The first lecture for our Personal and Professional Development (PPD) Module was yesterday (3/10/2011). To begin with I didn't feel that it would benefit me, as who knew me better than myself. However as the lecture progressed it became more apparent about how little I actually knew, and now have a greater understanding how people perceive me, and how I perceive myself.
The lecture began by explaining a brief background of personality profiling, and then followed by us learning about Myer Briggs Personality Profiling and then assessing and our own personality. The Myer Briggs profile asks for four questions about key areas of personality, and then used a letter to signify which category we were. For example mine ended up being 'ISTJ'.
The first question which was asked was whether we were an Introvert or an Extrovert. Introvert means that you sometimes need downtime to clear your head and to recharge. An Extrovert is when you rarely need quiet time, and you gain energy from being around people. I found that after some thought I was an Introvert because I regularly need time to sit down and think alone, although I do still like to go out and socialize regularly. For this reason I made a made a note of the letter 'I'.
The next question we were asked was either being a 'sensing' or 'Intuitive' type of person. I fell into the Sensing category, as I'm a person who likes to make practical solutions to problems, and am not as creative with ideas as people who are intuitive. I also have a very strong mentality about living in the moment, and not worrying about the future or the past and don't often judge people until I know there personality. Therefore I was an 'S'.
The third question which was asked was about if we were 'thinkers' or 'feelers'. This meant did we base decisions and actions on defiant logic and facts, or do you act on more personal emotions and thoughts. For this I defiantly felt like I was a Thinker, as I always normally act upon logic rather then my personal opinions. I also feel that whilst I like harmonious relationships between friends, I accept this is normal, and do not often get involved or upset by them. Therefore I was an 'T'.
Lastly we were asked whether we were judging or perceiving characteristics, which meant we plan ahead before acting and to avoid stresses of deadlines, or if we like to multitask and act without a plan. I felt that I was a Judging character, as I normally plan ahead to stop myself from falling behind or getting stuck along the way.
This meant I was recorded by the four letter ISTJ. We then had to compare this to a list of sixteen possible combinations, in order to find out what was said about our personality. I was skeptical at this point, as I believed what could possibly be found out by just answering four questions, and felt that it was not going to give an accurate representation of my personality. However I was pleasantly suprised and can only say that I felt it was incredibly accurate, as it went like this :
"Quite, serious, earn success by thoroughness and dependability. Practical, matter-of-fact,realistic, and responsible. Decide logically what should be done and work toward it steadily, regardless of distractions. Take pleasure in making everything orderly and organised - their work, their home, their life. Value traditions and loyalty."
I felt this was an accurate reflection, apart from that I can work regardless of distractions, as I can find that hard sometimes, but all in all I was very pleased by what was said, and I do value loyalty very highly.
After the lecture, we also had a task to complete, involving the BBC 'Child of our time' website to carry out the 'Big Five Test'. I began the test, however after answering about two pages of questions I felt they were becoming irrelevant and very personal. Also some of the questions were completely irrelevant, but you could not skip them so just had to use the closet answer, such as whether I was employed, which I wasn't and picked student, yet it still asked what my income was and what was my occupation type was. However I carried on the test to produce five categories, and what I scored out of them. Below is my total score, and what was written about each category:
Openness:
You scored 2.7 out of 5
You scored low on Openness.Pople with scores like yours tend to have a less broad range of interests. They usually stick to what they know rather than being overly enthusiastic about trying new things.
This trait is sometimes known as ‘Openness to experience’.
You may find that generating lots of imaginitive ideas is not your biggest strength.
It has been suggested that Openness is related to a person's likelihood to hold unusual beliefs. People with low-to-medium Openness may therefore be less likely to believe in things like conspiracy theories.
Conscientiousness:
The lecture began by explaining a brief background of personality profiling, and then followed by us learning about Myer Briggs Personality Profiling and then assessing and our own personality. The Myer Briggs profile asks for four questions about key areas of personality, and then used a letter to signify which category we were. For example mine ended up being 'ISTJ'.
