LSI Personality Test Results

I took a LSI personality test recently and was pretty shocked to discover what the outcomes were. What follows are just a bunch of rambling thoughts. Please excuse the discontinuity.

Humanistic - Encouraging

I scored so low on my tendency to care and encourage people. I thought my score would be higher because I’ve always fancied myself as a mentor/coach but my low score got me thinking. Who do I coach or mentor? Right now, nobody. In college I used to be a big brother, and lead a college small group, so I guess I enjoy aspects of mentoring. But lately I’ve been too lazy to mentor anyone. Mentoring is really difficult because the mentor often gets very little back. But maybe that’s why I scored so low, because that’s not what it’s about. Nowadays I think I coach people to sin rather than do anything positive.

Affiliative

I scored low in seeking out friendships. It makes sense to a degree because I only seek out friendships when I'm extremely bored. I am usually self sustained and can find things to do on my own. But I usually hang out with my friends quite often, so I am confused about the low score. I guess it’s not a constant need I have.

It said that people may find me difficult to approach and I might find myself on the outside a lot. I guess this is true to an extent. I think that’s my stand by attitude, but when I want to, I can also be the life of the party. But people do find me hard to approach. The test said that I need to strike up conversations with people that I normally wouldn’t talk to. That’s just good practice anyway. I’ll try to do that more.

Approval

I have a low to medium need for approval. I do seek approval at times from certain people. But at the same time my rebellious side takes over and says who cares about that person’s opinion. I think when I was younger I wanted approval more, but less so nowadays.

Conventional

Scored at the bottom 25% for following rules and being a “by the book” type of person. That seems right. I don't like rules and look for ways to bend them. I always feel that there are exceptions to rules and there always are. I tend to see things in many shades of gray rather than black/white.


Oppositional

Now this was my highest score in the 95th percentile. It says that I can come across as hostile, mean, and cynical. I am overly critical and negative towards people. I was surprised to find I scored so high in this area. I have to admit I am pretty negative and critical of people. Instead of seeing the good in people I tend to focus on their negative qualities. I gotta stop that.

Power

Scored the 2nd highest. Associate our self worth to the degree in which we can control and dominate others. I think that in the past I was overly forceful and used intimidation tactics in my relationships, but less so today. I do want respect from people though and I want it to be tangible for everyone to see. I am pretty confrontational at times and I can be a bully. I have really tried not to be.

Competitive

Actually tied for 2nd highest score. My drive to outdo and outshine others drives me toward success. I don’t really agree with this. I’m not very competitive at all. Mary thinks I am. One aspect of the competitive personality is it’s not the mere fact of winning, but how one looks or performs during the competition that matters the most. I guess that’s me. I do want to look good in front of others. But who doesn’t really? I think when guys play sports they care a lot about how they look in front of others. That’s why when guys make a big mistake or error they will stay up all night reliving the moment.

Perfectionistic

Scored medium low. I feel that I am pretty low on this score because of my laziness and love of relaxation. But high because I place high demands on myself and others. I hate making simple mistakes, and I often have a hard time confronting my emotion like anger. Until it becomes too much to bear and I blow up.

Achieving

I scored the lowest on this. People who are high achievers usually take pride and joy in their work. The feel they make a difference. I just think work is just work. I really don't have that hunger to be successful or make a lot of money. What the hell is wrong with me?

Self Actualization

Scored in the middle. I feel I am always constantly trying to improve myself. I don’t worry or have too much guilt, but I’m not very energetic and zestful, so maybe that’s why I scored a little lower. I do think that I know myself pretty well. I am the first one to admit my weaknesses.