2008/02/05

I'd like to get to know you ... yes I would ...

If you're old enough to remember that song ... well, never mind. It was the first thing that came to mind for what I want to do. I have readership from all over the world, and I want to know who you are! No, not your names. Not your pet peeve or your parentage. Well - if you want to say those things, then I'd love to know that too. But I'm ever so deeply fascinated to know your "type." Who are all of you who read this blog? Writers are supposed to have a target audience after all ... so who are you?

Here's the plan. Answer the questions from Lenore Thomson's book, and then tell me the results on the comments section. (If this stuff fascinates you the way it does me, you cannot go wrong with this book. There isn't a more helpful one on the market if you want to think about healthy human development throughout the entire scope of adulthood.)

No comments ever get posted without approval here, so you can also say if you don't want your results and/or comments posted at all - if your answers are just for my benefit ... well, I'd be ever so grateful. Please please please? Tell me about you. I'd like to get to know you!

Here's how you do it.

Arrange your paper in four columns, with each column having an A and a B half to it. Like this:

(1)A ___ B___ (2)A___ B___ (3)A___ B___ (4)A___B___

(5) A ___ B___ (6) A___B___ (7) A___B___ (8) A___ B___

(9) A ___B___ (10) A___B___ (11) A___B___ (12) A___ B___ ...

...and so on,

(53) A___B___ (54) A___B___ (55) A___B___ (56) A___B___

until you have spots for 56 answers.

After you answer each question with either A or B, add the column going down, and you'll have some A's, then some B's, then some A's, then some B's ... to add together. There will be eight totals.

With me so far?

ADDENDUM: You can set this up any way you want to, of course. Whatever floats your boat. The part to get right is the part where you add up four sets of A/B answers in the right groups. They're like weeks. All the first days of the weeks have to be added together, then all the second days ... And if you want to be anonymous, make sure to comment as "anonymous" on the comment page.

Number the totals across the bottom of your columns from 1 to 8, and then send me the results. You'd send me something like:

1. 10 - A's
2. 4 - B's
3. 7 - A's
4. 7 - B's
5. 8 - A's
6. 6 - B's
7. 3 - A's
8. 11 - B's

Then tell me your age, and where you live, and your name if you want to. Tell me ANY thing about you that you want to tell me. Just "comment" at the bottom of this blog entry - and if you want me to email you your type test results, include your email in your comment to me. Otherwise, I won't know who you are - the silly machine just says your name is "no reply blogger" - but THAT's not your name, now is it? Who are you really? I'd like to get to know you, yes I would. If you're game to let me see you a bit, here are the questions. Answer them as if there were no consequences to your world - as if the answers would not have an impact on anything in any negative way - this is your chance to live for a moment in a consequence-free environment - you know, like Austin Powers before he got in the time machine. Choose your own ideal world where everything is just the way you wish it was, and answer from your devil-may-care, most free-of-constraint self. Dream big. Dream free.

Ready?

1. When you meet new people, do you
A. talk as much as you listen?
B. listen more than you talk?

2. Which statement characterizes your general approach to life?
A. Just do it.
B. Check out the alternatives.

3. Which do you like more about yourself:
A. your cool-headed, logical approach?
B. your warm, understanding approach?

4. Which are you better at:
A. shifting gears when necessary?
B. focusing on one task until it's done?

5. Do you prefer a social life that includes
A. many friends and acquaintances?
B. a few people that you feel close to?

6. When you're trying to understand something, do you
A. press for specifics?
B. get an overall picture and fill in the details later?

7. Which is more interesting to you:
A. knowing how people think?
B. knowing how people feel?

8. What kind of job do you like better:
A. one that allows you to react quickly and improvise?
B. one that allows you to determine goals and take steps to meet them?

9. If a heavy snowfall keeps you from going to school or work, do you
A. wonder what you're missing?
B. enjoy the unexpected time alone?

Which statement are you more likely to make? (You might say either one at different times, but which is more likely to be something you would say or think?)

10. A. I'm interested in people's experience -- what they do, who they know.
B. I'm interested in people's plans and dreams -- where they're going, what they envision.

11. A. I'm good at making a plan that will work.
B. I'm good at getting others to agree with a plan and cooperate in the effort.

12. A. I may try something impulsively, just to see what happens.
B. I want to know what's likely to happen before I try something.

13. A. I usually think on my feet, as I'm talking.
B. I would rather reflect on what I'm going to say before I say it.

14. A. I'm almost always aware of how things look.
B. I may not notice much about how things look - at least not right away.

15. A. I tend to be an analytical sort, maybe a little skeptical.
B. I'm interested in people and care about what happens to them.

16. A. I like to leave room for new options, even after plans are made.
B. Once plans are made, I want to be able to count on them.

