Why Knowing Your Personality Type Is Important (By Aaron Hays)

Most people have a general indication if they're shy, outgoing, daring, charismatic, etc. However, I would venture to say that the average person's knowledge of their personality type and characteristics are not all that well developed. I have always been interested in people and sociology in general, but my eyes were really opened a few years ago.

Several years ago at my company, we took the famous (or infamous) Myers-Briggs Personality Test. Surprisingly, I'd never heard of the test before. Upon taking it and seeing my results, I was stunned. It practically nailed me to a tee. I answered the questions honestly, and I got a very accurate result. I literally couldn't believe how well it described me. After this, I set out on a quest to read more about my particular personality type, and found out the underlying reasons why I acted certain ways in certain situations. I realized that there was nothing "wrong" with me, and that certain characteristics were just manifestations of my personality type. I found out that my personality type enjoys change, hates routine work, and loves motivating people. This explained to me why I detested a construction job I had for a few years, and why I was certainly not cut out for it. Additionally, it gave me several career ideas as to what best suits me.

What was equally surprising was having family and friends take the test. I found out that about 7 out of 8 of my closest friends shared the same personality class as me, despite being a small percentage of the population. That we all fell into the NF "Visionary" personality group. I have since gotten much better at "typing" people and discovering their personality types. This explained exactly why I didn't connect with some people nearly as deep as I do with others. Perhaps this has been more of a revelation for me than most, but I've been fascinated ever since.

I have also found this key in relating to others. If you know that your significant other has a personality type that will shut down when being criticized, then you know that jumping into a confrontational argument will be counterproductive. This has greatly helped in the workplace too. When entering a meeting at work or on a conference call, I have a tendency to want to ask the other personal how their day has been, or how they are doing in general. I had previously always thought it somewhat rude when people just jump right into work with no pleasantries beforehand. Now I'm aware of the fact that they're not rude, but they just simply care about the work at hand.

After having most people I know take these personality test to better help themselves, I decided to just finally create my own website about it (PersonalityGenesis.com). I truly hope others find this as helpful as I do.

http://ezinearticles.com/?Why-Knowing-Your-Personality-Type-Is-Important&id=9540241

Psychologists Say There Are Only 5 Kinds of People in the World. Which One Are You?

Once you understand your personality type, it's easy to identify other people's too

Your personality influences everything from the friends you choose to the candidates you vote for in a political election. Yet many people never really spend much time thinking about their personality traits.

Understanding your personality can give you insight into your strengths and weaknesses. It can also help you gain insight into how others see you.

Most modern-day psychologists agree there are five major personality types. Referred to as the "five factor model," everyone possesses some degree of each.

1. Conscientiousness.

People who rank highest in conscientiousness are efficient, well-organized, dependable, and self-sufficient. They prefer to plan things in advance and aim for high achievement. People who rank lower in conscientiousness may view those with this personality trait as stubborn and obsessive.

Fun fact: Studies show marrying someone high in conscientiousness increases your chances of workplace success. A conscientious spouse can boost your productivity and help you achieve the most.

2. Extroversion.

People who rank high in extroversion gain energy from social activity. They're talkative and outgoing and they're comfortable in the spotlight. Others may view them as domineering and attention-seeking.

Fun fact: Be on the lookout for a strong handshake. Studies show men with the strongest handgrips are most likely to rank high in extroversion and least likely to be neurotic. That doesn't hold true for women, however.

3. Agreeableness.

Those who rank high in agreeableness are trustworthy, kind, and affectionate toward others. They're known for their pro-social behavior and they're often committed to volunteer work and altruistic activities. Other people may view them as naïve and overly passive.

Fun fact: Seek a financial investor who is high in agreeableness. Studies show agreeable investors are least likely to lose money from risky trading. Avoid an investor high in openness--that personality is associated with overconfidence that can lead an investor to take excessive risks.

4. Openness to Experience.

People who rate high in openness are known for their broad range of interests and vivid imaginations. They're curious and creative and they usually prefer variety over rigid routines. They're known for their pursuits of self-actualization through intense, euphoric experiences like meditative retreats or living abroad. Others may view them as unpredictable and unfocused.

Fun fact: Openness is the only personality trait that consistently predicts political orientation. Studies show people high in openness are more likely to endorse liberalism and they're also more likely to express their political beliefs.

