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A Two Question Personality Test That Works

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Contributed by: Lynn Marie Sager on 4/28/2008

Recently, I looked up personality tests on Google, and I was presented with over 1,550,000 links. "Popular topic," I thought to myself, then rolled up my sleeves to try a few. After multiple attempts, I became frustrated. Half of the sites seemed to lead me on by allowing me to answer their questions before requesting a payment or registration in order to send me my results. The other half barraged me with so many advertisements that I began to wonder if the ads were part of the test. In the end, I threw in the towel and decided to write my own. After all, I'd taught the technique to my college classes for over eight years.

The process of gauging a personality type is relatively simple. You simply need to ask two questions.

Question one: Is the person primarily introverted or primarily extroverted? In other words, before the person learned how to behave and get along with others, did he or she like to play alone, or did he or she want to be part of a group? Did he or she go off to discover their own worlds, or did he or she naturally discover others as playmates?

Question two: Is the person primarily impulsive or primarily tentative? In other words, before this person learned the pain of feeling foolish, did he or she instantly jump into anything of interest, or did he or she prefer to watch before attempting? Did he or she learn about mistakes by making them, or did he or she learn about mistakes by watching others make them?

From these two questions, psychologists can gauge sixteen separate innate personality types and be surprisingly accurate. Now if were to include all sixteen types in this article, your head might explode, so will limit myself to the four major extremes: True Sanguine, True Phlegmatic, True Choleric, and True Melancholic.

A True Sanguine is extremely impulsive and extremely extroverted.

True Sanguines live for approval from others. They are naturally friendly, so they are great at building a network of friends. Generally easy going, people feel comfortable around them. They freely share their thoughts, feelings, and experiences; moreover, they expect others to do the same. They show their acceptance through direct eye contact as well as physical contact. They love to talk. They are very tolerant of change, and they adjust well to new situations.

A True Phlegmatic is extremely tentative and extremely extroverted.
True Phlegmatics live for personal stability. They feel threatened by any changes or risks that jeopardize their relationships and surroundings; therefore, they tend to give people whatever they want in order to avoid conflicts. They like to think ahead before they act, and they love proven procedures that they can follow in an orderly manner. They prefer dealing with concrete situations and facts, and they dislike abstract conjectures, theories, and trends. They are happiest working in a pleasant, friendly, and non-competitive environment.

A True Choleric is extremely impulsive and extremely introverted.

True Cholerics live for new opportunities. They are less concerned about what other people think than any of the other personality types; therefore, they are willing to take risks and speak their minds. They question authority, and they prefer to arrive at their own conclusions based upon the facts as they see them. Rather than accepting limitations and following the status quo, they tend to ignore both and deal with the consequences later-if at all.

A True Melancholic is extremely tentative and extremely introverted.

True Melancholics live to be correct. They like their privacy, and they tend to be formal and poised when dealing with people. They are naturally curious, and they are inclined to identify a spectrum of interests and behaviors. They are naturally methodical and deliberate. In every area of their lives, they emphasize precise understanding, accurate work, proper manners, careful decision-making, and impeccable personal habits.

In between these major extremes, psychologists have identified twelve more combination types. You can read about all of them on the Navigating Life website as well as take my test to determine which you are. I promise you, no pop-up ads or forced registration.

Before ending this article, I would like to emphasis that the very interactions that make a Phlegmatic happy will drive a Choleric up the wall; and the very actions that make a Sanguine happy will drive a Melancholic crazy.

You need to take your time with a Phlegmatic, but you should waste no time with a Choleric. A Sanguine thrives on intuition and impulse, while a Melancholic thrives on logic and accuracy. Whenever you find that people are driving you crazy, chances are that they are your opposite; so probably, you're finding it difficult to understand what they want from you, and you're finding it difficult to explain yourself to them.

Once you learn to give people what they need in order to thrive, you will start interacting with them more effectively.

You can find the complete test at http://www.navigatinglife.org/twoquestionpersonalitytest/

Lynn Marie Sager has toured over two-dozen countries and worked on three continents. Author of A River Worth Riding: Fourteen Rules for Navigating Life, Lynn currently lives in California; where she fills her time with private coaching, public speaking, and teaching for the LACCD and Pierce College. To read more about how to Navigating Life, visit her website at http://www.navigatinglife.org

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