The Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ)

Eysenck's theory is based primarily on physiology and genetics. Although he was a behaviorist who considered learned habits of great importance, he considers personality differences as growing out of our genetic inheritance. He is, therefore, primarily interested in what is usually called temperament. Temperament is that aspect of our personalities that is genetically based, inborn, there from birth or even before. That does not mean that a temperament theory says we don't also have aspects of our personality that are learned, it's just that Eysenck focused on "nature," and left "nurture" to other theorists. Eysenck initially conceptualized personality as two, biologically-based categories of temperament:

Extraversion/Introversion Extraversion is characterized by being outgoing, talkative, high on positive affect (feeling good), and in need of external stimulation. According to Eysenck's arousal theory of extraversion, there is an optimal level of cortical arousal, and performance deteriorates as one becomes more or less aroused than this optimal level. Arousal can be measured by skin conductance, brain waves or sweating. At very low and very high levels of arousal, performance is low, but at a more optimal mid-level of arousal, performance is maximized. Extraverts, according to Eysenck's theory, are chronically under-aroused and bored and are therefore in need of external stimulation to bring them up to an optimal level of performance. Introverts, on the other hand, are chronically over-aroused and jittery and are therefore in need of peace and quiet to bring them up to an optimal level of performance. This temperament corresponds with Category A (Extraversion/Introversion) in the 'Know Your Own Mind' online test.

Neuroticism/Stability Neuroticism or emotionality is characterized by high levels of negative affect such as depression and anxiety. Neuroticism, according to Eysenck's theory, is based on activation thresholds in the sympathetic nervous system or visceral brain. This is the part of the brain that is responsible for the fight-or-flight response in the face of danger. Activation can be measured by heart rate, blood pressure, cold hands, sweating and muscular tension (especially in the forehead). Neurotic people, who have low activation thresholds, and unable to inhibit or control their emotional reactions, experience negative affect (fight-or-flight) in the face of very minor stressors - they are easily nervous or upset. Emotionally stable people, who have high activation thresholds and good emotional control,

experience negative affect only in the face of very major stressors - they are calm and collected under pressure. This temperament corresponds with Category B (Emotional Stability) in the online test. The two dimensions or axes, extraversion-introversion and emotional stability-instability, define four quadrants. These are made up of:

stable extraverts (sanguine qualities such as - outgoing, talkative, responsive, easygoing, lively, carefree, leadership) unstable extraverts (choleric qualities such as - touchy, restless, excitable, changeable, impulsive, irresponsible) stable introverts (phlegmatic qualities such as - calm, even-tempered, reliable, controlled, peaceful, thoughtful, careful, passive) unstable introverts (melancholic qualities such as - quiet, reserved, pessimistic, sober, rigid, anxious, moody).

Further research demonstrated the need for a third category of temperament:

Psychoticism/Socialisation Psychoticism is associated not only with the liability to have a psychotic episode (or break with reality), but also with aggression. Psychotic behavior is rooted in the characteristics of toughmindedness, non-conformity, inconsideration,

recklessness, hostility, anger and impulsiveness. The physiological basis suggested by Eysenck for psychoticism is testosterone, with higher levels of psychoticism associated with higher levels of testosterone. This temperament corresponds with Category C (Mastery/Sympathy) in the online test. The following table describes the traits that are associated with the three temperaments in Eysenck's model of personality: Psychoticism Aggressive Assertive Egocentric Unsympathetic Manipulative Achievement-oriented Dogmatic Masculine Tough-minded Extraversion Sociable Irresponsible Dominant Lack of reflection Sensation-seeking Impulsive Risk-taking Expressive Active Neuroticism Anxious Depressed Guilt Feelings Low self-esteem Tense Moody Hypochondriac Lack of autonomy Obsessive

The further Categories included in the 'Know Your Own Mind' online test are not fundamental temperaments but during the exhaustive testing of personality that Eysenck conducted, he also looked into the areas of sexuality and political attitudes that of course play a major part in our lives, and determined norms of behavior and viewpoint with his usual statistical thoroughness.

