Your Personality Type:

How You Approach Life
You, Poet, are an unusually complex, creative person with a lot of insight to share. Life shows you many hidden secrets, and it's your duty to find ways to express these gems to the rest of the world.

You are unusually sensitive to the surrounding stimuli in your life, and that's something many people can't handle. Instead of freaking out about it though, you have a special ability to release the stress that can build up — even on a daily basis.

When your environment does get out of hand, you are able to separate from the madness, process it, and use it in positive ways to affect your life. It is that uncanny ability that allows you to carry on in your hard-working responsible ways, where others would simply crumble.

Another unique aspect of your personality is your unusually rich rapport with yourself and your imagination. But to tap into your creative genius, you sometimes need to isolate yourself from the surrounding chaos and steal away to quieter, more comfortable environments. Since you spend so much time with your thoughts, you often generate particularly original ideas and that leads to your tendency to cultivate original interests.

Some people might see you as shy, but at the heart of it they just might misunderstand you. You relish the friends that you have and they recognize their importance in your life. You probably put a premium on one-on-one time with them and organize intimate get-togethers that can last well into the night. You are full of insights and inspiration, even though sometimes you're inclined to keep them to yourself. You'll likely find that if you trust your instincts more, you might not feel the need to beat yourself up for your occasional mistakes.

Overall, you're an especially gifted individual, whose thoughts about our world are valid and valued. So keep at it, Poet.

Section II — What makes you a Poet?

Your personality is actually determined by two personality sub-types — your primary, or dominant sub-type, and your secondary sub-type.

In your case, Poet, your two sub-types are Thinker and Golden. Your primary sub-type is defined by "Thinker" characteristics and your secondary sub-type is defined by "Golden" characteristics.

Your primary type is Thinker
Like other people with Thinker characteristics you are extremely sensitive to external stimuli. You tend to be extraordinarily aware of your surroundings — responding emotionally to small changes that others might not even notice. To combat feeling overwhelmed, you may like to move a bit more slowly and seek out calm environments that won't stress you out.

Intellectually, you like to dig deep into a problem to solve it — even when others grow impatient and move on to other subjects. As far as entertainment goes, you gravitate toward media that is sentimental and peaceful — you like feel-good stories. You are more likely than others to be interested in books, inspirational media, self-improvement and arts and crafts.

Your secondary type is Golden
People with Golden characteristics have unusually high self-esteem and are very conscientiousness. They are responsible, dependable, and dutiful — people others rely on. They are also efficient, and do not like to waste time. They tend to go about life with a positive attitude — both about themselves and the world around them.

Intellectually, Goldens are careful, deliberating thinkers. In terms of entertainment, Goldens enjoy media that is romantic, happy, and inspiring, and tend to avoid media that is dark, edgy, and sad. They are interested a wide variety of things including cooking, eating out, nutrition, travel, sports, recreation, fitness, health and traditional religion.

Section III — Your Four Personality Dimensions

Your primary and secondary personality sub-types determine your personality type. There are, however, additional elements that contribute to your complete personality profile.

Based on how you answered the questions on the Ultimate Personality Test, we have determined where you fall on four distinct personality scales: Relaxed/Apprehensive, Self-Doubt/Confidence, Safety-Seeking/ Risk-Taking, and Internal Experience/External Appearance. The scales are not dependent on one another. They are meant to show you whether you tend towards one or the other extreme, or are somewhere in the middle.

Here's the breakdown of your scores on the four personality dimension scales.

Relaxed versus Apprehensive

Your scores place you in the extremely relaxed region of the relaxed/apprehensive scale. This means that relative to others who have taken the test, you have a calm disposition. It also indicates that you are good at dealing with change and chaotic situations.

Like other people who score high on the relaxed side of this scale, you are likely to be stimulated by chaos and may approach life with a "the more the better" kind of attitude. Your energy levels veer toward high because you tend to be relaxed about problems that are out of you control. You are someone who is relatively less inclined to react emotionally to things that happen — not because you don't feel the emotions, but because you don't let things get to you as easily as others.

