Cult of Personality

So I saw that Melissa had taken a personality test she saw on Angela's site, which was done by the BBC. I have always been fascinated by personality tests, and given some of my recent posts about my personality, I had actually been looking to take one again. My result, just like Melissa's, was that I am a Mastermind. The comments on that type (in case someone doesn't feel like clicking the link) suggest that Masterminds are:

• Visionaries who put energy into achieving their goals
• Prefer to work independently and dislike inefficiency
• Think of themselves as logical, thorough, and bright
• Values practicality and common sense above ideas and theories

All of those fit me pretty well, and then there was the continuing commentary:

"In situations where they can't use their talents or are unappreciated, Masterminds may cut themselves off from a group and criticize people who don't understand their plans. Under extreme stress, Masterminds may overindulge in sensory experiences like eating, shopping or watching television."

and

"Masterminds are drawn to jobs requiring logical analysis or abstract thinking common in science or technical fields."

Hmm, that last bit sounds a bit like a "professor" to me, since professors research and develop qualitative and quantitative analyses to describe some interesting (at least to them) aspect of life. So, in short, I would say the test was mostly accurate. I do quite well with group work, though, so I would not completely agree with some of the ways it described how I might work with others, but I definitely have a habit of eating (shocking, I know), shopping (though generally only for technology items), or watching TV (which I do my best to avoid by not having one near me). From Melissa's site, I take it that makes me an INTJ, according to the acronym used by Meyers-Briggs. I don't see that result anywhere on the actual BBC site, but I know those names provided by the site correspond to terms given to label each personality type, which can almost certainly be Googled, so I trust Melissa there. I remember being labelled an Idealist in graduate school and thinking two things: one, I wasn't not sure it completely fit (though I have always loved helping others reach their potential), and two, I didn't appreciate the professor pointing out that "no major business leader has that personality." So I went home and checked and found out that Dave Thomas, founder of Wendy's, was considered an Idealist by type. So I was vindicated, but I may have also demonstrated just how much I am a Mastermind, as I love to research just to prove a point.

-- Robert