The first step on this journey actually was several years
ago when I made an effort to know myself.
At that point, I had been out of college for several years, already
tackled a couple of actuarial exams, had a couple of kids, bought a house,
bought a car…basically the American dream.
But I had this numb feeling, emptiness inside of me. And the worst part is that I didn’t even know
it.
I had vague notions that I was different from my coworkers, in
particular a keen intuition about people.
I didn’t really give much thought to it because I was supposed to be
intuitive about numbers and how that affects business decisions. So, I ignored it – shoved it down where the
sun don’t shine.
Then one day my wife told me about a personality quiz that
she took. It gave you four letters and
told you some things about your particular personality type. I was game for it, so I took the quiz. I looked at the results and I was floored with
how accurate it was. Not only because it
told me what I knew about me, but opened the door to finding what I didn’t know
about me. Like, why I had intuition
about people.
Over the years, I have taken tons of personality tests. Each one helped me learn a little more about
myself. So, I’m going to pass on what
I’ve found along the way in the hope that it might help others.
Meyers-Briggs Type
Indicator (MBTI) – This was my first real foray into personality “typing.” There are sixteen distinct personalities
indicated by a four letter MBTI. Each of
the four letters indicates an aspect of your personality. This system is very popular. You can find
folks all over the net analyzing and guessing famous people’s personalities and
people pontificating how different personalities interact. There are also lists of preferred careers by
MBTI, which could be useful. That is,
once you know your type.
Here is a list of free tests. You can pay to have a service “type” you, but
I really think that the info you get in a free test can give you the direction
that you need.
16 Personalities
– This site gives the usual four letter output as well as an
Assertive/Turbulent indicator. Word of
caution – I have a feeling that there is a “P” bias meaning that it gives false
P indicators. But that is just my own anecdotal
experience.
Celebrity Types
– This site has the MBTI and other tests as well. The coolest thing about this site is that
there are MBTI type pages so you can check out famous people that also share
your personality. I never would have
known that I have the same personality type as Adolf Hitler!
Similar Minds
– Simple test to determine MBTI. This one
is my favorite and rather straight-forward.
Truity
– This is a very in depth test and shows other characteristics of your
personality as well.
Four Temperaments
(Four Humors)
The four temperaments are an old personality typing system
based on the four humors of the human body (yuck!). But, because there are only four types, it’s
easier to be sure that you are one type and not another. It is possible, even probable, that these are
merely a partition of MBTI indicators.
Fish Eaters
–Fish Eaters is a traditional Catholic site and I’ve stopped by for other
reasons, but I never knew that they had a personality test attached to it. Results are detailed with a lot of specific
information by temperament. Definitely
worth a look.
Four
Temperaments – This site has a rather standard four temperaments quiz and
in-depth results.
Enneagram
I really don’t know much about this system, but it is pretty
popular. There are basically nine
personality types. Each person has a
primary personality number, a wing, and a variant. I think that it gives you a little different
perspective on yourself than the MBTI so it is worth a look. Most tests just give the primary personality
number, but you can take tests that will indicate your wing and your variant.
Eclectic
Energies – Test comes in two flavors: Classic and Instinctual Variant. Outside of the test is a lot of information
on Enneagram and what that system is about.
Similar Minds
– Here is the Enneagram test on Similar Minds.
If you go to the list of personality tests on this site, there are
several other Enneagram tests that also give you your wing and variant.
Other Misc. Tests
The above are the ones that I’m most familiar with and gave
me the most insight into myself so I could plot my new path. But that doesn’t mean that these are all possible
tests. Here are a couple of
miscellaneous tests out there.
Dewey Color
System – This one is cool. Instead
of answering hundreds of mind-numbing questions, you get to pick colors that
you like or don’t like. Oddly accurate
and I have no clue how. But do take your
time and consider the colors carefully.
DISC
– A friend of mine used to swear by this system.
Lipson-Shiu
Corporate Personality – This one is for fun – it gives you your corporate
type. This one I think maps into the
MBTI system and is just fun to think about.
Sites with a Plethora
of Personality Tests
Some of the sites mentioned above have a laundry list of
other tests that can give you even more insight if you need it:
Similar
Minds – All sorts of tests on here.
A personal favorite of mine is the Personality Disorder Test. Most of these are of an academic sort and you
can’t really tell what they are testing until you get the results. So if you are into a grab bag sort of
personality testing, this is a great place to spend time.
Celebrity
Types – Several tests on this site as well but less of an academic
sort. I see a Star Wars test, a Villain
Test, some political tests…definitely looks like a lot fun.
And lastly…
You are more than what these tests say. I am more than what these tests say. All of these quizzes and tests are meant to
be tools to give insight into you, but aren’t going to tell you who you
are. They are merely a means to an end,
so try not to get bogged down. I’d
suggest if you have never done ANY of these, do the MBTI and be done with
it. If you start wondering later, try
another one.
Anyway, I hope this is useful!
God bless,
Sven
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