The flip side of this is people who score high on the apprehensive side of this scale. They are likely to be drawn to situations that are less stimulating to their senses. Because they are easily affected by change, they try to stay away from environments that can over-stimulate them.

These people have strong reactions to what others would consider minor changes. That is why people who score high on the apprehensive side of the scale try to slow down the pace. When faced with chaotic situations, they will look for more calming places to be. Despite their talents, they are generally more self-critical and shy than others, even if it seems there's no reason for them to be.

Self-Doubt versus Confidence

Your scores place you in the moderately confident region of the self-doubt/confidence scale. This means that relative to others who have taken the test, you are more confident than most. It also indicates that you are generally more satisfied with yourself than are others. Even when your confidence slips, you're still more dependable than many.

Since you scored just slightly more on the confident side of things, let's take a look at characteristics of people who scored more towards the extremes of the scale to gauge where you fall in between.

People scoring high on the confidence side are extremely self-assured and responsible. Because of these traits, they are often the one friends and colleagues come to rely on — both on the job and in personal situations. These people are also known for having unusually high self-esteem and are natural leaders.

People who score high on the self-doubt side of the scale have a tendency to look to others to determine their self-worth. They seek calm environments and often focus their energies on jobs that have less responsibility and are therefore less stressful. They are sometimes prone to being overly-critical about themselves, but can work their way out of those thoughts because ultimately, others might point out their talents.

Safety-Seeking versus Risk-Taking

Your scores place you in the mid-range of the safety-seeking/risk-taking scale. This means that relative to others who have taken the test, you are more risk-taking than some and less risk-taking than others. It basically indicates that you have a good idea when to play it safe and when to throw caution to the wind and leave things up to chance.

To give you an idea of how to gauge yourself on the safety-seeking/risk-taking scale, let's look at people whose scores lie on the extreme ends of the spectrum.

People who score high on the risk-taking side combine a love of the new and unusual with a talent for inquisitive, abstract thinking. They seek out action and find structure and predictability to be strangling experiences.

People who score high on the safety-seeking side of the safety-seeking/risk-taking scale prefer their environments to remain stable. They feel that predictability has positive connotations and that stability is a comfort and an indication of safety.

External Appearance versus Internal Experience

Your scores place you in the moderate external appearance region of internal experience/external appearance scale. This means that relative to others who have taken the test, you take more pride in how things appear to others. It also indicates that occasionally, you are focused on the internal experience of a given situation.

Since you scored just slightly more on the external appearance side of things, let's take a look at characteristics of people who scored more towards the extremes of the scale to gauge where you fall in between.

People who score high on the internal experience side of the scale don't really believe that material possessions are a reflection of their success. In fact, they tend not to focus on how things appear to others at all. They feel that success comes from doing a good job, and knowing that they have positively influenced the world.

People who score high on the external appearance end of the scale tend to be motivated by a wish to be socially desirable. They want to move up and be seen in the world. For them, true success is important, and material possessions are the sign they have achieved it. Therefore, these people sometimes believe that happiness is directly a result of success and that the possessions they own are a reflection of that success.

Section IV — The Poet and the World Around You

How Others See You
You're composed and sophisticated. Socially, you project a flawless exterior — organized, thoughtful, and somewhat restrained. People are impressed by your unruffled image and see you as stable and mature. Occasionally others may worry that they don't measure up in your obviously discerning eyes.

Communication Style
When communicating with others, you are both confident and calm — a powerfully appealing combination. Your even demeanor means it's rare for you to become upset or overwhelmed. In fact, you're likely to act as a neutralizing force when things get really intense. When you're approached aggressively, you're unlikely to react defensively. It is important for you to stay sensitive and realize that what might appear irrational in others may just be the manifestation of their own self-doubt. Use your strength to have compassion for others.