The first question which was asked was whether we were an Introvert or an Extrovert. Introvert means that you sometimes need downtime to clear your head and to recharge. An Extrovert is when you rarely need quiet time, and you gain energy from being around people. I found that after some thought I was an Introvert because I regularly need time to sit down and think alone, although I do still like to go out and socialize regularly. For this reason I made a made a note of the letter 'I'.
The next question we were asked was either being a 'sensing' or 'Intuitive' type of person. I fell into the Sensing category, as I'm a person who likes to make practical solutions to problems, and am not as creative with ideas as people who are intuitive. I also have a very strong mentality about living in the moment, and not worrying about the future or the past and don't often judge people until I know there personality. Therefore I was an 'S'.
The third question which was asked was about if we were 'thinkers' or 'feelers'. This meant did we base decisions and actions on defiant logic and facts, or do you act on more personal emotions and thoughts. For this I defiantly felt like I was a Thinker, as I always normally act upon logic rather then my personal opinions. I also feel that whilst I like harmonious relationships between friends, I accept this is normal, and do not often get involved or upset by them. Therefore I was an 'T'.
Lastly we were asked whether we were judging or perceiving characteristics, which meant we plan ahead before acting and to avoid stresses of deadlines, or if we like to multitask and act without a plan. I felt that I was a Judging character, as I normally plan ahead to stop myself from falling behind or getting stuck along the way.
This meant I was recorded by the four letter ISTJ. We then had to compare this to a list of sixteen possible combinations, in order to find out what was said about our personality. I was skeptical at this point, as I believed what could possibly be found out by just answering four questions, and felt that it was not going to give an accurate representation of my personality. However I was pleasantly suprised and can only say that I felt it was incredibly accurate, as it went like this :
"Quite, serious, earn success by thoroughness and dependability. Practical, matter-of-fact,realistic, and responsible. Decide logically what should be done and work toward it steadily, regardless of distractions. Take pleasure in making everything orderly and organised - their work, their home, their life. Value traditions and loyalty."
I felt this was an accurate reflection, apart from that I can work regardless of distractions, as I can find that hard sometimes, but all in all I was very pleased by what was said, and I do value loyalty very highly.
After the lecture, we also had a task to complete, involving the BBC 'Child of our time' website to carry out the 'Big Five Test'. I began the test, however after answering about two pages of questions I felt they were becoming irrelevant and very personal. Also some of the questions were completely irrelevant, but you could not skip them so just had to use the closet answer, such as whether I was employed, which I wasn't and picked student, yet it still asked what my income was and what was my occupation type was. However I carried on the test to produce five categories, and what I scored out of them. Below is my total score, and what was written about each category:
Openness:
You scored 2.7 out of 5
You scored low on Openness.Pople with scores like yours tend to have a less broad range of interests. They usually stick to what they know rather than being overly enthusiastic about trying new things.
This trait is sometimes known as ‘Openness to experience’.
You may find that generating lots of imaginitive ideas is not your biggest strength.
It has been suggested that Openness is related to a person's likelihood to hold unusual beliefs. People with low-to-medium Openness may therefore be less likely to believe in things like conspiracy theories.
Conscientiousness:
You scored 2.9 out of 5
You scored low on Conscientiousness.
Conscientiousness describes how dependable, organised and hard-working a person is likely to be. This may be the reason why, of all the personality traits, Conscientiousness is the most consistent indicator of job success. People with scores like yours can appear disorganised, but tend to be spontaneous and have a good sense of fun.
People with low Conscientiousness may be well-suited to investigative or artistic careers.
Some studies have shown the more Conscientious an individual is, the more disciplined they are likely to be about exercise and diet.
Extroversion:
You scored low on Conscientiousness.