17. A. People who know me are generally aware of what is important to me.
B. I don't talk about what's really important to me unless I feel close to the person I'm talking to.

18. A. If I enjoy a particular activity, I'll engage in it frequently enough to do it well.
B. Once an activity is familiar to me, I want to change it in some way or try something new.

19. A. When I'm making decisions, I weigh the pros and cons of my choices.
B. When I'm making decisions, I want to find out what other people have done in similar situations.

20. A. I tend to learn by experience; I often have my own way of doing things.
B. Generally, I learn by following instructions and adapting them if necessary.

21. A. I get restless when I'm alone too long.
B. I get restless when I don't have enough time to myself.

22. A. I'm not very interested in ideas unless they have some practical application.
B. I like ideas for their own sake and enjoy playing with them in my imagination.

23. A. When I negotiate, I can count on my knowledge and tactical skills.
B. When I negotiate, I find common ground with the other person.

24. A. I need a break now and then when I'm working on something.
B. I do not like being interrupted when I'm working on something.

25. A. When I'm having a good time with other people, I get energized and I can keep going for a longer time.
B. When I'm having a good time with other people, my energy runs out and I want some space of my own.

26. A. My physical surroundings are important to me and they affect how I feel.
B. Atmosphere isn't all that important to me if I am enjoying what I'm doing.

27. A. People can count on me to be fair and to treat them with respect.
B. People can count on me when they need me.

When you're on your favorite kind of vacation, are you more likely to

28. A. take things as they come, doing whatever you feel like at the moment?
B. work out at least a tentative schedule of things you want to do?

29. A. spend time doing things with other people?
B. take time to read or walk or daydream alone?

30. A. return to a vacation spot you already love?
B. go someplace you've never been before?

31. A. take a work or school related project with you?
B. renew relationships that are important to you?

32. A. forget about your everyday routines and concentrate on having fun?
B. think about things you need to prepare for or be ready for when your vacation is over?

33. A. see famous landmarks?
B. spend time in museums and quieter places?

34. A. have a good meal at a restaurant you know you enjoy?
B. explore new cuisines?

Which word best describes the way you see yourself? Not the way you think you should be or want to be someday ... the way you think you really are if you don't have to be something else at any particular time.

35. A. levelheaded
B. idealistic

36. A. spontaneous
B. systematic

37. A. open
B. reflective

38. A. factual
B. conceptual

39. A. knowledgeable
B. understanding

40. A. adaptable
B. organized

41. A. expansive
B. intense

42. A. down-to-earth
B. imaginative

43. A. questioning
B. questing

44. A. enthusiastic
B. deliberate

45. A. well-rounded
B. deep

46. A. seasoned
B. spirited

47. A. just
B. merciful

48. A. open-ended
B. goal oriented

49. A. straightforward
B. reserved

50. A. realistic
B. visionary

51. A. impartial
B. sensitive

Would you rather

52. A. put off unpleasant chores until you're in the right mood?
B. get unpleasant chores out of the way so they're off your mind?

53. A. be admired for your work, even though you're not really satisfied with it yourself?
B. create something of lasting worth, but remain unknown?

54. A. have extensive experience in an area that pleases you?
B. have many options to choose from?

Which slogan better captures your point of view?

55. A. People are apt to mistake the strength of their feeling for the strength of their argument.
B. Logic is the art of going wrong with confidence.

56. A. He who hesitates is lost.
B. Look before you leap.

Okay. That's it. Now total up your eight columns, and tell me who you are. I love you already, of course. You read my blog! You couldn't be more lovable! So don't worry about telling me the truth. C'mon. I want to get to know you.

20 comments:

Ami said...

Oh, no! More homework, Mrs L.?!!

Stephanie said...

If I say yes, it's homework, will you do it? Please please please?

Genuine Lustre said...

While I was setting up my paper as per the instructions, I wanted to strangle you. : P

Signed with love,
an anonymous 42yo female

1-5
2-9
3-8
4-6
5-9
6-4
7-10
8-4

Anonymous said...

Yep Steph, setting up the paper took a bit of time, but it was fun.

1= 4
2= 10
3= 9
4= 5
5= 5
6= 9
7= 4
8= 10

Love Ya,
your 56-year old friend from Portland, Oregon

Anonymous said...

1-9A, 2-6B, 3-11A, 4-3B, 5-7A,
6-7B, 7-8A, 8-6B
So what's it all about Alfie, is it just for the moment we live?
M-F noddablogga

Dianne said...

Ok, here goes:

1 - 0
2 - 14
3 - 10
4 - 4
5 - 6
6 - 8
7 - 8
8 - 6

~anonydi

Anonymous said...

1- 10 A's
2- 4 B's
3- 12 A's
4- 2 B's
5- 9 A's
6- 5 B's
7- 7 A's
8- 7 B's

Let's see... Cécile

Anonymous said...

