Why personality tests don’t work for me

I enjoy taking personality tests… sort of. But really, they don’t capture me. The way I think is different enough from the way the test writers think that I have difficulty answering some of the questions. Often, ambiguous questions would be answered in one extreme direction if the ambiguity was resolved a certain way, and in another extreme direction with a different ambiguity resolution. Maybe some day I should write one of my own? In the mean time, here’s a critique of some statements (agree / disagree type) I’ve seen on personality tests:

1: I am very suspicious of others – This is obviously a generalization. Maybe that’s the point, but the fact is I’m very suspicious of some people, and not suspicious at all of others. If the word “all” or “most” were included, then I could answer more easily.

2: I have difficulty making some decisions without advice and reassurance from others – I guess I have to answer yes, but my seeking advice and reassurance from others is out of concern for them primarily. I try to get input on decisions I make that will affect other people. It’s not that I can’t make the decision myself, but that I want a good outcome for everyone.

3: I avoid conflict – That’s a tough one. I *think* people who know me would probably answer in both extremes. In some cases, I enjoy conflict and in other cases I hate it. That probably comes from my view that conflict is generally about something. My involvement in conflict is dependent on the subject.

4: I prefer things to stay as they are – Again, the missing “all” or “a few” qualifiers makes this difficult to answer. I absolutely don’t prefer all things to stay as they are. I seek change on a regular basis. On the other hand, I do want the good things to stay as they are.

5: I like to be in control of others – While generally this is easier to answer (no), there are cases where I do prefer that to be the case. It is always in consensual circumstances (of course) and generally relates to things that could affect me significantly and/or where I have some expertise. This rarely comes up in the ‘real world’ though because I rely heavily on persuasion vice control (and I think I’m somewhat successful at it, at least when I need to be).

6: I put the needs of everyone ahead of my own (similar type of question: I put myself first) – These are very difficult for me to answer. I don’t have the outlook that resources are so scarce that lots of needs can’t be met. I do tend to take care of my own needs and that is one way that I actually take care of the needs of others (they need to not be burdened by me). I also devote quite a bit of my resources to taking care of the needs of others, so a balanced answer I guess is best.

7: Several related statements: I love order and regularity, I follow a schedule, I prefer the familiar, I am a very organized person, I am messy, I am unplanned, I prefer unstructured environments, and so on. These statements are all both true and untrue depending on the circumstances. Maybe the best way to put it is, I’m kinda jazzy: improvised within structure… 😉

8: I am uncomfortable being subordinate – This is highly dependent on whether the subordination is consensual or not. I abhor non-consensual subordination, but I function relatively well in consensual situations.

Some recurring themes here are self-determination and subjectivity. My interest in order v.s. chaos, control v.s. subordination, peace v.s. conflict, and so on are all affected by those two factors. Interestingly, I don’t see many personality tests testing for those very clearly.

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