Conscientiousness describes how dependable, organised and hard-working a person is likely to be. This may be the reason why, of all the personality traits, Conscientiousness is the most consistent indicator of job success. People with scores like yours can appear disorganised, but tend to be spontaneous and have a good sense of fun.
People with low Conscientiousness may be well-suited to investigative or artistic careers.
Some studies have shown the more Conscientious an individual is, the more disciplined they are likely to be about exercise and diet.
Extroversion:
You scored medium:
Extroversion is characterized by positive emotions and the tendency to seek out pleasure-stimulating or risk-taking activities. People with scores like yours are likely to be comfortable meeting new people and will usually enjoy social occasions.
You are likely to have a generally positive outlook on life and may display a greater gift for leadership compared to those with low scores on this trait.
People with high Extroversion are more likely to lead risky lifestyles and take greater risks in pursuit of rewards. Health studies have shown they are more likely to smoke and less likely to get enough sleep than people who score less highly on this trait.
Extroversion is characterized by positive emotions and the tendency to seek out pleasure-stimulating or risk-taking activities. People with scores like yours are likely to be comfortable meeting new people and will usually enjoy social occasions.
You are likely to have a generally positive outlook on life and may display a greater gift for leadership compared to those with low scores on this trait.
People with high Extroversion are more likely to lead risky lifestyles and take greater risks in pursuit of rewards. Health studies have shown they are more likely to smoke and less likely to get enough sleep than people who score less highly on this trait.
Agreeableness:
You scored 4 out of 5:
You scored high on Agreeableness.
Agreeableness measures how sympathetic and considerate a person is likely to be. People with scores like yours are likely to find it very easy to get along with other people. You probably find that you are sensitive to the feelings of others and that people find it easy to warm to you.
As a 'people person' you will probably be very comfortable in situations that require teamwork.
You scored high on Agreeableness.
Agreeableness measures how sympathetic and considerate a person is likely to be. People with scores like yours are likely to find it very easy to get along with other people. You probably find that you are sensitive to the feelings of others and that people find it easy to warm to you.
As a 'people person' you will probably be very comfortable in situations that require teamwork.
Neuroticism:
You scored 2.4 out of 5:
You scored medium on Neuroticism.
In the context of the Big Five personality traits, the term 'Neuroticism' relates to a person’s response to threatening or stressful situations. People with scores like yours are likely to be comparatively level-headed about perceived threats, but you may find yourself worrying when faced with uncertainty or unfamiliar situations.
Some scientists have suggested that Neuroticism was beneficial in evolutionary terms. Early man may have found it advantageous to live in a population where certain individuals had a high sensitivity to threats to the group's survival.
There is evidence to suggest that Neuroticism, when combined with high scores in personality traits such as Conscientiousness, can result in a powerful work ethic and a will to succeed.
After completing the test, I felt rather confused, but did agree with all the categories and scores it had placed me in, However I also felt it took much longer the the previous test, and asked a lot of unnecessary questions, which therefore means I prefer the Myer Briggs Personality Profiling.
You scored 2.4 out of 5:
You scored medium on Neuroticism.
In the context of the Big Five personality traits, the term 'Neuroticism' relates to a person’s response to threatening or stressful situations. People with scores like yours are likely to be comparatively level-headed about perceived threats, but you may find yourself worrying when faced with uncertainty or unfamiliar situations.
Some scientists have suggested that Neuroticism was beneficial in evolutionary terms. Early man may have found it advantageous to live in a population where certain individuals had a high sensitivity to threats to the group's survival.
There is evidence to suggest that Neuroticism, when combined with high scores in personality traits such as Conscientiousness, can result in a powerful work ethic and a will to succeed.
After completing the test, I felt rather confused, but did agree with all the categories and scores it had placed me in, However I also felt it took much longer the the previous test, and asked a lot of unnecessary questions, which therefore means I prefer the Myer Briggs Personality Profiling.
This is a very good evaluation of two different personality profiling tools and it is well written in an engaging style. Great photo too!
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