I took a paper test long ago which numbered my level of each. I need to dig that I out, but this I know, I’m choleric most (don’t need a test for that). Here is a description and links. Kindred Grace has tons of nice resources and articles on personality.

    Introversion is really popular, at least on the Internet. But are you really an introvert . . . or are you an ambivert . . . or a narcissist?! Do we really want to know that last answer? All controversy aside, I really appreciate this new term (is it new?), ambivert, because introversion and extroversion are two extremes of a contiuum and there are many intensities and there has to be a middle. I’m an ambivert, not from balance more from being a pendulum. I would say most of my family is on the introvert-ambivert side in varying intensities . . . except my brother, Tigger, who is ambivert-extrovert.

    Speaking of Winnie the Pooh.

    And since we’re on Pinterest, how is this for hysterical . . . Meyer-Briggs personalities in love?

    Back to disorders or conditions, except this one is interesting and imaginative, so I am not sure it should be called a disorder or conditions: synesthesia. I first heard about this from Ultraviolet. No one has it at this level, this is imaginative fiction.

    I’ve only recently heard about the enneagram, the more tests, the better, as far as I’m concerned; I find everything about personality fascinating.