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About This Quiz
People process the world in strikingly different ways. Some of us draw energy from an internal source, perceive the environment around us through intuition and make choices based on how we feel. Others find their energy and motivation from the external world, understand the surrounding environment through the senses and make decisions based on rational judgment. Failing to recognize these drastic poles of personality can lead us to misunderstand each other and even misunderstand ourselves.
Carl Jung created a theory about what causes the wide range of personalities among people. He hypothesized that people experience the world through the lens of being introverted or extroverted, intuitive or sensing and feeling or thinking. Later, Isabel Briggs Myers added a fourth dimension — judging vs. perceiving — to describe the sources people use to make choices. Her formulation of Jung’s work has been shaped into the Myers-Briggs personality theory.
We’ve drawn from Jung and Myers-Briggs’ way of thinking about how people experience the world differently to help you understand what distinguishes your own way of interacting with the world. Have you ever reacted extremely strongly to a situation and not understood what was at the root of your response? Have you ever had an intense disagreement with a friend or a partner and not been able to find out what caused it in the first place? Understanding your own personality type is the first step to better understanding yourself and others. You can take that step by answering these simple questions!
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What type of gathering do you prefer for a celebration?
Me and my favorite series
Twenty of my closest friends at a hip restaurant
A dinner party at someone’s home
One or two close friends at a quiet pub
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On your day off, how do you prefer to spend free time?
I like to fix things around the house.
I like to meet up with friends and go somewhere buzzing with activity.
I like to catch up on reading or journaling.
I like to work on a project.
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What do you feel like you need to get done before you can go play?
I need to finish my work for the day.
Nothing — let’s go!
I’m perfectly happy to leave work unfinished in order to do something refreshing.
I need to finish tidying up my work space.
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How do you feel when you’re on stage in front of a crowd of people?
I feel like I should say something important, and I hope that it comes out right.
I’m in my element, and I feel full of energy.
I feel hot all over and want to hide in a hole.
I’d prefer not to be on stage, but I don’t mind sharing my knowledge.
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When someone opens up to you about their relationship with their father, what goes through your mind?
"I wonder how I can help with this."
"This would make a good movie scene."
"I need to really listen — this is important."
"How can I get out of this conversation?"
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How do see your role in your friend group?
I’m the cook.
I’m the ringleader.
I’m the listener.
I’m the problem-solver.
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What do you value most in a friend?
Someone who communicates well
Someone who is interested in my creative work
Someone who understands me on a deep level
Someone who is intellectually stimulating
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What is your ideal working environment, in terms of productivity?
An open floorplan where everyone can collaborate
A big table where everyone can discuss business
A quiet room with the door closed
A workshop
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If you have a deep disagreement with a good friend, how do you handle it?
I try to do something practical to show them I still care about our friendship.
I often have long, dramatic conversations trying to work it out.
I brood about it for a long time and then write a letter.
I try to say what I can to make the conflict go away.
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How do you recharge when you feel all dried up inside?
I work on something to give to a friend or family member.
I call a friend and go out on the town.
I go for a walk in the woods by myself.
I retreat to my workshop and plug away on a project.
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How do you when know you’re in love?
When we agree deeply about the essentials
I just know it as a gut feeling.
When we connect at a soul level
When we challenge each other’s minds
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How do you prefer to feel when you come to the end of a book?
I like to feel that everything has come to a satisfying conclusion.
I like to be deeply engaged in the emotions of the characters.
I like to feel my mind expanding with the questions asked by the story.
I like to consider the answer to a kind of riddle.
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How do you replenish your creative spirit?
Cooking for people
Singing karaoke
Writing poetry
Working on something mechanical
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What would you rather do on a Saturday night?
Have dinner with my family
Sing in a concert
Go to a movie by myself
Work on a puzzle
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How do you prefer to interact with dogs?
I like to take them for a walk.
I like to play catch with them.
I like to hold them in my lap.
I like to keep them at a distance.
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How do you find that you learn best in a school environment?
I learn by teaching others.
I learn by acting out what I’ve learned.
I learn by writing out what I take in.
I learn by seeing something laid out visually.
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When you are reading a book, what do you do mentally?
I imagine myself inhabiting the different characters’ worlds.
I hear the dialogue as if it were being performed.
I imagine the implications of the story’s meaning.
I think through the logical conclusions of each character’s situation.
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How would people in your workplace describe you?
Thoughtful and practical
Gregarious and funny
Quiet and caring
Analytical and critical
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What type of presentation would you have chosen in middle school?
A group presentation with visuals
A solo act of a dramatic play
A diorama silently on display
A science fair project poster board, with me explaining how it worked
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If you are watching a movie you really like with a friend, what are thinking about?
I’m enjoying the time connecting.
I’m thinking about what it would be like to be the main character.
I’m anxious about whether they like the movie as much as I do.
I’m deconstructing the plot of the movie.
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If you disagree with the way a friend is cooking something, what would you do?
I would try to guide them in very subtle ways.
I would ask them why they do it that way and tell them how I usually do it.
I would watch them to try to figure out why they do it differently.
I would tell them they were doing it wrong and offer to help them fix it.
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If you are out for an evening walk in the park, what occupies your mind?
I’m often thinking about all the things I need to do at work and home.
I’m enjoying the fresh air and listening to the bird’s songs.
I’m thinking through an inner struggle that has been haunting me lately.
I’m working through a mechanical or philosophical problem.
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How do you decide what to watch on TV with your partner?
I choose a program that I think they will like even if they think they won’t like it.
I try to persuade them to watch what I want to watch.
I try to guess what they would most want to watch.
I put on what I feel like watching.
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If you meet a new person at a party, what are you likely to forget about them?
What color of hair they have
What they do for a living
What kind of car they drive
What their name is
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When you are thinking about the future, what aspects do you focus on?
I anticipate the nuts and bolts of what I will do for work and how I will pay for daily expenses.
I imagine what it will feel like to be in a different place and different mindset.
I think about all the possibilities and construct an ideal world.
I try to anticipate everything I will need for it to run smoothly and imagine possible things that can go wrong.
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When you are in a meeting, what role do you assume?
I bring up practical details and ask pertinent questions.
I’m usually leading and directing the conversation.
I mostly listen, but I’ll speak up if I have something important to say.
I like to play devil’s advocate.
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If you have a difficult decision to make, how do you figure out what to do?
I think about who will be affected and how and try to do what’s best for the most people.
I weigh the pros and cons, but I often decide on the spur of the moment based on how I feel.
I work for a long time on understanding how I really feel, and I make a decision based on that.
I systematically analyze the problem and rationally decide what’s best.
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When you encounter a big question in life, what kind of answer do you hope to find?
One that clearly distinguishes what is right and wrong
One that tells the story behind the question
One that allows for the ambiguity that’s always present in real interactions
One that is logical but also recognizes the complexity of big questions
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If you thought that you had an original idea and then found out that someone else had already thought of it, how would you feel?
I would still want to see it through to action.
I would feel validated that I was on the right track.
I would feel let down and probably abandon the idea.
I would look more closely to find the holes in the other person’s idea.
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What gives you the most energy when you are exercising?
Thinking about the strength I’m gaining
Imagining that I’m going to be faster or stronger than my peers
Working out alone and enjoying the physical experience
Competing in a race
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