What the tests say about Identity…
Personality is something people seek; we want to find where we belong, find ‘our people’, and find our groove. This ‘finding myself’ quest isn’t a treasure hunt, it’s a scavenger hunt where we find little clues throughout our journey. One of the paths to diagnose our individuality is taking tests. Let’s take a look.
Personality tests.
Do these things really work? Everyone has their own opinion on whether these tests are true-ish or as flighty as a dandelion blowing in the wind. So are they worth taking? It depends. Ask yourself WHY you are taking the test. Is it for fun? A career change? Job enhancement? Relationship health? Curiosity? Go into the test with a purpose. As for cost, most have a free version, but others can cost $$.
Let’s understand personality.
According to the Owlcation (a group of educators and experts on education), there are 5 common personality determinants:
1 The Brain: how it is stimulated.
2 Physical Characteristics: Height, skin tone, weight, hair color… these factors play a role in social communications.
3 Social Experiences: Syed Hunbbel Meer states, “The things that occur around a person on a regular basis determine how that person will behave and perceive themselves.”
4 Culture and Religion: Traditional practices, customs, values, rules/regulations.
5 Heredity: It’s in our genes.
There are 2500+ personality tests in the United States! However, I compiled a shortlist of the most common and revealing tests used today.
Take your pick:
- Myers-Briggs one of the most popular tests out there. Employers like to use this one.
- Enneagram helps us to see ourselves at a more objective level. It has 9 type descriptions.
- DISC: helps with improving relationships
- Big Five: looks at your Openness, Conscientiousness, Agreeableness, Extraversion, and Neuroticism. This site also describes in detail the Myers-Briggs personalities, best career, etc.
- 16 Personalities: has a quick and free 12-minute test.
Family Tree & DNA
Want to take it a step further? Check-out DNA testing like Ancestry, 23andMe, SelfDecode, or FamilyTreeDNA . What’s the difference? Generally speaking, if you’re looking to get a better understanding of your family tree, go with FamilyTreeDNA or Ancestry. Both entities help with genealogy, family history research, and DNA matches.
If you’re looking to get a better understanding of your health, go with 23andMe or SelfDecode. 23andMe helps reveal health screening. They also do a basic Y-DNA (looks into a male’s direct father’s line heritage) and a mtDNA (allows you to discover your own family history in the maternal line) test. SelfDecode primarily looks at your genes and well-being…all about health.
You can explore the sites here: Ancestry, FamilyTreeDNA, 23andMe, SelfDecode
Love Languages
Wait there’s more! Gary Chapman wrote a book, The 5 Love Languages. In his book, he talks about ‘love language’ and how beneficial it is in strengthening relationships. There are essentially 5 love languages: words of affirmation, acts of service, receiving gifts, quality time, and physical touch. The 5 Love Languages works for everyone: couples, kids, teens, and people who are single. I took this test and read his book many years ago and my husband and I still reference it. Mr. Chapman also has a quiz to help discover your love language. Check it out here: The 5 Love Languages
Introvert or Extrovert?
“How dare you!” No, no, no I’m not calling you a bad name. Introvert and Extrovert are two terms used to describe a piece of our personality. An introvert is someone who tends to be quiet and private; they aren’t too fond of large crowds, and they recharge by spending time alone. An extrovert is outgoing and talkative; they recharge in social settings and enjoy getting attention. More info here on differences. Now before you make your own conclusion, you might want to take this test. A lot of people are both, and depending on the situation one will shine above the other. You can check-out the test from Psychology Today.
Birth Order
Well, you probably don’t need to take a test to figure out your birth order. There are tests out there, but I didn’t find it necessary to list them. Although after looking through many sites on birth order I found that REAL SIMPLE Magazine sums it up nicely. Their article describes the traits of birth order: from firstborn (only child) to multiple middles, to the baby. They go into why certain stereotypes are true and when it’s not! It’s quite interesting and may help you understand a little bit more about yourself and your siblings. Check it out here: REAL SIMPLE