Thursday 21 January 2010

Currently, I am...

As part of a work thing, we were asked to take the Jung Typology Test. (Hmm, I see they've shied away from "personality test".) One of my issues with this is that there is no really objective measure of one's typology. Although some aspects will be largely invariant, other aspects can swing wildly depending on one's mood. If you're depressed, most likely you'll downgrade your abilities, if you are in a good mood then... and so on. Ultimately, your outcome could change depending entirely on when you take the test (and I think there are results out there about this, but I can't be bothered googling for it).

Anyway, when I took the test, it determined that at the time I answered it, I am... ISTJ

(Percentage ratings are also given, but I'm not reporting those. They could really change!)

Also provided are some analysis of the types. By D. Keirsey and J. Butt and M. M. Heiss in particular. Which brings me to another issue I have: the propensity to read oneself into these reports. While maybe not quite as bas as, say, astrology, there are still elements of the Forer effect, confirmation bias and other forms of selective thinking. There are some statements in the analyses I agree with, but not everything. Some of this is related to the fact that the test, in the first place, has limited questions and options, and so one answer might be "of these two options which don't apply to me, this is the one that doesn't apply to me the least" or "sometimes I do A, sometimes I do B, can entirely depend on the context and how I am at the time".

Amusingly, also suggested are various careers of my typology type (note: the text does say personality test). I should be in Management, Administrative Management, Accounting, Computer Programming, Technology Education, Physician(Surgery), Dentist/Dental Assistant, Law, Military Training and/or Security Services. Some of those areas would interest me, some not, but also some areas not mentioned would interest me as well, and I suspect engagement with the career is probably a better indicator of how well one would succeed more than typology type...

And, of course, we get the "famous people with these personality types". Because one can always apply current thinking to old people without issue...

Why not take the test yourself and find out what your personality of the minute is?

[END]

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