Who Do You Want to Be? (the test)

I've been taking numerous quizzes from yourpersonality.net and personalityassessor.com over the past week, because a) they're fun, b) they're pretty informative, and c) they're actually scientific in that they were composed by researchers for a study.

So I just took a really interesting quiz from Personality Assessor called Who Do You Want to Be?

My results are as follows:

Extroversion

Your Actual Level of Extraversion - 98th percentile - extremely high

According to your responses, you are extremely high in extraversion and you don't really want to change with respect to extraversion. Just as a comparison, in general, people usually want to increase in extraversion a little bit. This tends to be especially true for people low in extraversion.

Extraverted people tend to be:

• Talkative
• Lively
• Fun-loving
• Fond of taking risks

On the other hand, introverted people tend to be:

• Quieter
• More relaxed and low-key
• More comfortable in the company of a few close friends

Agreeableness

Your Actual Level of Agreeableness - 50th percentile - about average

According to your responses, you are about average in agreeableness and you don't really want to change with respect to agreeableness. You may be interested to know that, in general, people usually want to increase in agreeableness a little bit. This tends to be especially true for people low in agreeableness.

Highly agreeable people tend to be:

• Socially-oriented
• Warm
• Empathetic
• Compliant with others' requests

On the other hand, people low in agreeableness tend to be:

• Independent
• Blunt
• Less likely to be taken advantage of

Conscientiousness

Your Actual Level of Conscientiousness - 25th percentile - very low

You are very low in conscientiousness, and you want to be more conscientious. Most people low in conscientiousness feel similarly. In fact, often even people with very high levels of conscientiousness also report wanting to increase in the trait.

Highly conscientious people tend to be:

• Organized
• Responsible
• Respectful toward authority
• Conservative

On the other hand, people low in conscientiousness tend to be:

• Careless
• Unstructured
• Spontaneous

Neuroticism

Your Actual Level of Neuroticism - 21st percentile - very low

Neuroticism is the opposite of emotional stability.

According to your responses, you want to be a little less neurotic. You may be surprised to learn that you actually already score very low in neuroticism. However, most people do, in fact, want to decrease in neuroticism as much as possible.

Highly neurotic people tend to feel:

• A wide array of emotions
• Stressed
• Anxious
• Low self-worth

On the other hand, people low in neuroticism tend to be:

• More stoic
• Less emotionally variable

Openness

Your Actual Level of Openness - 95th percentile - extremely high

According to your responses, you are extremely high in openness and you don't really want to change with respect to openness. In general, most people want to increase in openness a little bit.

Highly open people tend to be:

• Lovers of art and culture
• Creative
• Hungry for new experiences
• Politically liberal

On the other hand, people low in openness tend to:

• Prefer routine
• Like structure and predictability
• Be politically conservative

Can Personality Traits Change?

YES. Researchers have found that personality traits can and do change. For example, most people become a little more agreeable and conscientious as they get older, and they also become a little less extraverted. Furthermore, research has shown that our experiences and the social roles that we adopt can change us. For example, Hudson, Roberts, & Lodi-Smith (in press) found that people who really commit to their jobs tend to get a little more conscientious over time.

It remains an open question, however, whether people can intentionally change their own personality traits. For example, can someone decide to become more extraverted and then, as a result, actually become more extraverted? The answer is not yet clear. As an analog, some people experience lasting increases in extraversion and emotional stability after participating in therapy, so it is not unreasonable to believe that people may be able to change their personalities using other methods, as well.