The awkward hour...

So here I am, just out of church, with an awkward hour before KOSC (the science building) opens. I'm thinking I'll clean my room, write a blog, and eat lunch. SIMULTANEOUSLY. Just kidding. I'll write the blog first, though. Blogging two days in a row. It's like a miracle!

So last night a few of us decided to watch Tarzan. Before we started the movie a bunch of us were talking about personality types, and the quizzes we've taken to find our personality types and strengths. Because the scholarship I have aims to produce leaders, each of us is expected to take a strengths test to see what our results are. My top five were:

1. Empathy
2. Positivity
3. Relater
4. Developer
5. Responsibility

In other words, I like helping and understanding people while having hope for the world and standing true to my word. I was extremely pleased my freshman year when I received empathy as my number one strength, as my value system is centered on loving others. I see empathy as a way of understanding how people are feeling, which allows me to better love them and care for them.

So last night I decided I wanted to know what my personality type was. I know I've taken the test before, but I couldn't remember my result. Cole sent me to this link: http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/JTypes2.asp with this link showing descriptions of the results: http://www.personalitypage.com/html/portraits.html

I took the quiz and immediately knew that this was the result I had gotten the last time as well. How did I remember? It's name is "The Nurturer". Someone like me would never have forgotten that title, since it is exactly the type of person I want to be. In more technical terms, I am an ISFJ - an introverted, sensing, feeling, judging personality type. I found the description highly accurate, so I'm going to share some of the results with you so that maybe you can understand who I am a bit better.

First, let me explain the four letters.

1. I - Introvert: Introverts tend to get more energy from being alone than from being with people. Some examples of "introverting": reading, thinking about what we want to say or do, aware of how we feel, thinking about a problem so we understand it. The opposite, extroverting, gets more energy from the world outside oneself.
2. S - Sensing: This deals with how one gathers information. Sensing relates to using our five senses, and gathering information in a concrete fashion rather than in an "intuitive" fashion (the opposite of sensing).
3. F - Feeler: Feelers tend to make decisions based on their value systems and feelings rather than on reason. They also tend to avoid conflict.
4. J - Judging: Judging is usually seen when one plans things out and seeks closure so as to move on. Judgers tend to like things to be neat and organized.

This is the overview of my personality type as given by the second link I mentioned above:

"Quiet, kind, and conscientious. Can be depended on to follow through. Usually puts the needs of others above their own needs. Stable and practical, they value security and traditions. Well-developed sense of space and function. Rich inner world of observations about people. Extremely perceptive of other's feelings. Interested in serving others."

What I find interesting is how good these tests can be. This description seems to really match up with my strengths test that was taken on a completely different website. I know that these tests are not 100% accurate, but I do think they can be a helpful tool in understanding yourself and seeing areas that need to be worked on. For instance, something else the results tell me is that, typically, ISFJ's need positive feedback from others and that we become discouraged when faced with criticism. This is extremely true in my case. I need people to tell me they appreciate me, care about me, and genuinely like me in order to believe it. This is not a healthy way to live.

• First, because not everyone verbally or even non-verbally lets you know you're appreciated. With some people you just have to know and accept that they care. If I am always wanting people to appreciate me and let me know, then I am going to be sorely disappointed much of the time. Also, criticism can be good! It can help you grow and become a better person.
• Second, because I should not be striving for people's approval but for God's. So often I find myself desiring for people to like me and to approve of me that I forget my true goal as a Christian: to bring glory to God. If this is my goal, and I know God loves me and desires me, then it should not matter so much what other people think.

Other than that, I was just amazed at the test's accuracy. Here are a few tidbits about myself that might be helpful in dealing with me:

• "ISFJs live in a world that is concrete and kind. They are truly warm and kind-hearted, and want to believe the best of people. They value harmony and cooperation, and are likely to be very sensitive to other people's feelings."
• This one may be a shocker to those of you who know about my HORRIBLE memory, but it is actually true. I remember things that really matter to me: "ISFJs have a rich inner world that is not usually obvious to observers. They constantly take in information about people and situations that is personally important to them, and store it away. This tremendous store of information is usually startlingly accurate, because the ISFJ has an exceptional memory about things that are important to their value systems. It would not be uncommon for the ISFJ to remember a particular facial expression or conversation in precise detail years after the event occured, if the situation made an impression on the ISFJ."
• "More so than other types, ISFJs are extremely aware of their own internal feelings, as well as other people's feelings. They do not usually express their own feelings, keeping things inside...Just as the ISFJ is not likely to express their feelings, they are also not likely to let on that they know how others are feeling. However, they will speak up when they feel another individual really needs help, and in such cases they can truly help others become aware of their feelings."

Well anyways, enough about me. If you're up for it, you should try taking the test. Then let me know what your letters are and whether or not you found it to be accurate. It's always interesting to find out.