Your Romantic Life
Your romantic ideal is a sweet and loving partner — someone to cocoon with. Your best match is also a hit with your family and friends. You long for stability, coziness and the comfort of sharing a life with someone who cares. You gravitate toward domesticity and commitment. At the same time, you want your partner to fit in well with the other people in your life. When friends, family, coworkers and others approve of your partner, it gives you a sense of security and community that you just love.

You At Your Best
You would love it if every day were full of play and freedom. When you can indulge your creativity, zest for fun and knack for expressing yourself, you're at most definitely at your best. For balance in your life, however, it's important for you to build in times of peace, quiet and recovery. Left to your own instincts, you can become overstimulated at times, and exhausted by exploring all of your interests. So give yourself the gift of some downtime. That'll set you up to be really present when you follow your passions for exploration and fun.

Achieving Success
You've got real ambition and the confidence to back it up. You're headed for success in the workplace and at whatever you set your mind to. Watch out for getting impatient with the pace of your progress. Career development, finding love, and achieving personal goals — all these take time. It might be worth your while to stop and smell the flowers a little, to enjoy life's processes and take some pressure off of your goals. By keeping things in balance, you can reach your desired destination — and enjoy the trip.

Conflict
Sure you have your pet peeves and irritations, but your even-keeled personality helps you sail through tough situations. The frequent difference between what people deserve — in terms of credit, money, happiness, friends or any type of reward — and what they actually have can be pretty galling for you. Not to mention times when you don't feel justly rewarded for your efforts and assets! But it takes a lot to get you angry enough to say or do anything, so overt conflicts are few and far between in your life.

Getting Unstuck in Your Life
For you, being stuck in your life is not likely to mean stuck in self-doubt or self-defeating patterns. You're more likely to get stuck on a whirring treadmill of activities, ideas and adventures. Although you're often admired for your energy and gusto for living, the downside is that you can exhaust yourself and miss out on some of life's subtler pleasures. Another possible pitfall is that those around you — your friends, your sweetheart, your friends and family — don't naturally run at the same non-stop pace. This means that sometimes you wind up dragging them along on your sprint through life. Your challenge is to slow down, take some time for reflection and recovery. Just remember that you can always step off that treadmill. And when you do, you'll see everything from a new perspective.

Section V — What is Personality?
You know that everyone has a different personality, but what exactly is a personality?

While most people agree that a human being's personality is far too complex to categorize and label, some scientists and philosophers have devoted their lives to doing exactly that. They believe that although there are idiosyncrasies to each distinct personality, there are more general “personality types” that can be identified. One of the advantages of defining these types, is that once you know how someone tends to behave, you can start to predict future behavior. This has applications in both the real, and the theoretical world.

Before we get into exactly what these models are useful for, let's look at the history of personality typing and how older theories have developed into today's more popular personality tests.

Section VI — History of Personality Tests

As early as the fifth century B.C., the Greek philosopher/physician Hippocrates recorded the first known personality model. He based his four “types” on the amount of body fluids an individual possessed. The Greek physician Galen expounded upon Hippocrates' theory. He believed a predominance of blood led to a confident person who was cheerful and strong. A predominance of mucus led to an indifferent, slow personality. A predominance of black bile led to a depressed personality, and a predominance of yellow bile led to a violent and strong personality.

German philosopher Immanuel Kant later popularized these ideas in the 1700's, when he organized those constructs along two axes, feelings and activity. Depression represented weak feelings, confidence reflected strong feelings. Indifference represented weak activity, violence represented strong activity.

The next big step came from Wilhelm Wundt who started to think about these categorical groups not as finite, but as continuous dimensions. He proposed that the four temperaments fall on high or low positions on two axes, changeability and emotionality.

The idea that four basic temperaments existed, eventually became the basis of a number of late 19th-/20th-century behavioral theories. Some of the most significant work on this subject was done by the Swiss psychoanalyst, Carl G. Jung. In 1922, he introduced four categories of mental functioning: sensing, intuition, thinking and feeling in his work Psychological Types. At the time, Jung's ideas about personality types went largely unnoticed, due to the frenzy surrounding the modern psychoanalytic theories of Sigmund Freud, B.F. Skinner and others.