Biography Hans Eysenck was born in Germany on March 4, 1916. His parents were actors who divorced when he was only two, and so Hans was raised by his grandmother. He left there when he was 18 years old, when the Nazis came to power. As an active Jewish sympathizer, his life was in danger. In England, he continued his education, and received his Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of London in 1940. During World War II, he served as a psychologist at an emergency hospital, where he did research on the reliability of psychiatric diagnoses. The results led him to a life-long antagonism to main-stream clinical psychology. After the war, he taught at the University of London, as well as serving as the director of the psychology department of the Institute of Psychiatry, associated with Bethlehem Royal Hospital. He has written 75 books and some 700 articles, making him one of the

most prolific writers in psychology. Eysenck retired in 1983 and continued to write until his death on September 4, 1997. Eysenck's theory remains influential; before his death in 1997, he was the most cited living psychologist, and he is the third most cited psychologist of all time, after Freud and Piaget.

Myer-Briggs: Personality Typology

What is it?: The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) assessment is a psychometric questionnaire designed to measure psychological preferences in how people perceive the world and make decisions.(~Wikipedia) In essence it is a way of determining your personality based on archetypes developed by Carl Jung. It is used extensively across the business world and has proven to be quite accurate. (Scary accurate sometimes.) It is a great tool for personal self-discovery as well and a great method for understanding how other people perceive the world and how they make decisions. While not overtly spiritual in nature, it does help oneself to understand the mechanisms at work behind the psyche. As well it is a good tool in that it helps you become more self-aware, and potentially improve your relationships with those around you. Take the Test: Click on the following link and take the test in order to determine your personality type: http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/JTypes2.asp ***Write down the % score you get for each letter. This will help you better determine how closely you will fit the personality type dimensions and description.*** After click on this link and read up on your 4-letter personality type description: http://www.personalitypage.com/portraits.html 4 letter Personality Type Definitions The test asks you a series of questions, and based on your answers categorizes you into 4 of 8 broad sub categories. Each category exists on a dichotomy continuum. The test gives you your result in a 4 letter acronym of 16 possible combinations, which represents the following categories.

Where do you prefer to focus your attention? Where do you get energy? E-I Dichotomy Extroversion (E) Extroverts are outwardly oriented people. They tend to be quite talkative and are typically energized by being around other people and social situations. They generally prefer to work through ideas by talking about them with others. Introversion (I) Introverts are usually more quiet, private and contained. Large groups of people and social situations drain them, and they usually require quiet alone time to recharge their batteries. They generally prefer to work through ideas by thinking about them first, before expressing them out loud. How do you prefer to take in Information? S-N Dichotomy Sensing (S) Sensors are (micro) detail oriented people that prefer to focus on facts and concrete data. They are keen to observe and remember specifics quite well. They like to see hard numbers. They understand things piecemeal working through concepts from the bottom up. Intuition (N) Intuitives (as per the MBTI definition) are big picture (macro) orientated people. These people are highly imaginative and focus on patterns and the meaning of data. They understand data better in how it relates to other data. They tend to understand concepts using a top-down approach. How do you make decisions? T-F Dichotomy Thinking (T) These are the analytical logic type people. They tend to use cause-aneffect reasoning when making decisions. Fair to these people means everyone is treated equally. Feeling (F) These people are more empathetic and base their decisions around feelings which are based on values rather than cold hard logic as the thinkers do. Fair to these types of people means everyone is treated as an individual.

