A very bright friend and I promised to give serious thought to this subject, and describe and/or identify who we thought we were (ourselves, not each other). Surprisingly, we became so uncomfortable -- it was near impossible to look at ourselves in an objective way.
Am I the only person who feels uncomfortable thinking about, "Am I Strong?", or weak, or boring?" “What am I really like?” “Would I like myself if I met ME on the street?” How would people describe me, when I’m not with them? And come on now, it’s kinda embarrassing to ask another person, “Who am I? - really now, TELL me - be honest - don’t hold anything back!” RRRRIIIGGGHHHTTTT – If you ask another woman, we all know it will depend on THAT particular day SHE’s having, and she’ll be polite and try to say ‘the right’ thing! And I, for one, DON’T want to lose a friend over the question! LOL And if I ask a man, - oh no, no, no, I don’t want to ask a man! who would I ask, my DH? – he might actually tell me, or question “why on earth is she asking such a dumb question,” which would likely introduce other uhhhhmmm issues. LOL. I don’t have great hang-ups about people talking about me, but I DO wonder how I come across to other people. And most of us would like to capitalize on our strengths, and minimize the weaknesses.
Occasionally, I like to fool around with these commercial personality tests, and sometimes, they provide excellent clues to owns own identity. This link: http://www.personaldna.com/tests.php
was an enjoyable test, interesting, and took a little time (30 minutes) to consider my answer, which I consider a ‘plus’. I didn’t have to give an e-mail address to take the test. You can print out the results. I was actually strengthened by what the results indicated - they just phrased personality traits with a positive attitude.
Have fun! Will you agree or disagree with the results? I would love to hear your comment about what you learned or if you thought it was a useful tool.
I am a quilter - a retired widow living in the Nebraska Panhandle. I am surrounded by beautiful semi-arid ranch country, and treeless hills and fields under incredibly wide blue skies, located far from the upheaval found often in large towns or cities. I am blessed to have delicious time to quilt and to appreciate my peaceful moments in an unpeaceful world.
Elaine...did you forget something on your post? Or is that part of the test, too? Hee hee...you can add "curious" to my personality traits...
ReplyDeleteSince I never knew my father (he died when I was only two months old), I am often curious to hear people describe what he was like. It's so difficult to get a cohesive picture of who he was, because everyone has such different ideas--sort of like that "blind men describing the elephant" story. It's sad that he left nothing personal behind to describe himself.
I think some of us have a stronger sense of identity than others. I'm always changing, so I don't have a real sense of who I am either. I'm always shocked to hear people's descriptions of me...but then, I'm quiet and don't reveal much. Perhaps that's how my father was, too!
Interesting post! I'm going to be thinking about this all day...
Very few people know how they are perceived, how they look, or how they sound to others. We are "inside" looking out ... with myopic vision, no less.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting, Elaine. I was low on masculinity (phew!), spontaneity and openness and high on empathy, trust and agency. I would say that was pretty fair! I'm not good at spur of the minute, I'm not a man, and I'm really quite shy (yes, really) and I care for others, believe that people are basically good the world over and that luck has very little to do with how things turn out. That's me!
ReplyDeleteI took the test in January and found the results to be close to how I perceive myself.
ReplyDeleteI have a strong capacity to comprehend the inner working of things, finding new ideas and innovative insights to feed my curious nature. This definitely explains the way I quilt. I can quickly absorb how to make a quilt from a pattern and usually go off on my own method before I get through reading the directions.
It was an interesting test. I enjoyed taking it.
Interesting! I've taken personality tests in the past and usually come out as a leader and that hasn't changed but on this one I was identified as a Generous Leader which is a little different and I think shows how I've grown over the last few years.
ReplyDeleteI've blogged before that I feel very fortunate right now and that makes me focus even more on giving back to others.
I've taken a lot of these tests before (mainly during Grad school and while working.) Like Mary I think this one reflected changes in my life recently. Not quite sure what to make of being an Advocating Creator!
ReplyDeleteVery Interesting.
Sio
That was interesting. I'm a Benevolent Analyst. Hmmm. I'm not sure I know what that really means. I had to laugh that I'm supposed to be very feminine! I don't think so!
ReplyDeleteElaine,
ReplyDeleteI agreed with the results by 90%. LOL It was interesting to take the test and it was really interesting to read the result about myself in print. Dynamic Inventor! I'd better get busy. :-)