Psychobabble about me, Fall 2014

Jungian/Meyer-Briggs personality tests

Well, perhaps it's no surprise really that I come out as an "INTJ":

• Introverted (I) 72% Extroverted (E) 28%
• Sensing (S) 50% Intuitive (N) 50%
• Thinking (T) 81% Feeling (F) 19%
• Judging (J) 72% Perceiving (P) 28%

INTJ — INTJ - "Mastermind". Introverted intellectual with a preference for finding certainty. A builder of systems and the applier of theoretical models. 2.1% of total population.

loner, more interested in intellectual pursuits than relationships or family, not very altruistic, not very complimentary, would rather be friendless than jobless, observer, values solitude, perfectionist, detached, private, not much fun, hidden, skeptical, does not tend to like most people, socially uncomfortable, not physically affectionate, unhappy, does not talk about feelings, hard to impress, analytical, likes esoteric things, tends to be pessimistic, not spontaneous, prone to discontentment, guarded, does not think they are weird but others do, responsible, can be insensitive or ambivalent to the misfortunes of others, orderly, clean, organized, familiar with darkside, tends not to value organized religion, suspicious of others, can be lonely, rarely shows anger, punctual, finisher, prepared

Additional references

• http://www.16personalities.com/intj-personality
• http://www.personalitypage.com/INTJ.html
• http://www.truity.com/personality-type/intj
• http://typelogic.com/intj.html

• Introverted (I) 73% Extroverted (E) 27%
• Sensing (S) 62% Intuitive (N) 38%
• Thinking (T) 87% Feeling (F) 13%
• Judging (J) 80% Perceiving (P) 20%

ISTJ — "Trustee". Decisiveness in practical affairs. Guardian of time-honored institutions. Dependable. 11.6% of total population.

responsible, planner, private, loner tendencies, perfectionist, organized, detail oriented, organized, would rather be friendless than jobless, realistic, observer, clean, focused, does not talk about feelings, finisher, punctual, private, does not appreciate strangeness, not adventurous, not spontaneous, follows the rules, dutiful, avoids mistakes, conventional, likes solitude, insensitive to the hardships of others, prepared, anti-tattoos, thinks rules are important, cautious, security seeking, prepares for worst case scenarios, logical, analytical, does not accept apologies easily, hard working

Additional references

• http://www.16personalities.com/istj-personality
• http://www.personalitypage.com/ISTJ.html
• http://www.truity.com/personality-type/istj
• http://typelogic.com/istj.html

I have to say I can see aspects of both of these in myself.

Enneagram test

My main type is Type 5, and my variant stacking is "sospsx".

Left- or right-brain? (brain lateralization)

What a shock:

Left brain dominant individuals are more orderly, literal, articulate, and to the point. They are good at understanding directions and anything that is explicit and logical. They can have trouble comprehending emotions and abstract concepts, they can feel lost when things are not clear, doubting anything that is not stated and proven.

Right brain dominant individuals are more visual and intuitive. They are better at summarizing multiple points, picking up on what's not said, visualizing things, and making things up. They can lack attention to detail, directness, organization, and the ability to explain their ideas verbally, leaving them unable to communicate effectively.

"R-Drive" personality test

The R-Drive Personality system is based on the idea that genetics and environment result in distinct motivation drives that essentially define individual personality. Person A had a very artistic father (and other relatives) and that's a big part of why they are artistic (genetic). Person B had a really bad experience taking risks as a child which caused them to become very cautious (environmental) and/or they come from a very cautious family (genetic).

It is important to note that these motivation drives are influenced by individual subjective perception of rewards. A person because of genetics and/or environment perceives certain behaviors to be rewarding (even if in the long term and/or short term, they may not be). The person with an eating disorder or drinking problem or penchant to package bad mortgages and sell them as good mortgages to retirement fund managers (wiping out people's nest eggs) perceives rewards from their behavior and that is why they continue to engage in it.

What makes you who you are (what careers you may prefer, friends you might get along better with, romantic partners you might be more suited to, positive and negative personal characteristics and life outcomes) is highly influenced by your perceptions of what is rewarding. People with more accurate/correct perceptions of what's actually rewarding (to themselves and others) will be more likely to live happier/healthier lives and have a more positive effect on others.

References