Cult of Personality

In my last post, I dished quite a bit about my Libra characteristics and pondered over whether or not my birth date had anything to do with who I am. To sum it up, I don't follow my horoscope regularly nor do I believe the stars can predict my future, but it is uncanny just how many Libra traits I feel describe me perfectly.

I also believe that there are certain personality traits we're born with, inherited no doubt, from our parents. Also, there's the nurture factor - the influence of our surrounding environment. It makes sense to me that both DNA and environment play a huge part in determining our personalities.  But, I'm not here to debate the whole nature vs. nurture theory. What do I know? I'm no psychologist. Maybe I should have been, though.  I do enjoy trying to figure out what makes people tick!

A work friend recently sent around an interesting personality test that had some of us amazed at the results. It's called the HumanMetrics Jung Typology test, based on the Carl Jung and Isabel Myers-Briggs typological approach to personality. Turns out I'm an ISFJ - Introvert, Something, Feeling, Judging.  I think. Oops, I already forget. What I do remember is that I apparently have the same personality as both George Bush Sr. and Mother Teresa. Who knew?

If you find these kinds of tests as intriguing as I do, try it out when you have a few minutes. There are 72 yes or no questions, dealing with how you feel, act, or perceive certain senarios.

And, just to balance things out ('cause that's what us Libras are all about) I'm throwing in another quiz for you  courtesy of Oprah.com. It's called Who Am I Meant to Be? and it supposedly helps you find your striving purpose. It's not quite as long as the HumanMetrics quiz, and although I'm not exactly sure how accurate it is, I was quite pleased to find out I'm an Intellectual, striving for knowledge. 

My take-away on these personality tests? People are complex and can not be categorized by answering a few questions on a computer.On the other hand, it can be entertaining and maybe even give a wee bit of insight into your life. What are your thoughts? Have you tried taking these or similar personality tests? Did you learn anything about yourself that you're willing to share?