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Finding the Real You

Psychometric testing—personality testing—has been very popular nowadays as studies show their results to be three times more accurate in predicting your job performance. These testsare now included in almost all graduate recruitment (招聘) andare widely used in the selection ofmanagers.

The most popular of these personality tests is the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). It is based on the theory that we are born with a tendency to one personality type which stays more or less fixed throughout life. You answer 88 questions and are then given your “type”, such as Outgoing or Quiet, Feeling orThinking.

Critics of personality testing raise doubts about “socialengineering”. Psychologist Dr. Colin Gill warns that the“popular” personality traits (特性) have their disadvantages. “People who areextremely open to new experiences can be butterflies,going from one idea to the next without mastering anyof them.” However, the psychometric test is here tostay, which may be why a whole sub-industry on cheatingpersonality tests has sprung up. “It’s possible to cheat,” admits Gill, “but having to pretend to be the person you are at work will be tiring and unhappy and probably short-lived.”

So can we change our personality? “Your basic personalityis fixed by the time you’re 21,”says Gill,“but it can beaffected by motivation and intelligence. If you didn’t have the personality type to be a doctor but desperately wanted to be one and were intelligent enough to master the skills, you could still go ahead. But trying to go too much against type for too long requires much energy and is actually to be suffered for long. I think it’s why we’re seeing this trend for downshifting—too many peopletryingtofitintoatypethattheyaren’t really suited for.”

Our interestin personalitynow existsin every part of our lives. If you ask an expert for advice on anything, you’ll probably be quizzed about your personality. But if personalitytestshaveanyvaluetous,perhapsitisto free us from the idea thatallofusarefullofpotential, and remind us of what we are.Astheysayinonetest when they ask for your age: pick the one you are, not theone you wish you were.