Welcome Back to Nuanced Beauty!
In today's episode we are asking: What's the Point of Personality Tests?
I begin with a story about feelings, or lack thereof, and then dive into the Enneagram.
The enneagram identifies nine different types in the world, numbers 1 through 9, and they can be categorized into the Triads, which are the gut, heart, and brain. You can learn about the Enneagram by reading a book (my preferred method so you can have more details in front of you AND learn about all the OTHER numbers while you are at it), or by taking an online test. I share a story about the core virtue and passion or sin of my number, the 8. And I did a fun exercise of summarizing each number with well-known advertisements out there. Enjoy.
Next up is the Myers Briggs Type Indicator test, and how the 4 categories of either/or can make up 16 different types of personalities.
There's a quick mention of the DISC test, birth order, horoscopes, and the five love languages, and the fact that I'm sure there are MANY other personality tests out there that I'm not mentioning.
Now for the NUANCE:
Big negatives for not doing personality testing: putting people in a box, and leaning into confirmation bias or justification which doesn't allow people to change or grow. They can be reductive and dismissive. And they are naval gazing, whether you have high self-esteem or low self-esteem, the problem could be that you are too focused on your SELF.
The Rebuttal: personality tests allow people to find a sense of belonging and understanding of the unsaid words they are thinking. They allow us to connect and relate to one another. If we were analyzing things from a scientific of psychological standpoint, it would be ignorant of us to ignore patterns. We all have patterns that make up our strengths and weaknesses, and noticing them allows us to thrive and flourish or make better choices to improve where we are weak.
Lastly, I challenge you to do some research and thinking on your own about it. I found one useful, and one not so useful. Ultimately, hold onto some skepticism that a personality test will not solve all your problems, but it may be a handy tool in your toolbelt.
BOOK RECOMMENDATION(s)
The Road Back to You by Ian Morgan Cron and Suzanne Stabile
and
The Path Between us: An Enneagram Journey to Healthy Relationships by Suzanne Stabile.
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