I’m an ‘inspector’ apparently. It’s a description of my personality according to the system devised by a Professor David Keirsey (Please Understand Me II). I’ve always shied away from such personality tests fearing the tester at the end of the process would say something like, ‘Get out of here – you’re an absolute monster’!

So being an ‘inspector’ doesn’t seem too bad. Here’s a sentence from the longer description: ‘Inspecting is the act of looking carefully and thoroughly at the products and accounts of an institution – the company’s ledger, the farmer’s produce, the manufacturer’s merchandise, the family’s budget – and ISTJ’s take on this role with quiet determination’. I guess looking at historical records of all kinds and then making sense of them would fit too and there’s little doubt that I’m happiest doing that.

But here are another few sentences that rattled me a little: ‘In orientation, they tend to be dutiful, pessimistic, and stoical as they guard the gateways and look to yesterday. They base their self-image on being seen as dependable, beneficent, and respectable. Often concerned about things, they trust authority, yearn for belonging, seek security, prize gratitude, and aspire to executive position’. Yikes! Looking in mirrors can be painful at times!

Anyone else done this kind of testing?

It’s my birthday this week and I’m posting some more personal stuff on the blog.