Improving Self-Awareness By Exploring Personality

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Improving Self-Awareness By Exploring Personality

Take a Test, Any Test
Last week I wrote about self-awareness. One of the ways we can start developing self-awareness is by understanding our personality. There are several developed models for doing this and many online resources for taking personality tests. If you’ve never done a personality test (and you’re a Harry Potter fan), maybe you want to start with discovering your patronus at https://my.pottermore.com/patronus. I’m a Chow Dog, which means I’m proud, independent, suspicious of strangers, and loyal to family (http://www.mugglenet.com/2017/08/patronus-say-personality/).

INTP, But What R U?
For those looking for something more traditional, the grand-daddy of personality tests is the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). This personality test rates four areas to generate a 4-letter code for your personality type. The 4 areas are Extroversion or Introversion; Sensing or Intuition; Thinking or Feeling; and, Judging or Perceiving. The 16 different combinations are each a personality type and can be used to make general statements about behavior, responses, and interactions for a given personality type. There are several free tests online that you can use to get an initial MBTI type. There are also paid tests, which are probably a little better, but not necessary.

I’m an INTP, which means I’m Introverted, Intuitive, Thinking, and Perceiving… probably why I like writing. If you haven’t done it in a while, it is worthwhile to do again. Make sure to spend a little time reading about the different factors and what they mean. You probably also want to look up a few different interpretations of your personality type. A few other things to note about the MBTI

There is criticism that it is not scientific and that results are not reproducible. That might be true… luckily, we’re not doing any scientific studies here. We’re just using it to explore who we are.
It is a classification system, and as humans we like classification systems. We like to be able to put things in categories so we can understand them, maybe even control them. But, you are unique, and your personality is complex. The classification can help you understand yourself, but it doesn’t mean it is useful for predicting behavior or outcomes. And you don’t have to agree with everything you read about your personality type.
The results for each area are represented as binary… you are either an I or an E. Really though, they are scaled, which you’ve likely seen if you’ve done a full test. For instance, my wife and I are both considered Introverted, but she’s just a little over the half way mark, while I’m far to the I side of the scale.
And speaking of introverted versus extroverted… remember, those are single terms to describe the classification. The classification has a full description with well-articulated meaning, and the word is just a label. We can label ourselves an introvert or an extrovert and then apply the understanding of that label to others. However, my introverted-ness is likely different from yours. So, it is important to remember that the formal definition for the Introversion preference in the MBTI is different than what is generally used in our daily discussions.

Use It Wisely
It is fun and insightful to take the test and learn about your personality type. Once you have your MBTI type, look up ways to interpret it such as descriptions of your personality, ways to interact with others, dos and don’ts, and things your supposedly good at. Just remember, these descriptions are generalizations, so don’t take them too seriously. As evidence, if I were an ice cream I’d be red velvet, and clearly I am supposed to be mint chocolate chip (https://www.personalityclub.com/blog/ice-cream-personality-type/)!

The value of the MBTI is that it provides a model to explore yourself and become more internally self-aware. I have found it much easier to be objective and reflective about myself when reading an abstract description of myself. Reading a few descriptions and reflecting on what you learn may provide some valuable insights into yourself. Then, ask yourself what you are going to do with that information and insight.

You also can consider using the personality type to improve external self-awareness. For instance, it may give you a way to approach someone and get feedback. For instance, “Bob, my personality type is INTP. It said those people can come across argumentative when trying to explore a concept. What are some ways I could promote collaboration instead of coming across as arguing?”

Using the MBTI to improve the dynamic in close relationships can be helpful, also. My wife and I took the MBTI during our pre-marital counseling and then walked through the results. Understanding our personality type and how it related to communication helped us in the early days, and is still something we refer to. We were able to better understand how we each thought about things, why we react negatively to certain things, and how to empathize with those reactions so that communication was opened up, not shut down.

Beyond the MBTII
f you haven’t studied personality theory much (I haven’t), there are the Big 5 personality traits, the 5 basic dimensions of personality. These 5 traits are Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism (OCEAN). Tests using the Big 5 rate you on each dimension relative to a normal distribution. The results might give you some insight into your personality, or they might just tell you how similar (or different) you are to the rest of the population. Another personality model is the Enneagram of Personality. This is one I have recently learned about and will be writing about next week, so tune in for that.

Whatever Your Personality Is, Enjoy It
There is some debate if you can change your personality; but, why would you try? Your particular personality isn’t important, it is what you do with it. I want to understand myself and who I am so that I can interact with my family more wholly, make better life decisions, pursue activities that fulfill me, and give to others in self-sustaining ways. I want that for you, too.

Maybe you’ll spend some time this Sunday doing a little personality testing. Have fun with it, share what you learn with those close to you, laugh a little, and grow.

Some articles and links for further reading

Coming up next week: The Enneagram – No Blindfold Needed!

Thank you for reading and feedback is welcome and encouraged.