5. Neuroticism.

Neurotic people experience a high degree of emotional instability. They're more likely to be reactive and excitable and they report higher degrees of unpleasant emotions like anxiety and irritability. Other people may view them as unstable and insecure.

Fun fact: Neurotic people seek acceptance by publishing a lot of pictures on Facebook. Studies find they're less likely to post comments or updates that could be seen as controversial, and much more likely to post lots of pictures (they also have the most photos per album).

Understanding the basics of personality.

Personality remains relatively stable over time. The personality traits you exhibited at age 7 are likely to predict much of your behavior as an adult.

Of course, you can change some of your personality traits. It takes hard work and effort to make big changes, but most scientists agree that it is possible.

http://www.inc.com/amy-morin/psychologists-say-there-are-5-personality-types-heres-how-to-tell-which-one-you-.htm

Why Ambiverts Are More Successful and Influential Than Extroverts

The lesser known personality type "ambivert" is a good balance between introversion and extroversion.

Are you an introvert or an extrovert?

You probably already have some idea. Personality-type testing is common in school and the workplace. Understanding personality types helps us identify strengths, pinpoint weaknesses, and cooperate better with others.

The two personality types are polar opposites of one another, yet for the longest time, you were just one or the other, to some degree.

There's a far more common personality type, though--one that falls in the middle of the introverted-extroverted spectrum. See, in order to be either an introvert or an extrovert, you have to be heavier in one type of trait than the other.

Ambivert, the Lost Personality Type

More outspoken, socially adept people who venture forth with confidence are easy to peg as extroverts. Those who isolate themselves, are more formal, talk less, and prefer to stay out of the limelight clearly leaned toward introversion.

Could it really be that simple, though? Not according to Carl Jung, who identified a third personality type on the introverted-extroverted spectrum--but it's one that we hardly hear anything about. In the classic Psychological Types, Jung wrote:

"There is, finally, a third group … the most numerous and includes the less differentiated normal man … He constitutes the extensive middle group."

This middle group consists of the ambiverts.

Extroverts Make Better Salespeople … Or So We Thought

Ambiverts are not only more common that you might think but also more successful and influential.

In his 2013 research paper Rethinking the Extraverted Sales Ideal: The Ambivert Advantage, The Wharton School's Adam M. Grant examined the correlation between extroversion and sales aptitude. It's long been assumed that being extroverted makes one a better salesperson. Grant found that the relationship between extroversion and sales performance is actually quite weak.

So who does it better? The ambiverts.

"Ambiverts achieve greater sales productivity than extraverts or introverts do," he wrote. "Because they naturally engage in a flexible pattern of talking and listening, ambiverts are likely to express sufficient assertiveness and enthusiasm to persuade and close a sale but are more inclined to listen to customers' interests and less vulnerable to appearing too excited or overconfident."

The Ambivert Advantage

What is it that makes ambiverts more successful in sales, with traits that surely translate into success and influence in other areas as well?

In one word: balance. Ambiverts have introvert and extrovert traits, but in balance. See if you recognize any of these ambivert traits:

1. Ambiverts are more flexible. They don't really prefer one way of functioning over the other. Mateo Sol described ambiverts as "… the neutral, middle-ground hippies … equally comfortable in situations where the introvert feels most at home and the extrovert is having a good time."
2. They're more emotionally stable. Extroverts are not easily influenced by outside factors, while introverts are hypersensitive. Ambiverts offer a good balance between the two and are referred to as the stability "normal" by famed psychologist Hans Eysenck, who coined the term "ambivert" in 1947.
3. Ambiverts are intuitive. This is a quality that serves them well in life and in business. As journalist Daniel K. Pink wrote, ambiverts "know when to speak up and when to shut up, when to inspect and when to respond, when to push and when to hold back."
4. They're more influential. In Grant's sales experiment, ambiverts earned average hourly revenues of $155--24% higher than extroverts. People at either extreme end of the introvert-extrovert scale had the worst sales, while those smack in the middle had the highest, at $208 per hour.

There you go. The next time someone asks you your personality type, you won't have to stumble through some explanation of how you're extroverted in some situations but have introverted moments--and don't identify completely with one or the other.

Just tell them you're an ambivert. Chances are that's exactly what you are--an ambivert, as most of us are. 

http://www.inc.com/larry-kim/ambiverts-are-more-successful-amp-influential-than-extroverts-here-s-why.html