How do you deal with the outer world? J-P Dichotomy Judging (J) The judgers (MBTI definition) are people who are methodical, scheduled and tend to be highly organized. They tend to make extensive use of lists and calenders. As well they prefer to get things done way ahead of time. Perceiving (P) This type of person is more spontaneous and flexible. They have a more open-ended approach to plans and tend to be the ones that get things done at the last minute. Understanding your 4 letter Personality Type It is important to understand that virtually no one fits into any of the categories perfectly. The categories are generalizations or approximations at best, a way of describing a general tendency. The unique combination of categories however paints an interesting picture of your personality archetype. Each dichotomy exists on a continuum. For example a good way of visualizing the E-I spectrum is as follows: Fully Extroverted (100%)<|0%|->(100%)Fully Introverted Some people might be very near the ends, while others closer to the middle. Their is a high degree of variance. We all know people that are extremely extroverted that can yak your ear off and others who are extremely introverted that barely say a word. However most people are somewhere closer to the middle having a tendency to one end or the other. And this holds true for all the dichotomys in the MBTI system. This is why it is important to note the % score you receive for each letter. This will tell you how strong or balanced you are on each of the spectrums. If for example you score 100% on E that means you are about as extroverted and outgoing as a person can get. If however you score a 15% on E your general tendency will be towards extroversion but it may seem to a lot of people you are almost an introvert. Add to this that people will respond differently based on the situation as well, however exceptions dont make the rule, and general tendencies do exist when looking at persons cumulative personality. The Myers-Briggs personality descriptions match those people best who have on the whole a moderate to strong score on most of the letters (40-100%). If however a person scores less than 30% on all dimensions then that means their personality is quite balanced, and the 4-letter descriptions will only match their personality type in a vague manner. This is probably the greatest weakness in the Myers-Briggs system. It works very well for people who have strong personality dimensions, and not so well for those who are more even keeled. People with stronger personality dimensions also tend to be more passionate in certain areas of life, where as more balanced individuals may have a lot of interests, but more so at a surface level. There are obviously many other factors that contribute to the shaping of your personality. Environmental, genetic, astrological, experiential, modes of learning (auditory, visual, kinesthetic), cultural and many more. It is also possible your personality may

change slightly as you age. The MBTI system does not address these, however it can still prove to be useful in explaining a general tendency. In terms of relationships it is often said Opposites attract. And this is true of personality types to some degree as well. Two individuals who have exactly the same personality type, while they may have fantastic mutual understanding may also quickly get bored of one another and would be somewhat out of balance. Extroverts balance out Introverts, and Thinkers balance out Feelers and so on. Where one person has their weaknesss another may have their strengths. Well balanced teams can utilize this to their advantage if used constructively. However differences can also be a source of tension and conflict if those differences are not properly understood. It is important to understand how people make their decisions and process information, as this can be vastly different from one person to the next. A thinker may become too rational, when making a decision, being accused of being cold, and a feeler may get too feely, being accused of being too emotional. It is easy to see how personality tendencies can quickly exacerbate conflict when disagreements across a dichotomy occur. However this knowledge can also be useful in that simply stating that you understand where a person is coming from even though you may not share their disposition, can help in preventing further alienation. Compassionate empathetic understanding is the goal here. It is important to embrace diversity for its creative constructive qualities. 16 Type Overview

Intuitive-Logical Extratim - ENTp (The Inventor) ENTps normally have a long, slim figure. Other parts of the body are also stretched, especially the legs and fingers. They often have rounded shoulders. Sometimes ENTps have a characteristic inwardly sloping chin... Sensory-Ethical Intratim - ISFp (The Peacemaker) ISFps often have a characteristic stout or chubby, rounded figure. They often have short legs and a bouncy gait, giving the impression of a big springy ball. Their faces are usually smooth and round without any... Ethical-Sensory Extratim - ESFj (The Enthusiast) ESFjs usually have a straight, upright posture and the body itself is often firm and slim. In fact it is rare to find an ESFj with a full figure, especially a male. Their figure can also be somewhat elongated... Logical-Intuitive Intratim - INTj (The Analyst) INTjs have a characteristic ascetic face. There are two reason for this. Firstly the facial structure itself is often reminiscent of ancient portraits because of its angularity and composition of the features, like... Ethical-Intuitive Extratim - ENFj (The Actor) ENFjs often have slim arms, legs and torso. They look rather slow and relaxed, especially among friends. However, there are ENFjs that are very nimble but they tend to suffer from a lack of co-ordination, giving... Logical-Sensory Intratim - ISTj (The Pragmatist) ISTjs often have a very firm, solid figure, especially males. They keep their feet rooted to the ground giving the impression that they are sturdy and secure. Their heads are firmly fixed squarely to their... Sensory-Logical Extratim - ESTp (The Conqueror) ESTps generally have either slim figures or firm and solid figures. Slim ESTps have slow and phlegmatic movements, giving the impression of calmness and self-confidence. Females often have a fragile appearance... Intuitive-Ethical Intratim - INFp (The Romantic) INFps mainly have slim figures, however well-built INFps are not that uncommon. Their gait is usually graceful and full of poise as they like to project an image of selfworthiness. Their eyes vary from large... Sensory-Ethical Extratim - ESFp (The Ambassador) ESFps usually have a smooth oval facial structure, which is mainly free of projections with the exception of the nose, which can be quite large. Their eyes normally show great alertness and seem to be constantly...

