Personality tests

I recently became rather interested in Personality Tests after being introduced to The Enneagram of Personality.

After taking several online versions:
http://www.eclecticenergies.com/enneagram/test.php
http://www.okcupid.com/tests/the-quick-amp-painless-enneagram-test
http://ancientpathspersonalgrowth.org/test/test.html
http://www.enneagram.net/tests/sampler/samplerlogin.aspx

I have pretty much come to the conclusion that I’m most likely a Type 5, but also very likely a Type 1 or possibly a Type 3!

Even after 2 days of intense reading and comparing Type descriptions (which Type would do that?) I am still not quite sure.

Some things I have read suggest that you really have to look beyond the “actions” of each Type and focus on the “motivation”.  One site (EnneagramInstitute) has some really good Type descriptions, and even several pages on how to identify Mistypes!

After reading up on how Type 1’s are commonly mistyped as 5’s… I found one main difference seems to be that 1’s are more likely extroverted while 5’s are more likely introverted, so I found an online test to “confirm” that too. My results?

Very Introverted

You prefer your own company or that of your partner’s. You don’t have many friends, but the ones you do are the kind that are loyal. You’re always misunderstood as being grumpy, but often it’s that you simply don’t care to talk. If people constantly question your mood, it can actually make you grumpy and you wish they’d stop asking if you’re okay. Ideally, you’d prefer to be in a vocation where you can work alone. A quiet night with a book, movie or computer is preferable to going out and battling with a crowd of people lined up at the popular nightspot in town. You’re a deep thinker and thrive on analysing life, current events and your own original views. You’re mature for your age. If financially viable, you’d rather live alone (or with significant other) and don’t like many visitors. Compared to an extrovert, you’re cooler and probably less neurotic. You can be trusted with a secret. Change is probably something that you don’t embrace a lot, as you prefer familiar and routine. You won’t have nearly as many jobs as an extrovert. They get bored easily. I like you.

Compared to other takers

• 81/100 You scored 76% on Introvertpints, higher than 81% of your peers.

… and although I can certainly accept I am most likely introverted, there are parts of my personality (and time periods in my life) which really point to an extrovert (running Actual Reality BBS, going to raves, I DO like working with a small group of people to help keep motivated and on task, share ideas, etc… I’ve really enjoy teaching for 12 years now, etc).

Along with that, “While Ones certainly do think, they are primarily people of action, and are only interested in ideas that lead to some practical result. Fives, however, are truly a mental type: they can ponder any proposition or idea and do not particularly care about its practical ramifications.”  .. and most often I find myself trying to think about how to get a result or deciding which action to take. “Ones are keenly interested in applying their principles to daily life.”

Here it becomes a little unclear to me: “Ones judge situations from idealistic standards based on what they think should be the case. Fives are constantly investigating and questioning assumptions, not to mention standards and principles.” — I usually do have a strong gut-feeling about how I think something SHOULD be, but at the same time I am constantly trying to research all sides, and question everything just to be sure I’ve got the correct answer.

Another point: “Ones are deductive, operating from principles to specific applications; Fives are inductive, operating from given data to form more sweeping theories.” — For this I actually spent about 30 minutes to research the difference between deductive and inductive and feel that I use BOTH methods to come to my conclusions. I suppose if I have experience with something I’ll use data from that, but if not I’ll probably have general principles to work from.  In either case, when I’m coming to my own conclusion I generally like to gather as much data from all sides as I can — so, inconclusive?

Another: “Both are philosophical, and love knowledge: Ones as a means of perfecting the world, Fives as a way of discovering more about the world.” — I’m not sure I ALWAYS try to perfect the entire world, but it could often be that I see a flaw in something and am trying to fix that, or make others aware of better alternatives. (or is that a Type 3?)  I suppose at some level, I am less interested in making things “perfect” and more interested in just discovering the “right” answer… either for myself (Type 5?), or more likely to apply in some way (Type 1?).

