I admit it. Yes I am guilty. I can't believe that I did it, but I did!
Periodically on the face book there is a post from someone who has done one of those personality quizzes which litter the internet. Go on, admit it you know the ones, Which Disney Princess are you? Which 'Friends' character are you? Which sandwich? Which character from 'The Godfather', 'Harry Potter', or Sesame Street'. There are all manner of sites reaping attention and revenue from users taking quizzes to discover who they really are.
In my working life personality tests like Myers-Briggs, to name but one, were part of the process of determining which candidate was most suitable to fill a job vacancy. Is there any relationship, and are any of them anything but entertainment?
One day in a weak moment, and prompted by a post, I decided to find out whether or not I was lazy or a workaholic. Apparently I am a hard worker and don't have a hidden agenda. Another (yes I succumbed to the temptation...) was to 'reveal what my anger means' - "Never mistake his silence for weakness for he is both holy water and hell fire." Crikey. I found that out by identifying some words from among a jumble of letters. Go figure huh.
Why are we obsessed with these personality tests?
According to science there might actually be a reason for this obsession. We need answers to know if we are in the logical stratosphere of "normal" . We know that we are complicated, and we do not fit a single mold, so we take personality tests because it breaks down our personality into smaller pieces to help create a bigger picture of ourselves.
Life is about relating to other people, and we use our understanding of our personalities and the personalities of others to do that. Fitting people into compartments allows us to better understand the way the world around us works. Apparently taking a quiz can be a shortcut to finding out who you are and what you like.
Personality tests give people labels, "I am a [fill in the blank]" which are often taken at face value. Whilst interesting and maybe entertaining, most of these types based tests are unscientific and do not validly or reliably measure 'personality'. We like personality tests because we hope that they will reveal previously unknown information about ourselves.
The bad news is that is unlikely to happen. Despite the fact that the results can seem stereotypical or over-simplified, we still find odd comfort through them. But for most people its all really in good fun. Perhaps the truth lies with our friends and family, and you might be better off asking your best friend than taking a pop quiz.
Regardless, I so want to be Yoda. All I have to do now is find a personality quiz that will confirm my aspiration. I think this is where you go, "Get real buddy", "Oh really", "Dream on", or just fall off the chair laughing...
#whichcharacter #whoami #personalitytests
