I often have a silent chuckle to myself when people talk about a personality test they took, with revelations as to how they now know the type of person they are. Having administered and taken said tests in my distant professional past, I don't put much emphasis on such testing. In many instances the results, like reading your daily horoscope, are generalisations which many of us will align too. I am also not the type of person that likes to label and put people in boxes.
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At times, the results can be somewhat skewed given how you answer the multitude of questions on the day, your attitude, approach and feelings have a good part to play with the outcome.
However, there are organisations and individuals who administer such tests as there can be benefits, especially as a therapeutic approach in dealing with cognitive applications and diagnosis as related to psychological therapy. In these instances, testing is at times crucial and should not be overlooked.
Given the COVID-19 situation I have been hearing that people with specific personalities will be dealing with lockdowns and isolations in different ways - this is true.
However, a person who has a positive mental health outlook will weather the storm regardless of their personality type.
Meaning as long as we are doing all the positive things we know we need to do to stay mentally and physically active and fit, given the refinement, we will be able to see that light at the end of the tunnel.
Therefore, there are distinct differences in personality assessments.
As noted there are the psychological testing, which I am not going to address but rather the more popular personality tests such as Myers-Briggs and Jungian 16.
According to Psych Central, results of these styles of tests are typical of a five-factor model of personality.
The five factors measured are: extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, emotional stability (also called neuroticism), and intellect/imagination (also called openness).
Please remember, these are only personality traits or preferences and do not predetermine every action you prefer in every situation. They don't dictate how you will or won't interact with others.
The Myers-Briggs test is the most widely used with about 2 million people taking it annually, at the request of corporate HR departments, universities and even government agencies. The company that produces and markets the test makes about $20 million off it each year.
In an article written in the Journal of Management 1996, doctors Gardner and Martinko noted that analyses have shown the test is totally ineffective at predicting people's success in various jobs, and that about half of the people who take it twice get different results each time.
Dr Carl Jung warned that his personality "types" were just rough tendencies he'd observed, rather than strict classifications with his untested theories now thoroughly disregarded by the psychology community.
So let's get back to COVID-19 and your personality. With many things we are all doing during the lockdown and isolating, the primary focuses should be in staying positive by doing things that you enjoy doing and or things you have put off doing around the house. To create stronger bonds with our families, developing greater resilience and adapting to significant change in our daily lives.
In the end, try to have as much fun as you can given the at times sad and unfortunate news we hear and see.
One way to have fun is to take one of the personality tests, as these tests are not designed to accurately categorise people, but rather a test designed to make you feel happy after taking it.
Personality tests like the Myers-Briggs are therefore useful for one thing - entertainment. There's absolutely nothing wrong with taking the test as a fun, interesting activity.
If you are starting to feel like your personality is being challenged, what will be important is for you to try and recognise that it is changing by possible subtle behavioural cues that may be occurring.
If this is happening try and take a step back and think about what is occurring before you act.
While personality change, during the best of times, is difficult, you can at least be aware of those behavioural cues your personality is sending you and try to make better choices.
Remember, a personality test will not determine how you get through COVID-19, but rather as Sabine Baring Gould once said: "Personality is, in fact, only a free being emphasising and recognising itself as such. Every person makes their own personality and to that extent their own creator." Or this one: "The most important kind of freedom is to be what you really are" (Jim Morrison).
Dr Anthony Perrone is college counsellor at Trinity Anglican College. The views expressed are Dr Perrone's and not necessarily those of Trinity Anglican College.
