What does “personality” really mean?
Well, it simply means that there are aspects of who we are that stay relatively stable throughout our whole life. Our behaviors and sense of self will change as we age, but if you look inside you will see that there are things about yourself that haven’t changed since you were 15, whether it’s an insatiable curiosity, love of adrenaline, or a preference for structure and order in your workspace.
The most important thing to remember when discussing someone’s “personality” is that all traits exist on a spectrum. No one is 100% an introvert or an extravert – we all lie somewhere in between the two. It is easy to throw out labels which jam people into one rigid stereotype, but it is an inaccurate and frankly unfair approach to understanding human nature. This is why I have steered clear of the more narrowly focused and limited models such as the MBTI, and worked hard to develop one that has proven itself to be comprehensive, accurate, and enlightening.
Every personality test out there relies on a paper-and-pen test, except for this one. I use dialogue as a tool for personality typing, because a real conversation gets to the heart of who you are, what you value, and what you want your purpose to be in life. Context is everything, and you can’t provide context when asked whether you consider yourself “abstract” or “concrete”, with no chance to ask questions or explain your answer. My assessments and coaching are an individualized and unique process for everyone, and I provide results that go far beyond labels and stereotypes. Our discussions will will center on you – your history and your interests and passions – because how you are raised and what you love will shape where a specific trait will fall on the spectrum, as well as how and when it will manifest.
The other unique aspect of my work is that I believe that the more mature an individual is, the harder it will be to “type” them, and that the ultimate goal of understanding yourself and developing as a person is to eventually become untypable. Why? Because the older we become, the more adversity we face, and the more skills and experiences we have under our belt, the more well-rounded we are. There will still be parts of us that have changed only a little or not at all, but overall we learn to moderate the more extreme aspects of ourselves, and build up and overcome the deficits and flaws and unconscious tendencies that hold us back. So while I firmly believe in the legitimacy of personality typing as a science and an art, I will always encourage clients to rise above their type, and to challenge, defy, and conquer stereotypes and labels. Typing is a tool, not a prescription.
Gaelen Chinnock Consultations 