I want to understand you

One of my favorite pastimes is to read personality type books and take personality tests. The most accurate and intensive personality analysis I've seen is the Myers-Briggs (you can take the test here). Every person I have shared this test with has said that the answer fitted them almost perfectly, which I found amazing; and unlike many personality tests (like Which Jeeves and Wooster Character Are You or Which Herb Are You), the Myers-Briggs is incredibly useful. Not only can it comfort you about those things that you thought were weird, and that you now see are just personality traits, but if you have your family and friends take the test, it will open your eyes in new ways. In the Myers-Briggs typology I am cross between an INFJ and an INTJ (the former is dominant), which is very different from my dad's type. In fact, our types are considered nearly incompatible, which explains all the conflicts we have had. :-) It's pleasant to know that someone is not difficult, just different. It makes it easier to work with them, and inspires you to try harder at your relationship.

There are different facets of personality study. You can study personality relationships and the types of your friends and family; you can deduce the personality types of famous people and literary characters; and you can study your own type to find weaknesses and strengths that you can use or work on. For some reason, all three of these appeal strongly to me. I was wondering why everyone is not more interested in personalities, when it struck me that interest in personality might be a personality trait itself. Strange is it not? From what I've deduced, though, my personality type is most likely to want to study personality, because I feel a need to understand people. It tickled my funny bone when I realized that, therefore, the people who are likely to know about personality are the ones who already want to understand people, and vice versa, the people who need to understand the people around them are least likely to pick up a personality book.

Ever since I started studying personality types, family life became much more interesting. Aragorn is the same type as Clankeeper, and it is amusing to see how they mirror each other. I am almost the same type as Purringpiggy, so we often end up on one side of a discussion, with Aragorn and Clankeeper on the other. No longer is this annoying, but interesting instead. Personality study isn't a must for people, but it has enhanced my self-understanding, and my relationships with others, and for those reasons alone (I won't even mention how much fun it is to decide which personality type Beowulf is) I would highly recommend at least taking the test.