Intuitive-Logical Intratim - INTp (The Observer) INTps often have a characteristic round-shouldered posture. Their necks are often not as well proportioned as other types and their heads seem to strain forwards. Their eyes have a sorrowful look about them as if... Logical-Intuitive Extratim - ENTj (The Pioneer) ENTjs often have full lips and a characteristic salesman like smile. Their bone structures normally give them their square shape figures. Their faces too are often square in shape and the facial structure itself... Ethical-Sensory Intratim - ISFj (The Guardian) ISFjs often have a very characteristic facial expression that usually shows alertness and readiness to resist. Sometimes their regular facial expression may show dissatisfaction, a critical disposition or even... Logical-Sensory Extratim - ESTj (The Director) ESTjs have a characteristic upright posture often appearing as if their backs are inflexible giving the impression that they are executing a military drill. In many cases ESTjs are slim. However, larger ESTjs are... Ethical-Intuitive Intratim - INFj (The Empath) INFjs have a very characteristic dispassionate facial expression. This is often reminiscent of the depiction of saints and martyrs from early Christian icons. Their faces convey the feeling that their soul is... Intuitive-Ethical Extratim - ENFp (The Reporter) ENFps are normally either tall and often quiet even though they are extrovert or short and full figured. The latter are more movable and energetic and their gait is quick and erratic. ENFps often walk with their... Sensory-Logical Intratim - ISTp (The Artisan) ISTps normally have a very characteristic passionless facial expression, indeed their whole appearance shows a lack of emotion which may be interpreted as calmness, mystery or inaccessibility. Some ISTps hide their... Home MBTI Overview

Estimated Frequencies of the Types in the United States Population

TOTAL ISTJ 11-14% ISFJ 9-14% INFJ 1-3% INTJ 2-4%

E 45-53% S 66-74% T 40-50% J 54-60%

I 47-55% N 26-34% F 50-60% P 40-46%

ISTP 4-6% ESTP 4-5%

ISFP 5-9% ESFP 4-9%

INFP 4-5% ENFP 6-8%

INTP 3-5% ENTP 2-5%

ESTJ 8-12%

ESFJ 9-13%

ENFJ 2-5%

ENTJ 2-5%

FEMALES E 45-55% S 70-75% T 24-35% J 55-60% I 45-55% N 25-30% F 65-76% P 40-45%

ISTJ 7-10% ISTP 2-3% ESTP 2-4%

ISFJ 15-20% ISFP 6-10% ESFP 7-10%

INFJ 2-4% INFP 4-7% ENFP 8-10%

INTJ 1-3% INTP 1-3% ENTP 2-4%

ESTJ 6-8%

ESFJ 12-17%

ENFJ 3-6%

ENTJ 1-4%

MALES E 45-50% S 65-72% T 55-67% J 52-58% I 50-55% N 28-35% F 33-45% P 42-48%

ISTJ 14-19% ISTP 6-9% ESTP 5-6%

ISFJ 6-8% ISFP 4-8% ESFP 3-7%

INFJ 1-2% INFP 3-5% ENFP 5-7%

INTJ 2-6% INTP 4-7% ENTP 3-7%

ESTJ 10-12%

ESFJ 5-8%

ENFJ 1-3%

ENTJ 3-6%

ISTJ - The Duty Fulfillers

ESTJ - The Guardians ISFJ - The Nurturers ESFJ - The Caregivers ISTP - The Mechanics ESTP - The Doers ESFP - The Performers ISFP - The Artists ENTJ - The Executives INTJ - The Scientists ENTP - The Visionaries INTP - The Thinkers ENFJ - The Givers INFJ - The Protectors ENFP - The Inspirers INFP - The Idealists

