Personality tests are fun to take.  These days you can categorize 
yourself as a color, an animal, a number, or letters.  My 
favorite is the Myers-Briggs which has been a helpful tool for me 
in making decisions and in dealing with those who are different 
from me.  When someone tells me they are an ENTJ (1), I have a 
real clue about who they are.

My best friend insists that I'm an extrovert, although Myers-
Briggs has labeled me as an introvert.  The test proclaims that 
one's personality never changes, but after doing a little 
research I found that my friend is right. Several studies have 
shown than results of this test do vary over time, even during 
different times of the day.

My reading also taught me that Carl Jung originated the concept 
of personality typing, but he didn't stop there.  He also 
developed the theory of the 'shadow,' which is that part of 
ourselves that we hide because we have personally judged it to be 
wrong or bad. (2)

I began to wonder.  What don't I understand about personality 
types?  For that matter, what are we all getting wrong?  Is there 
a link between the shadow and personality types?  Experts have 
barely addressed these questions, but I'd like to share some of 
my personal insights.

The Shadow

Let's start with explaining the shadow a little better.  Our 
shadow reflects our self-judgment, not good and evil.  For 
example, being 'bold and assertive' is not wrong but may terrify 
a person dead-set upon being 'polite and nice.'  A balanced 
person integrates assertiveness his personality, using it at the 
appropriate time.  Assertiveness is only ugly when it bursts out 
on its own as a result of being suppressed by the person 
insistent upon being 'nice.'

The Personality Wheel:  Shades of the Shadow

Most personality tests have opposites on some sort of a wheel. If 
I'm a "Thinker", then the "Feeler" is my shadow.  An 'Introvert' 
shadow would be an "Extrovert."  Becoming more balanced in the 
personality wheel is the same as facing my shadow and learning to 
integrate what I have always rejected. Let's look at every-day 
examples of how we deny our ability to learn and grow:

a.. Some personality test would probably categorize a nice person 
as "non-confrontational."  Although this would be accurate, it 
pre- supposes that he can not learn assertiveness.  Limiting 
potential like this would be like encouraging a perfectionist to 
continue her quest for the impossible. That's sadistic!

a.. Some personality tests give guidelines for how to communicate 
with those who are categorized differently.  Instead, if we made 
an effort to develop our shadow, then our communication skills 
with our opposites would be even better.  It would be a real 
meeting of minds instead of a drive-thru exchange of words.

I recently counseled a client to 'become' more like that one 
person at work who drives her crazy.  During our discussion she 
realized clearly that if she were more up-front and blunt with 
this extremely rude person, she would be able to communicate on a 
more common ground.  Indeed, upon trying it she found a new door 
opened in their relationship.

a.. Some employers use personality tests to pigeon-hole their 
employees in jobs based upon their specific personalities.  For 
example, it would seem obvious that the accounting staff should 
be analytical and reality-based. But as a CPA, I know this limits 
the staff's ability to think outside the box in corporate design 
and problem solving situations.  True cutting-edge employers 
offer training and development programs for their employees to 
help them develop their skills, talents and leadership abilities, 
which in turn opens up potential for the firm.

An Imperfect Tool

So are personality tests good or bad?  I still like the tests. 
They're a great aid to self understanding, and a reminder that 
not everyone thinks like I do, but they fall short.  Labels are 
created for everyone around me and I am encouraged to tolerate 
others who are different, but I'm not encouraged to grow to 
understand their point of view.

Walter Cronkite discussed racial tolerance in his biography, "A 
Reporter's Life," and went on to talk about the word 'tolerance." 
He said "It would be several more years before I learned that 
'tolerance' is a stage of development unacceptably short of total 
commitment to undiluted equal rights for all."  (3)

Let us look at all of those peculiar personalities that surround 
us each day.  Let's use our differences as an impetus for our own 
personal growth, and to build better relationships with those who 
we could probably learn something from.

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(1)   ENTJ is "Extrovert, Intuitive, Thinking, Feeling," 
categorized by Myers-Briggs.

(2)   Experts suspect that Carl Jung was a schizophrenic, and as 
such, had a good understanding of the different personalities 
that we hold within us.  A schizophrenic is a person who's 
personalities are so totally un-integrated that they 
uncontrollably surface on their own.

(3)   For you young pups, Walter Cronkite was the 'god' of the 
evening news from it's inception in 1962 until Dan Rather took 
over in 1981.  I always thought he was the most honest person 
on TV.  

Paths began to beckon Theresa when she was 12, visiting the 
Bridger Wilderness in Wyoming. Walking, dancing, and movement are 
a part of her, nourished by John Denver's musical challenge for 
her to "fly." She has walked up mountains and through forests in 
Wyoming, Germany, Switzerland, and Austria. She's lived in 
Germany and has traveled extensively in Europe, even leading a 
pilgrimage. Her recent walks in the Grand Canyon and Alaska 
inspired her to begin her dream business of "walking with women." 
Learn more about Theresa Gabriel and her Life Discovery Tours at 
her web site. Women Summit LLC http://www.womensummit.com