I’ve failed every personality test I’ve ever taken. This is due to the fact that I am entirely unable to assess my own personality. As idealistic as I can be, I find myself exaggerating good qualities that I may or may not have. On the other hand, I often fall into self deprecating behavior and convince myself I have all of the negative qualities. This leads to my personality tests reflecting who I’d like to be or who I think I am, rather than who I am.

I’ve taken Meyers Briggs personality test and gotten both ENFJ and INFP, however, if I had to choose one, I’d consider myself an INFJ. I don’t really like the Meyers Briggs test because my answers change depending on my mood, giving a fairly inaccurate depiction of my personality. While 16 may seem like a lot of different personalities, I think the test is much too limiting to truly define a personality.

The other day I took the enneagram test.It was actually a very intriguing test. I had received a 6w7. I think this personality test is a lot more accurate than any other I’ve taken. Unlike other tests, it does not box you into a single personality. In fact, your “wing” personality is another type that you may be closely related to it. It also gives insight into situations where a certain type might be influenced to behave differently. For example, a type 6 often is very loyal, but it is hard to gain their trust, as they are a very anxious person. However, when stressed, a type 6 might act more like a type 3, by craving success above all else. My “wing” personality is 7, which means I am future-oriented and have trouble focusing on a single passion/skill. I think that all of these ideas and nuances really make an interesting personality diagnosis, of sorts. It’s really hard for me to explain the scope of the test, because I don’t entirely understand it myself, but it is very interesting.

Despite all of this, I still have a very uncomfortable relationship with personality tests. In their nature, they make assumptions and typecast people. I don’t like their rigidness and incapacity to change. Especially in high school, people’s personalities are constantly fluctuating and changing. Personality tests I took 3 years ago are no longer an accurate picture of me, and I can assume tests I take today will not portray myself 3 years in the future. We are constantly bombarded with new information and experiences that can change us and how we view the world throughout our lives. Despite this, I still live reading about personality types and learning a little more about myself every time I find a new one.

If you do know your enneagram type, I’d recommend an artist called “Sleeping at Last”. His enneagram album has a different song for each personality type. The songs are really gorgeous and reflect each personality type in the lyrics and instrumentation. I would HIGHLY recommend listening to it, as all of his music is really pretty.