Personality Types

Extroverted or Introverted This category reflects the way they prefer to interact with the world and how they prefer to get our energy and stimulation. Extroverts are energized by other people and action. They are talkers, often thinking out loud, interrupting people at meetings, or pop into the office of a colleague to ask for an opinion, then do not really listen to it. Extroverts exhausted when they have to spend too much time alone, but depend on others for its operation. Introverts, by contrast, derive their energy from their own thoughts and ideas, rather than heated discussions. Introverts tend to speak at large meetings, preferring to listen to talk.

Introverts need time alone, especially after spending a few hours with people. Introverts are outnumbered by extraverts by three to one in the U.S.. Extroverts are often rewarded in school, participating in class discussions, and at work, because they are popular and outgoing. Introverts, by contrast, are often undervalued because they keep the best for themselves. Sensor or iNtuitive This category reflects the way they prefer to gather information about the world. As the name implies, sensors prefer to use their five senses to gather information. The sensors are quite literal, preferring facts and details of interpretations. If the hard-core sensor asks what time it is, he or she expects to hear 10:09 a.m., and not a little after 10 or about 10. About 70 percent of Americans are sensors. For intuitive, on the contrary, everything is relative. They are not final unless the session is started without them. Intuitive look at the big scheme of things, trying to translate the bits of information, through intuition, into possibilities, meanings and relationships. Details and specifications irritate intuitive. Intuitive see the forest sensors see the trees. When working with sensors or intuitive, it is important to remember these differences. Sensors prefer to learn through sequential events, through intuitive leaps chance. The task, Please sort through these surveys means something completely different sensors and intuitive. Thinker or Feeler This category refers to how we make decisions. Thinkers base their decisions on objective values, and are often described as a logical, detached, or analytical. Some thinkers are seen as cold or indifferent because they prefer to do the right thing that makes people happy. By contrast, antennas tend to make decisions based on what will create harmony. Feelers avoid conflict, and will extend too to meet the needs of others. Feelers always step into the shoes of another and ask how people will be affected before making a decision. This is the category of single personality type related to gender. About two-thirds of all men are thinkers, and the same proportion of women are antennas. There are often problems in the workplace for those who do not conform to their gender preference. For example, a strong sense man is a coward. Much more negative, a thinking woman is unfeminine , which has a chip on his shoulder or much worse. Fortunately, nobody is 100 percent or 100 percent thinker antenna (like the types of personality otherwise). All, to some extent, cares, thinks and feels, but final decisions are reached by very different routes, depending on the preference of a person true personality. Judger or Perceiver

This category deals with how we orient our lives. Judgers are structured, ordered, scheduled, and on-time. They are the list makers. Judgers wake up every morning with a definite plan for the day, and become very upset when the plan becomes unraveled. Even free time is scheduled. Perceivers, on the other hand, rely on creativity, spontaneity, and responsiveness, rather than a plan or list, to get them through the day. They burn the midnight oil to meet deadlines, although they usually meet them. Perceivers like to turn work into play, because if a task is not fun, they reason, it is probably not worth doing. Experts say that this personality type difference is the most significant source of tension in the workplace and in group work. Perceivers prefer to keep gathering information rather than to draw conclusions. Judgers prefer to make decisions, often ignoring new information that might change that decision. Hence, the conflict. A good balance of judgers and perceivers are necessary for a well-functioning work group. Judgers need light-hearted perceivers to make them relax, and perceivers need structured judgers to keep things organized and reach closure on projects.