As children and teenagers, we were introduced to personality tests in the most useless way possible. When I first think of personality tests, I am reminded of completing a, ‘Which Type of Learner Am I?’ quiz in secondary school as part of our careers class. Generally, everyone in the class was surprisingly a Kinaesthetic learner (which to this day, I still don’t know what is). Then, as we’d get older, we would complete a, ‘Which Job Suits My Personality?’ quiz. Every single time, the quiz suggested I should be a solicitor, right down to a zookeeper because I’d ticked ‘yes, I am very fond of animals’.
However, in more recent years, I’ve started to see the usefulness of more specific personality tests. Ones that don’t produce a list of careers that I surprisingly didn’t pursue. Many companies are introducing personality tests as a useful tool to help their employees understand themselves and how they work in a team environment.
However, some people question if personality tests are actually useful, or do they hinder us? This is highly subjective, so here are some personality tests you can try out for yourself.
1. Myers- Briggs Personality Test
The Myers-Briggs Personality Type Indicator is a self-report inventory designed to identify a person’s personality type, strengths, and preferences. The questionnaire was developed by Isabel Myers and her mother Katherine Briggs based on their work with Carl Jung’s theory of personality types. There are 16 variations of the personality test result, based on:
- Extroversion/ Introversion
- Intuition/ Sensing
- Thinking/ Feeling
- Judging/ Perceiving
You can click here to try the test out for yourself. The answers you give will generate a combination of 16 different personality types, based on the above categories. The diagram below shows you the different combinations of personality types you can get.
Is this personality test useful?
I quite like this personality test. It’s useful, without being boring, and gives a good insight into how you think and act. I am an ENTP (extroverted, intuitive, thinking, and perceiving- basically a psychopath). My combination of letters considers me to be a ‘debater’, seeking out jobs that pay me to argue for a living. Really should’ve considered law. Considering I currently work in marketing, I don’t know if it’s exactly correct in the career sense. However, I do love a good debate after a few drinks.
2. Big 5 Personality Trait
Another personality test you can try out is the Big Five personality traits. This personality test scores for Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism with this scientific personality assessment. I think this is another useful one to do, as it tests for different characteristics than the Myers-Briggs one.
Conclusion
I believe that personality tests are useful, to a certain extent. I wouldn’t start questioning your entire identity due to the fact you got a different personality result than you expected. It is useful for self-reflection, but shouldn’t lead you down a path of self-loathing. I find it’s particularly useful if you’re ever feeling a bit stuck in life and want to explore what these different tests suggest for you. Even if it’s not entirely accurate, it might spark some ideas about yourself that you haven’t considered before.
If you’re interested in delving more into personalities, why not take a look at my recent book review on, ‘Surrounded by Idiots: Book Review’.
Chat soon,
Eilís x
