BY
Dayna Wong
Hype Editorial Admin

Hype Issue #59

Published on

July 31, 2024

Unravelling the mind to find ourselves. Photo by Mohamed Hassan on Pixabay.

Today, is it not uncommon to hear the chatter of “what personality type are you?” during lunchtime conversations. As society grapples with identity and finding a sense of self, more people are turning to personality tests not just for entertainment, but as tools to better understand themselves and others. Chances are you have probably taken one yourself! But what fuels our curiosity in finding out where we belong? 

Making Waves Online

According to the American Psychology Association (APA), a personality test is a measure of one’s personality traits. It can be done through collecting self-reported data where participants answer questions about their personality, or through projective techniques that measure both the conscious and unconscious aspects of their personality, like the Rorschach Inkblot test.

The former is most well known in the form of four letters, MBTI, also known as the Myers-Briggs personality test. Other widely used self-reported personality tests include Enneagram and DISC, which evaluate one’s behaviour and how they react in certain situations.

New waves of personality tests have been making their rounds on social media platforms, especially TikTok. The majority of these are modelled after MBTI, with each outcome corresponding to one of the 16 MBTI personalities.

Examples of the corresponding MBTI personality types from the “What is Your Superpower?” Quiz. Photo taken from designer Vicky Chen’s website.

One particularly viral version of these tests is the Innate Personality Traits personality quiz, which was released as part of the Taiwan Design Expo, where one could find out what kind of element they were and how well they matched up to their peers.

Photo taken from Taiwan Design Expo.

Following that, a slew of similar personality tests were released, each with eye-catching and adorable illustrations and their own spin on it, like this one here!

The writer’s personal test result from taking the “What is Your Superpower?” quiz. Photo taken from “What is Your Superpower?” quiz.

Behind the Personality Quiz Craze

One of the most popular reasons why we do these tests is simply for fun, comparing results with our friends to see if we are as compatible as we think we are. This was the case for Ms Ng Geng Sim Naomi, 26, who pointed out that she did one of the viral personality quizzes because her friend was curious about what result she would get.

As I dug deeper into the plethora of online tests myself, I noticed there was indeed a consistent pattern – each test ends by encouraging users to compare their results with family and friends. As seen from Ms Ng’s friend sharing the test with her, it is human nature to seek those who share similar traits with us. We find comfort in knowing that although we may each have our quirks, others are just like us. Knowing that we belong to a certain group of individuals gives us a sense of identity.

Ms Ng adds, “Most personality tests have a compatibility aspect. That’s one of the draws I think, as it suggests if you are compatible with certain people and why you click well with others.”

The Big Five personality test result encourages users to create a group in the website to share their results with others. Photo taken from FiveThirtyEight.

Another motivation would be to better understand ourselves. There is appeal in getting a “personalised” report based on your personality type at the end of the test, finding out what your strengths and weaknesses are, and comparing them with your own understanding.

In the process of finding traits that you resonate with, one may even stumble upon inspiration through the results. As self-administered tests are largely based on what the respondent believes about themselves, such results may indicate personal ambitions and goals.

Ms Kaylin Wee Jing Xuan, 19, once took an Enneagram test where she felt like the result embodied her ideal self. “I think that result affected me on a subconscious level where I wanted to make decisions that reflect that result,” she said.

Raising the Stakes

With the results supposedly being able to help us understand how people behave, it is no surprise that these tests have made their way into hiring and promotional processes in the corporate world.

Photo by Mohamed Hassan on Pixabay.

According to the Harvard Business Review, 76% of companies who had more than 100 employees in 2015 conducted personality tests as part of hiring. More recently, a South Korean publication, the Maeil Business Paper, reported businesses suggesting certain MBTI types as ‘unsupported’, refusing to hire certain applicants because of it.

So, imagine my surprise at having to complete a DISC personality quiz as part of my internship application form. It is understandable that they would want to get a glimpse of the applicant’s personalities and what they could potentially bring to the company. Things like soft skills that are not visible on a resume could be observed through personality test results. 

However, my biggest concern was whether the results of the test would be considered as grounds for rejecting applicants. These results only reflect a part of someone at a certain point in their life. Some tests, like the MBTI, do not produce consistent results, which make them a controversial evaluation method.

Ms Wee, who is about to enter the workforce, also has similar reservations regarding personality tests being used to screen applicants, says, “Human personalities are multi-faceted, and people act differently in social and work situations.”

Seeking Information or Validation?

With such widespread use, it is important to avoid making superficial judgments about others based on a behavioural test.

Having done personality tests with her colleagues for fun, Ms Ng shares how a colleague of hers once assumed that their teammate’s personality type revealed that they were a difficult person to work with. Though this may just be a passing remark, the accumulation of our experiences and thoughts shape our beliefs.

On the other hand, Ms Wee shares that she does not take the results as seriously.  

“I don’t believe in personality tests since I don’t think that human personalities can be classified into just a limited few options,” she said.

Some may develop confirmation bias with their results, affirming only the parts of their personality that have been validated by test results and disregarding the others.

After Ms Ng found out that she belonged to a personality type that relied more on intuition, she had gradually let go of taking a systematic approach to things.

“Over time I get by [with this method of living], but I find I don’t try to push myself more in the other direction,” she said, feeling that this has restricted her instead.

As such, it is important to keep in mind that personality tests only capture a part of the holistic people that we are, and at a certain frame in time. Who knows? Maybe in just a year, we will not recognise the version of us from before. Knowing our personality type can aid self-discovery, but this can also become a crutch, validating ongoing undesirable behaviour and hindering positive change. Perhaps it is better to think of these tests more simply; as guiding tools.