I came across this graph, above… or maybe it’s “informational abstract art”… full of enigmatic four-letter designations. I saved the image on my computer so I could try and find out, someday, what the designations mean.
Today is the day.
We begin, of course, with the assumption that I have a personality type. That’s not guaranteed, but it’s a reasonable assumption.
The next assumption is that my personality type can be described as a combination of four letters of the alphabet. I’ve always thought that I was more complicated than that, but I’m willing to be proved wrong. I’ve been proved wrong before, one time back in 2003.
My research led me to a free personality test at My-Personality-Test.com. The test took about 5 minutes.
One key part of my personality is: I would never take a personality test if it cost me money. So this test definitely fit my personality. I can imagine that some people wouldn’t bother to take a free personality test because… well, how accurate could it be, if you don’t have to pay money?
Luckily for anyone who has credit cards burning a hole in their pocket, when you get done taking the free My-Personality-Test, you can spend $24.99 to find out the details of your personality.
But the website also provided a free summary of my personality type. The website determined that I am “INTP”.
A “Logician”. Whatever that is.
More or less. There are percentages to consider.
40% Introverted: Thought oriented, Reserved, Reflective, Observant
17% iNtuitive: Imaginative, Future oriented, Conceptual, Abstract
36% Thinking: Logical, Reasonable, Level headed, Values fairness
7% Perceiving: Spontaneous, Flexible, Open minded, Adventurous
The summary of me begins like this:
As an INTP, you are creative, flexible, and analytical. You enjoy thinking about complex problems and theories. You tend to think about things logically and rationally in nearly any situation. You are able to quickly consider many factors and communicate your ideas to others. Because of this, you usually win arguments.
Pretty good, right? We all want to win arguments. Unless we prefer, insteead, to have friends. In my experience, you can either have friends, or you can always win arguments. But not both.
Since I’m an introvert (according to the free test) maybe friends are not so important. My housemate is a cat, who never tries to win an argument, because he would never stoop so low. When you know you’re always right, you never have to argue.
More about me:
Because you do not like mistakes, you may become impatient with others who are less competent than you are. You focus more on efficiency than the needs and feelings of others, which can often be problematic. You are best fit for leadership roles and may have trouble working as part of a team — especially if your team members are feeling (F) types.
Luckily, I don’t have a team that includes feeling (F) types. I don’t have a team at all. I have a cat.
The main reason I don’t have a team is that I’m “Spontaneous, Flexible, Open minded, Adventurous”. You can’t be waiting around for a team, if you want to be spontaneous and adventurous. Especially, you don’t want to wait around for a team that includes feeling (F) types.
Although I’m definitely “best fit for leadership roles,” I find that being a leader requires the presence of followers. Many of whom will likely be feeling (F) types. So even though I’m a natural leader and have a string of disciples, it’s not going to happen. Blame it on my personality if you want.
While you enjoy playing the devil’s advocate and are often correct, you may come off as pushy or rude when sharing your ideas with others. You must remind yourself to make others feel heard, even when you don’t agree. Others may view you as impatient and harsh.
The test accurately identified the fact that I’m often correct — possibly even “always” correct. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with being correct. It seems to me that I spent 16 years of education, in school and in college, learning to be correct. Was that all just a big waste of time? I hope not.
But then, they make it seem like it’s a bad thing to be correct and wave it in people’s faces. How are they going to improve?
Of course, when the test results say, “You must remind yourself to make other feel heard…” what they mean is “You always forget to make others feel heard…” Which is basically true. But we’re running into that “feeling” problem again. What’s the use of “feeling heard” if you’re not “actually heard”? Call me overly practical, but I’d much rather “be heard” than “feel heard.”
Apparently, for the low price of $24.99, My-Personality-Test will share additional personality traits revealed by their 5-minute test.
Luckily, I was married for 25 years and benefited from a daily, ongoing analysis of what was wrong with my personality. So I definitely won’t be spending $24.99 to be criticized by a computer.
I’m sure My-Personality-Test.com fully understands my refusal, and expects it. Being that I’m INTP.
One final thought. When I came across this “What’s Your Personality Type” graphic…
… with all its various combinations and characteristics shown… ESFP Performer, ISFP Free Spirit, INFJ Humanitarian, ESTP Innovator…
I said to myself, “Louis, you are all of those things. On occasion. Not every day, but often enough to confuse people.”
Heck, often enough to confuse myself.
Underrated writer Louis Cannon grew up in the vast American West, although his ex-wife, given the slightest opportunity, will deny that he ever grew up at all. You can read more stories on his Substack account.