It's me! (Yeah, finally, huh?)

1 - 4
2 - 10
3 - 6
4 - 8
5 - 4
6 - 10
7 - 11
8 - 3

However, on several of them I could have gone either way, on a "perfect" day or otherwise!

Anonymous said...

1)6 a's
2)8 b's
3)2 a's
4)12 b's
5)6 a's
6)8 b's
7)12 a's
8)2 b's

I had to re-do the chart 3 times because I don't like following directions. Nell

Lorrie said...

I've been catching up on the Expressivina site and thought I'd give this a try.

1. 4
2. 10
3. 4
4. 10
5. 7
6. 7
7. 5
8. 9

Verrry interesting. Of course some questions could go either way depending on the mood I'm in.

Stephanie said...

Lorrie, what a pretty blog you have! I bet, if you went back again, and did the questions in your "best" mood, you'd break the tie between T and F. Some folks are T types who think they're supposed to be "nicer" somehow ... and some are "F" types who are trying to be less "emotional" about "everything" because it seems like weakness.

It can be fun to take it imagining yourself in a conflict at work -- and then imagining yourself on vacation with your favorite and safest person in the world. ...and then to ask yourself which one feels most basic to you and which feels like a second language.

Anonymous said...

1. 12 - A's
2. 2 - B's
3. 11 - A's
4. 3 - B's
5. 11 - A's
6. 3 - B's
7. 12 - A's
8. 2 - B's

49, female, Seattle

Stephanie said...

Anon in Seattle? You're an ESTP ... and I'm really glad you're here! On my site, I mean! I'm really curious about you - I wonder what you do for a living - and I wonder why you'd have time or inclination to read my oft-pensive little blog. Thank you for doing that. And thanks for participating in the Type Inventory. It means a lot to me.

Anonymous said...

1. 8
2. 8
3. 13
4. 1
5. 9
6. 5
7. 1
8. 13

Do we get to know our type?

Stephanie said...

Absolutely, Anon!

You evenly split your Extrovert/Introvert number ... ask yourself most of all whether you need a break from too many people for too long or from isolation for too long. That usually clarifies that one. And remember - it's like being right or left handed. One's not better than the other in any way - not nicer, or friendlier, or any of that stuff. It just is what it is.

So ... you're

E or I / Sensate / Thinking / Judger

A person who likes things to proceed as they're supposed to do because that's the way they work, and well-grounded in the physical reality around you. People probably trust you and know you'll get it done if it's your job to do.

Sound about right?

Elizabeth Kay said...

Are you still doing this? I'm a 41-y.o. woman, lost my mother to cancer last year and I'm feeling all mixed up inside. Curious about this test. trying to climb out of what feels like a big mess. --EKP
1. 6A
2. 8B
3. 10A
4. 4B
5. 5A
6. 9B
7. 8A
8. 6B

Stephanie said...

Yes - certainly! Yes, Elizabeth Kay, this is an ongoing and permanent part of my little blog. Your results are : ISFP.

This means Introverted (primarily renewed from your inner self rather than from input coming from elsewhere), Sensate (rooted in the sensory world, accessing the things you can touch and taste and smell, etc., much more than Ideas and Concepts), Feeling (it's about personal things for you), Perceiver (which means that you object on general principle to the idea that there is a time limit or a finality to things - pretty much ever)

I am so sorry for your loss. But it is good that you feel it. Perceive it. Do not deny it. That is the only way we heal from these things -- denying or medicating it somehow only delays (and, as far as I can tell, intensifies) our reactions.

I highly recommend Judith Viorst's book, Necessary Losses. I think it could help you. For personality type explanations, I think I'd give you the book, What Type Am I?, by Renee Baron.

Anonymous said...

Great questions, but a lot of them I wanted to answer A and B to.
1 - 3
2 - 11
3 - 7
4 - 7
5 - 9
6 - 5
7 - 9
8 - 5
Male 39, UK.

Maybe you dropped this after 2008?

Stephanie said...

Thanks to the people who've done this assessment recently! Honestly, I hardly ever look at this blog any more ... but I do still recommend the MMTI and all the study that goes with it.

Lenore Thomson's _Personality Type: An Owner's Manual_ is my personal favorite, the questions here are hers (with only a little bit of my tweaking)

Stephanie said...

(This one is from "Christine" -- with the email address taken out - sorry I didn't see that before I blipped it up here a second ago, but now I'm reposting)

1. 2 - A's 2. 12 - B's 3. 3- A's 4. 11 - B's 5. 6- A's 6.8 - B's 7. 11- A's 8. 3 - B's Age: 65 Comment: Thank you for offering this! The other posts are several years old, are you still offering this? I wonder how results would compare on a different day or year?