Personality quizzes have quickly become popular among younger generations. From BuzzFeed results that revealed the taker’s perfect fall fragrance to psychological tests that identified one’s strengths and weaknesses, these tests have ranged in their validity and usefulness.
Dr. Victoria Brodie, Department Chair for Communication Arts and associate professor of public relations at California Baptist University, explained that students could effectively utilize personality quiz results in their everyday lives. However, not all personality tests from free, online sources are valid, Brodie cautioned.
Quizzes that, for example, determined what breed of dog one is through a series of situational questions were simply “… grabbing psychographic information,” Brodie said.
Thus, it is wise to exercise discernment when deciding which tests to take. Brodie suggested the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and the Enneagram. These psychology-based quizzes dove into the taker’s traits, habits and decisions and sorted them into personality types in which the person identified.
Hanhee Cho, freshman exercise science and Christian studies double major, shared how the MBTI was useful in her everyday life at home in South Korea.
“The results have been very helpful to me,” Cho said, “By reading the MBTI descriptions and statistics, I was able to understand myself in more detail and use that knowledge in practical ways.”
Cho, whose MBTI is ENTP, used her results to explore job options that other ENTPs pursued and felt the highest satisfaction from.
An advocate of taking these quizzes herself, Brodie shared how she consistently used these tools while teaching her classes as a means to encourage group work.
“… If [students] don’t understand that people show up differently, they’re only going to do what they know to do,” Brodie said, “And if they find people who would do it with them, then they will oftentimes bypass people who are different than they are.”
When a group of students was given a problem to discuss or a group project, the extroverted students typically took the lead. This created potential for oversight of the thoughts and contributions of an introverted classmate.
Brodie gave an example of a student group in her PR class where the take-charge personalities navigated through capstone project without considering one quiet classmate. The students debated on and on, to no avail. When Brodie observed the situation, she asked, “What about him?” As it turned out, the quiet classmate had the solution to the problem.
“So if [students] don’t understand that people show up differently, they’re only going to do what they know to do,” Brodie said, “And if they find people who will do it with them, then they will oftentimes bypass people who are different than they are.”
Taking these quizzes helped students understand that everyone else shows up differently, especially in a classroom setting. As this awareness blossomed, empathy occurred, allowing for a more cohesive group process.
To achieve this empathy and self-awareness, Brodie suggested taking multiple personality quizzes.
“When we take tests, we see them individually,” Brodie said, “But then when you take all sorts of tests and you bring them together, there’s an awareness that comes around it.”
In her classes, Brodie requires students to take both the MBTI and the Enneagram.
“The reason why I do the Myers-Briggs and the Enneagram is the Myers-Briggs is how they show up, and the Enneagram is why,” Brodie said.
Once students understand their how and why, they will recognize their complementary strengths and will be able to complete their group assignments with more efficiency and empathy.
Beyond the classroom, the results of these quizzes can be applied to ministry tasks, business operations and even friendships.
“We all have complementary strengths, and we do best when we work in our strengths,” Brodie said, “So it’s the complimentary that we’re looking for. So if I really know my strengths, then I can focus on my strengths and find people who their strength is the opposite of mine.”
Overall, Brodie clarified that a quiz result “… just tells you how you show up, not who you are.” Anchoring one’s identity in a certain personality type is limiting and can hinder the person from growth. Utilized properly, personality quizzes are helpful tools; they encourage empathy, self-awareness and personal growth, and are instruments to students both in school and afterwards.
