Personality

So I did a personality test at work today.  Apparently I'm an INFJ:

Slightly intravert, as opposed to extravert.

Moderately intuitive, as opposed to sensing.

Slightly feeling, rather than thinking.

Very clearly judging, not perceiving.

I'm not surprised about the INJ, piece, but I am surprised about being a feeler rather than a thinker.  I'm disapponted!

I'm actually not sure how I feel about personality tests in general.  On the one hand, they do seem to point out general ways of being and behaving.  I found answering the questions interesting and fun.  I also learned something about myself in the process I think.

But, can they tell us who we are.  Are they nuanced enough to deal with the complexity of the human experience?  One of my coworkers, for example, in going over the test, said that s/he "had to change personality in order to pursue his/her career", so, that being the case, what's the point of even doing such a test, if we're not meeting the "real" person anyways? 

And also, are personality tests not culturally biased?  I know that people from all over the world have taken personality tests, but have they been done in places where thinking is not predominantly western?  For example, would someone from a collectivist point of view not look at the questions in these tests and think them strange and unrealistic?  Could they identify with such individualistic, autonomous, even atomistic perspectives?  I have my doubts...

Anyways, we also talked about conflict resolution.  The following paradigm was presented:

There are more or less 4 kinds of people: peacemakers, reflectors/observers, champions, and organizers.

Peacemakers like harmony and consensus, and always work towards achieving them.  That's me.

Observers are quiet and don't say much; they stay out of trouble, but are thoughtful, and have an opinion, if asked.

Champions are those who find causes, particularly injustices, and fight for them.

Organizers are, well, organizers: they plan, they coordinate, and do it very well.

The trouble is, however, that we don't always know how to appropriately use our gifts, and so, when that happens, our strengths actually become our weaknesses:

A peacemaker who wants peace at all costs becomes an accommodator: a people pleaser,  whatever causes the least friction.  Again, that's me.
Observers become cave dwellers, when things go wrong: they withdraw, lose interest, "check out".
Champions become annihilators: my way or the highway.
Organizers become controllers: micromanagers, untrusting.

One my colleagues perceived her/himself to be an observer and organizer.  I find this hard to believe.  S/he's clearly a champion gone awry.