Disclaimer: Personality tests are a fun way to discover more about yourself and see potential similarities and differences in other people, which can enable reflection. However, your personality doesn’t define you; you should not make it your identity. Remember, you are not a monolith; you are wonderfully made!
When I was younger, determining someone's personality type was one of my unique skills. I was so invested in psychometric tests and research, trying to better understand people's personality traits. I still do. I biannually take a test to see where I sit on this spectrum/continua and explore if my behaviour has been affected.
I am an INTJ-A an Architect. This is what it means in my case.
Introverted - I prefer solitary activities and have a social battery.
Intuitive- I am curious and prefer to focus on hidden meanings and future possibilities rather than what is happening now.
Thinking- I prefer rationality, prioritising logic, and prefer efficiency over anything else.
Judging- I prefer to be highly organised and have clarity and predictability.
Assertive - I tend to be even-tempered and resistant to stress.
Now there is more you can build upon with these results using a combination of letters such as I -A people preferring to do things alone, and NT are often very strategic/analytical people. Still, it is not my intention to dwell here.
Although I discovered Myers-Briggs and 16 personalities.com in 2017, I only started to take an interest in 2019 and regular testing in 2022. Since then, I have had three different recorded types. The first one was back in 2017, ISFJ. I am not sure how accurate it was, so there are only two conclusions to draw from. The other type I have recorded is INTP, which makes sense since I’ve regularly scored very low on tactics, so I have occasionally switched from INTJ to INTP. Here are three other things that I have found extremely interesting over the last three years:
The personality continuum (percentage) will almost always change, to a degree, as you continue in life. You will often stay the same type - unless, in rare cases, you float between a couple if your score is close to 50%. The percentages can fluctuate depending on the season I take it. The ones I take around term 2 (Jan-March) are always more well-planned than in summer and surprisingly more extroverted - maybe because of the new year?
Some of the percentages have changed as a result of my goals. For example, as I became more present with friends and myself over the last 18 months, my nature (Thinking) consistently decreased ( from 70%s to low/mid 60%).
I have met people with different types and stages on the continuum and realised how other people might do things to me or what lengths they will go to and how that relates to their percentage scores. I have met people with similar or even the same personality types as me, and although we have similar approaches to life, we are entirely different. This has helped frame my understanding of what doing more looked like in one aspect or another.
So why am I doing a post dedicated to personality traits?
Over the last few years, I have had to swallow some pride, thinking some would never come to fruition. For some, the harder I tried against it, the more apparent it became. For some approaches, I had to look down a kaleidoscope, distorting my field of vision to better understand what was happening around me. Only then, with some help from my friends, could I truly reflect and learn to yield things. My personality type tells me how I currently think and behave in one dimension. One may argue that this puts me in a box, but I see it as allowing me to understand people's behaviour and thought processes whilst learning to better connect with myself and the world around me. Personality tests are just one way for reflective or communicative points, and there are many different types you can take. They can help us understand ourselves betters and our natural strengths and, therefore, better at serving and appreciating each other. However, it should not be an excuse for stagnating or limiting one’s ability!
Maybe it is just my curiosity, but I am always interested in personality traits. Comment down below what your personality type is.
Shine Bright,
Steph
ESTP-A, always switching between that and ESFP-A
Good stuff Steph