What's Your Personality?

This semester I am taking this class about identity in literature.  It's an English course but up until this point the class hasn't been entirely what I thought it would be.  We have been talking a lot about psychology, and I'm sorry if you are a psychologist, but its just not my thing.  That all changed today.

Our assignment was to take this personality quiz which is based on Carl Jung and Isabel Briggs Myers' approach to determining personality.  Basically you are given a four letter code.

I or E - Introvert or Extrovert
S or N - Sensing or Intuition
T or F - Thinking or Feeling
J or P - Judging or Perception

These four letter give you an idea about your personality and it was erie how accurate the description of my personality was. I got INFJ, which means that I am introverted but it also said a lot about who I am as a person.  The test explained so many things about myself that I new were happening in my mind but I could never fully understand why I was thinking this way.

I've always thought I was a strange kind of introvert.  When comparing myself to my sister, who is an obvious introvert, I wasn't quite the same. She can spend hours in her room "recharging" like many introverts while I sometimes want to be out with people engaging.  If I were to describe myself I would say I'm an extrovert stuck in an introverts body.  I enjoy human interaction but it also tires me out and makes me nervous.

An INFJ is described as being introverted but often mistaken as extroverted because we genuinely are interested in other people making us fairly outgoing individuals.  However, INFJ's are only emotionally intimate with a few people and prefer to interact in smaller groups. During our interactions we can be quite charismatic and are often good at communication skills.  Sometimes INFJ's will withdraw into ourselves when we have had too much interaction with others.  This can make us seem off putting even though we just need to recharge.  We have insights into other people and are great listeners.  We are empathetic sometimes to a fault and we are deep thinkers.

This short description is just a little bit from the site but when I read it I cannot help but see myself.  I genuinely care about others and I prefer to listen rather than talk.  I enjoy the company of my close group of friends because having too many acquaintances is daunting.  What if I don't give each person enough attention?  It does take me a while to be completely comfortable with people.  I hate small talk (which is probably why I get so nervous introducing myself to others).  If I could I would skip all the small talk and head strait for the deep stuff. The stuff that makes your mind move and your heart ache.

I also have about a million things going on in my mind at any given moment but I don't say it.  It leads me to worry way to much about things I cannot control.  I also can think about a single interaction for days, weeks, sometimes it will even haunt me a year later while lying in bed at night.  I worry about how the world sees me and how I come off to those around me.  Sometimes my mind is so full of things that it hurts.  This is most often the reason that I write.

I'm also my own worst critique.  This test brought up some of the parts of my personality that I hate.  Everyone has bits of themselves that they dislike.  Sometimes it is outward and other times it is inward. I dislike the fact that I can't just go up to people and start talking to them.  For some reason it is as if there is a barrier preventing me from saying anything.  If someone doesn't initiate a conversation with me I often won't approach them no matter how much I want to talk. It makes social engagements where I know few people kind of awkward.  My greatest fear is that I will miss opportunities to get to know people.

I have some relief after taking this test.  I know that it doesn't explain everything and I'm sure there are pieces of this test that don't fit with everyone.  However, getting to know yourself is extremely important to understanding the way you interact with the world.  It is the only way you can work on pieces of yourself that bother you.

If you want to take the time to get to know yourself a little bit better then I urge you to take this test.  If anything it is fun to see what you get.

ox Caitlin