Personality Types

Bear with me this has the potential to be long as f**k...



I have been doing some further study recently and came into a bit of conflict with one of our lecturers around personality typing. They were preaching the "DISC" method which has four personality categories:

• Dominant,
• Inspiring,
• Supportive, and
• Cautious.

(Read more bullshit about it here: http://discpersonalitytesting.com/blog/what-are-the-four-disc-types/)



My main complaint with these types of tests is that they often make assumptions about the type of person you are; like if you are loud you are a good leader, if you are quiet you are creative, if you are artistic you are a good entrepeneur...etc. Maybe before the internet became a big thing these might have been true but mostly just seem like outdated ways of talking about people to me. Especially because when you are talking about things like leadership and entrepreneurs there are more and more examples of it being done a little bit differently by people and being amazing. Doesnt seem to be a one-kind-of-person deal.


I guess also because I am a quieter person I get frustrated with lists that note Quiet and Shy as bad things, or representative of not being a good leader etc.



All of this said I feel a bit differently about the Meyers-Briggs personality tests as they seem to type people without making a*****e inferences inside of those types.



Anyway just wondered if anyone else had thoughts about personality testing?



I am an INFJ on Meyers-Briggs, and came out as an S on the DISC one...

i don't think being quiet and/or shy are bad things however, considering that leadership has a lot to do with communication, then i have to agree that they'll both be a big handicap for a leader

that said .... in similar situations the same person can display different behaviour depending on how they're feeling on that particular day so i don't think personalities can really be split into watertight types and tbh i've never understood why some people waste time and resources trying to label other people

Cautious/Dominant....

Some words that describe you are:

• Analytical,
• Careful,
• Conscientious, and
• Driven

The question that asked what I thought of most when someone called me on the phone gave me a good chuckle.
---just tell me WHY YOU CALLED!! and let's get business out of the way, then we can chat if you want

Personality testing criteria and methodologies and essentially narrow and shallow, to the point of being insulting to the complex nature of so many people.

It always saddens me when people announce their personality type after taking these types of tests.

You are more than an acronym.

You have a blend of Inspiring and Cautious traits. From the results we have so far, we cannot tell which of these traits is the strongest for you. You may have a very balanced blend of both traits.Your style is known as a 'cross-style' because your primary traits come from styles 'across' the DISC pattern. While this combination occurs in a small percentage of people, it is still perfectly normal (although sometimes difficult to explain).

Some words that describe you are:

• Interactive,
• Careful,
• Fun, and
• Conscientious

You have both people-oriented and task-oriented traits. You have both outgoing and reserved traits. People with your traits are often outgoing with people and reserved (or slower paced) when first tackling a task or problem. This means that you likely engage quickly with people, and approach problem solving in a slower, more methodical fashion.

I oppose personality testing on two fronts and grudgingly accept it on one. Mostly because I'm going into research and have validity measures hammered into my brain box.

Grudge 1: Standard major weaknesses include self-testing especially online, biased responses, poor internal and external validity of the measurement. On top of that, there are major weaknesses in the interpretation of the implicit personality theory on which the concept of the tests is based.

Grudge 2: Psychological tests self-administered and self-interpret do nothing but harm and can actually create symptomology not present before testing. It also tends to serve as a barrier for people seeking treatment for more serious issues because they think they've already got it all figured out.

Grudging Acceptance 1: there are a fair amount of studies that show validity of some tests with strong psychometric properties used in professional settings.

Further peer reviewed reading, anyone? Social science research is like candy!


The validity of personality questionnaires.
Ellis, A.
Psychological Bulletin, Vol 43(5), Sep 1946, 385-440. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/h0055483
http://psycnet.apa.org/journals/bul/43/5/385/

The Cross-Cultural Generalizability of Zuckerman's Alternative Five-Factor Model of Personality. Rossier, J., Aluja a., García L.F., Angleitner, A., De Pascalis, V., Wang, W., Kuhlman, M. and Zuckerman, M. Journal of Personality Assessment, Vol 89 (2), Dec 2007, 188-196
DOI: 10.1080/00223890701468618o
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00223890701468568#/doi/abs/10.1080/00223890701468568

ISD, INTJ

I would say personality tests will help you better yourself. If you can analyze your weaknesses, and take the steps to improve them the future will be bright.

Some of the best leaders I've met have been quiet and shy in social situations. Put them in charge of something they know the ins and outs of though and you've got a good leader. Same for teachers, same for colleagues. Leading a conversation around a drunken dinner table and leading an expedition through the alps are very different things and require very different skills.

I don't put any faith in personality testing. I would tell you that I'm shy and quiet, while those closest to me would probably say that I'm a loud dickhead... The truth, as with most things, is probably somewhere in-between.

When I clicked on this thread I expected the MBTI methodology, I'm either INTP or INFP, but this is interesting for a change. Anyway I guess I'm half way between Supportive and Cautious.

I found a really great personality test recently. I was really surprised with the accuracy of the test. I've given it to all my friends and they were all shocked with its accuracy as well.

https://www.16personalities.com/