Personality Test

***When taking personality tests, it is important to not trap ourselves in a box and label ourselves as one way. We should always keep in mind that everyone is unique. However, I think that personality tests help us to understand ourselves and others and help us to work on our weaknesses. It's such a cop out to say, "Oh that's just part of my personality." Or "That's just the way I am." We can and should work on curbing our downfalls. As parents we can help our children to find out what their strengths are and nurture them from when they are young.


Two books that I have read are "Personality Plus" and "Personality Plus for Couples" by Florence Littauer.

Today I ordered "Personality Plus for Parents" on eBay for a few bucks. Erik is still very young, but he won't always be! And while he does have a
personality already, it is a little difficult to tell just yet what exactly it is. This book will help me get a head start on understanding him and what makes him "tick".

I can't find the exact personality test online that I take (I got it almost 10 years ago when I was in youth group), but this one is almost identical. The wording of the questions are slightly different but mean the same things.
http://www.neoxenos.org/temperaments/temperament_test.htm

My personality

The Sanguine / Phlegmatic

The sanguine-phlegmatic is an extroverted, optimistic, warm individual who readily connects with others and is well-liked by all. His sanguine side makes him creative, enthusiastic, friendly, and inspiring. His phlegmatic side makes him somewhat cautious at times, and also highly sensitive to other people’s moods, emotions, likes and dislikes. He keenly desires harmony in relationships. He tends to overextend himself in order to meet others’ needs and to personalize any negative criticism (If the boss says, “We are not meeting our quotas,” the sanguine-phlegmatic thinks, “Is he angry at me?” If her best friend says, “I really can’t wear red lipstick,” the sanguine-phlegmatic will think, “She’s trying to tell me that my lipstick looks terrible!”). After all, the sanguine-phlegmatic has a double-dose of feeling; twice-blessed by the tendency to prioritize relationships and harmony. If you are a sanguine-phlegmatic, most everyone likes you! You are easy-going, creative, fun-loving, enthusiastic, imaginative, caring, generous, flexible, and spontaneous. You are probably considered “emotional” because of your easily aroused feelings, your attentiveness to relationships, and your tender heart. Your weaknesses are superficiality, indecisiveness, disorganization, and procrastination. Often you find it difficult to know exactly how to state what you mean, or how to express yourself logically; this contributes to a tendency to talk more than is needed or to provide more detail than is necessary. In a relationship, you will likely gravitate toward a logical, organized, strong-willed and decisive partner—someone who makes decisions quickly and provides strong moral certitude and structure to your life. You can be easily influenced (which is exacerbated by your tendency to ask others for advice — without thinking it through) and to do what seems “kind” before considering whether it is objectively right. Many sanguine-phlegmatics are drawn to teaching (and parenting), the helping professions, and volunteer works for the Church or for the welfare of society. You place a high priority on your personal search for meaning and self-identity. The strong need to discover your “true self” will be met by a rich prayer life and a personal relationship with Christ. Your weaknesses probably tend to bother you more than anyone else. For example, you may find yourself blurting out something without thinking, or spending too much time seeking advice only to find yourself more confused than you started, or oversleeping every day this week — despite all the best of intentions. You may find yourself becoming over committed because you simply can’t say “no” and have a strong need to be liked/please people. A typical sanguine-phlegmatic trick is to spend too much money shopping or (better yet) dining out with friends, and then to put off balancing the checkbook (too much work, too many other distractions) until it is hopelessly behind. Now you are overwhelmed with everything that has piled up! You may complain half-heartedly, blame circumstances, or go shopping. . . but you may not really make a concerted effort to change. If your temperament is sanguine-phlegmatic, for a better understanding of your temperament it is recommended that you read the full descriptions of the sanguine and phlegmatic.