And finally: “Ones tend to be teachers and moralists, not inventors and iconoclasts like Fives.” — 13 years ago I never thought I’d be a teacher, and in fact, even as I started in the profession I was EXTREMELY anxious about being up in front of class. However, after doing it for even just a couple months I felt very comfortable with it, and now see myself teaching for (possibly) MANY more years.  I think I fall in to the “moralists” category as well and don’t feel I fit in with iconoclasts.

Anyway, the distinctions between Type 1 and Type 5 still remain aloof for me.

This brings on a later interesting twist with Type 3!  “Average Threes, by contrast, are efficient pragmatists, not idealists. Threes are driven more by their goals than by standards–they care more about getting the job done than about the particulars of how it gets done. Ones tend to be attached to particular methods or procedures (“This is the best way to do this.”) Threes are more adaptable, and will change tactics quickly if they feel they are not getting the desired result.”  — Which perhaps even seems to fit me better.  I am usually all for IMPROVING a way something is done, and again, it’s more about getting to a result (quicker/better).  When doing most tasks I seem to always be thinking of ways to improve it.  I don’t feel I am stuck in a the rigidity of always doing something the “right way” (Type 1) when there is a better/easier/faster way to do the same thing (Type 3).  I certainly don’t mind (or fear) adapting.

Another aspect: “Threes are more able to mask whatever is bothering them. On the surface, they rarely appear emotionally disturbed for long by anything. Ones are far less able to conceal their irritations and disappointments.” — Which I  can certainly see for myself.  I am quick to let things appear to slide off my back.  And with Threes “the impression of aloofness and of emotional coolness comes more from a detachment from their feelings rather than a suppression of them.”– This is tough, as I am not really sure if I am more detached from my feelings or suppressing them.

However, “Threes tend to present whatever emotion seems appropriate at the time. If seriousness is called for, they tend to project seriousness. If levity is required, they will ‘do levity,’ smiling and being chatty, even if inside they are feeling frightened, overwhelmed, or even sad. For better or worse, Threes are more skilled at projecting charm and ‘personality’ than Ones. However, we can discern the underlying detachment from deeper feelings when Threes are ‘performing’ by the abruptness and ease with which they can adjust their affect from situation to situation and from person to person.” — and this really seems to lock in a Three for me, since I do seem to have an ease at adjusting according to situation and/or person(s).

And finally: “Both types have in mind some sort of goal that they want to achieve. The difference is that Ones attempt to discover which objective means will best lead to the desired ideal, whereas Threes are pragmatists who work backward to find the most efficient means to achieve their goal.”  — I am definitely GOAL oriented in my thinking (as opposed to Fives?), but it’s hard to say if I use an “objective means” as opposed to “pragmatic”.  However, if the words “the desired ideal” as opposed to “their goal” really are vitally important to the concept, then I might have to say I care less about some “desired ideal” that others might see, and generally am more concerned with meeting MY goals… if they match up with some global ideal that’s even better, but not required.  That’s not to say I try to massage the data to fit what I want, but rather I try to find the answers for myself and not overly concerned with what might be a more widely desire/accepted answer.

MBTI

I wasn’t overly satisfied about an earlier test showing I was introverted, although I wasn’t stubbornly opposed to it. Today I took two separate  Myers-Briggs personality tests with these results:

ISTJ   and   INTJ

I guess I should just accept that I’m introverted, but with some very extroverted-like exceptions in various aspects of my life.  The second test also came with these “strength indicators”

Introverted     Intuitive       Thinking        Judging
89                50                  88                  67
I took those tests to help get a better feel for my enneagram type.  There are several pages I’ve seen that elude to some correlation, and in fact this page has a good chart to match up types.  On that chart it shows all Type 5s to be Introverts, while all Type 3s are Extroverts, and Type 1s can be ISTJ or ESTJ.  I still feel reluctant to rule out Type 3.

Well, it’s getting late, and I’m sure I’ll be at this more tomorrow.