When was the last time you took a personality test? For me, it was in one of my communications classes in college. We all took the Myers-Briggs test as part of the course, and then used it to help determine the best direction for our future career. Since it's been about ten years, I decided to re-test at www.16personalities.com (not sponsored or anything, just found this completely fascinating!). The test is a short version of the famed Myers-Briggs test, is free, and as I found... crazy accurate.
My results told me I'm a ENFJ, or a "Protagonist." Basically, I'm a people person and thrive on connecting... and I'm a sensitive sally. ;) What I loved about this particular site/test is that it breaks down your personality type by: strengths & weaknesses, romantic relationships, friendships, parenthood, career paths, and workplace habits. I found all areas to be pretty spot on, especially the parenthood section. This quote from the description really resonated with me: "Protagonists' intuition gives them a talent for understanding, and regardless of the heat of the moment, their children will move on, remembering the genuine warmth, care, love and encouragement they've always received from their Protagonist parents. They grow up feeling the lessons that have been woven into the fabric of their character, and recognize that they are the better for their parents' efforts."
I mean, wow. If I could sum up what I want for my kids, especially once they're grown, that would be it right there.
Interestingly but maybe not surprisingly, Steve took the test (I pretty much forced him -- it's fun to be married to me!) and is the opposite of me in a lot of ways. There are some similarities, but where I am an extrovert, he is an introvert. Where I am more of a dreamer, he's more of a realist. His test identified him as a Logistician, described as "practical and fact-minded individuals, whose reliability cannot be doubted." Under the career section, it said that many Logisticians find themselves practicing law and under romantic relationships, pointed out that they are truly dependable. That is Steve.
However, there were a couple of areas with both of our personality profiles that were just a little off.
I think I'm actually a sliver more introverted than my profile made me out to be. I mean, a career in politics? No thanks (although I'm flattered out of my mind to be lumped into the same category as fellow Protagonist Barack Obama). I am definitely fascinated by people and feed off of their energy, but I'm also the most comfortable at home with my people -- the small, intimate group of human beings who know me best.
And as for Steve, his profile says that Logisticians embrace gender norms, and I think that's far from the case with Steve. We have a very "divide and conquer" approach to our home, family, finances, and life in general -- we make great partners, but he's never nudged me into a perceived "norm." I also think he's sillier and more playful (with those he's comfortable with) than his profile would make his personality type out to be.
With all that said, I found taking a personality test at this point in my life to be really fun, informing, interesting, and even a little motivating. It goes to show that, though none of us can be put into a box, we usually do have certain characteristics that define our sense of selves and our way of life. Why not identify those characteristics and use them to our advantage?
If you get a few minutes, take the test and let me know what your results are (and if you think they're accurate!). I'd be really curious to know!