In the 1950s, however, Isabel Myers and her daughter Katherine Briggs revived Jung's ideas. Myers and Briggs used Jung's personality types as a base, then devised a 16-type indicator designed to identify patterns of human action. This test became the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), a tool for identifying different aspects of someone's personality. This “tool” exposed a whole, new international audience to Jung's psychological types. The tool further connected the science of personality typing, because the MBTI types were consistent with Hippocrates' four temperaments.

Behavioral scientists are not the only researchers interested in personality types. For a more mystical look at personality, we should turn to the Enneagram. This system has a more mysterious background. Based on an ancient nine-pointed diagram used as far back as 2000 B.C. by Pythagoras, the Enneagram leaves a blurry trail through many of history's mystical philosophies. Plato and his followers, the Kabbala branch of Judaism, the Islamic Sufi tradition, and even esoteric branches of Christianity have all found spiritual significance in the nine-pointed symbol. It wasn't until the 20th century that the Enneagram meshed with new-age psychology. The nine-pointed symbol became the template for a personality typing system that overlayed nine personality types on top of the Enneagram structure.

Modern Personality Tests
In addition to the MBTI (the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator) which is still one of the most widely used personality tests, other popular theories and tests exist. The Keirsey Temperament Sorter is a test built around David Keirsey's groundbreaking 1978 book Please Understand Me. The Keirsey Temperament Sorter is similar to the MBTI in its use of four dimensions and 16 categories, but the Keirsey method claims to have a more complex system of characterization.

In the 1970's researchers agreed that there was another way to measure personality traits. Tests like the IPIP-NEO are based on a five-factor personality methodology. Some scientists feel this is the most revealing way to describe personality because it can measure five fundamental dimensions of personality.

Personality Tests and Daily Life
An important thing to remember about personality tests is that no one personality type is better or worse than another. In addition, the results of most personality tests, including Emode's Ultimate Personality Test, derive their final personality types from more than one influence — usually a primary type shaded by at least one secondary type.

Although it is an imperfect science, personality models shed light on the complexities of human behavior. Undeniable patterns in human actions have existed since the dawn of man. Taken as guidelines and not absolute truth, personality tests can help us understand and better relate to ourselves and the world — to understand why we are the way we are. We can also use them to understand each other, not only to improve friendships, but to facilitate work relationships and career choices.

Many businesses use personality tests or abbreviated versions of personality tests to evaluate a prospective employee's strengths and weaknesses. Marriage counselors recommend certain personality tests to determine compatibility. But the most common use of personality typing is for fun and self-discovery. As you understand the spectrum of personality types and where you and your friends sit along that continuum, you can't help but gain a new appreciation for the simple differences, and amazing similarities, among us complicated beings.

Section VII — The Science Behind Emode's Personality Test

Emode and a team of four PhDs spent the past two years developing the Ultimate Personality Test. While fine-tuning it, we wanted to make sure of two things: 1. That is was a fun and insightful test that yielded interesting wisdom about your personality and 2. That it was grounded in real science.

Your Ultimate Personality Test went through it's own tests while being developed. The test you took is 50 questions long — but those questions fell out of months of research that tested thousands of qualities associated with personality. These were the best of the best when it came to identifying and isolating personality types.

Our scientific research team pored over the vast literature on personality. We administered a two-hour test giving hundreds of questions to thousands of people. We performed factor and cluster analyses on the results, then went back to survey those same test-takers to validate our study.

Now, more than 4 million people have taken the test.

As we've collected that enormous volume of data, we have been able to refine the test and make it even more accurate — delving deeper into the personalities and characteristics of the individuals who take our Ultimate Personality Test.

Now, we're offering the results of our research to the public. The Ultimate Personality Test is scientifically accurate. The results of the test will tell you what your personality type is, and how your personality type reacts to situations that involve romance, career, family, and health. In short, this test will change your life.