Humanmetrics: Student Analysis

For this assignment, time was spent taking a Myers Briggs type assessment online. I visited the (Humanmetrics) website provided to us in class. While taking the test, I took note of the terminology used in each of the items. I also looked at what the questions were asking holistically. After taking the test, I received the results: ENFJ. This paper aims to document the basis I felt existed within the different items of the test and to explore possible biases that could possibly be found by someone of a different culture.
The first question of the test asks: “You are almost never late for your appointments (Humanmetrics).” I almost laughed as I read it. Growing up, I was late for everything. My mother is known for being late, so much

so, that it is a running joke within our family. Family members have been known to tell her events start an hour prior to their actual time, so she would be on time, and she would still be late. Tardiness is something that I now loath. I am known to be prompt. When running late, it causes me a great deal of anxiety. I think that I feel that this is biased because had someone not experienced habitual tardiness growing up, he/she may not see an issue with being late. Even so, if an individual did experience it, he/she may have adopted it as his/her norm and feel as if it appropriate.
The next item that stood out to me was item 4.

It asked, “You feel involved when watching TV soaps (Humanmetrics).” I do not watch TV soaps. In fact, I rarely watch television. As a child, I was not allowed to watch much television, and as an adult, I find myself feeling as if I am wasting time and should be doing something different than just watching a show. When I do watch television, I am often up and down doing other things such as cooking or laundry. If I do sit and watch a show, I am usually reading, working on homework, or doing something in addition to just watching the show. When asked this question, I had a hard time understanding how this relates to one’s personality. I think this question is very conditional. Rather than using the word “TV soaps,” the author could have inferred movies or novels to include a larger

audience.
“You are usually the first to react to a sudden event: the telephone ringing or unexpected question (Humanmetrics),” was the next item that raised a sense of bias or more so concern for me. I am quick to react to questions however I am probably the last to react to a telephone. I answered this question with a soft yes for that reason. When I was younger, I would be the first to run for the phone. However, as I have matured, it depends on what I am doing. If I am busy, I let the call go to voicemail and will return the call if necessary when I am less busy. My mother-in-law used to get furious with me because of this. She would always ask me why I did not answer my phone; “what if it was an emergency,” she would say. I just have an issue with allowing a ringing phone dictate my actions. I do not see how it is important to stop doing what you are doing to immediately be available to someone else. It is not that I feel as I am more important than whoever is on the other end of the phone, it is just that I value being able to give my attention to that person and not be distracted by whatever it is that I think I should be doing.
As I continued with the test, I quickly realized that my answers were influenced by several factors.

I answered them as honestly as I could without thinking too much about them or this assignment. I am good at that- I tend to over-think things. I think that is why I was surprised with my results. I thought for sure I was a thinker rather than a feeler. However, as I read my results, it explained that my thinking is introverted and that my thinking is associated with how I feel about something rather than concrete logical thinking and that made more sense.
Another factor that I recognized influenced my responses was the fact that I am religious. Some of the questions referred to “destiny” and the “complexity of life (Humanmetrics).” While answering these types of questions, I immediately began thinking of God and/or my religion. It is for this reason that I chose to pick religious affiliation for the second part of this

assignment.
For me, my religion is a large part of who I am. I think that a lot of my values and beliefs have been shaped by my Catholic background. After I got married, I decided to leave the Church to explore other churches with my husband. He was not comfortable with my church, and I was not comfortable at his. We attended several different churches over the years. We eventually visited the Catholic Church in Greenfield and found our home church. During this process, I was able to examine what is important to me and adopted my own set of values and beliefs. Even though I was raised Catholic, I now feel as if this is something I have chosen to be.
The Bible is full of things that tell us what we should and should not do. Many other religions share or reject some of these beliefs. For instance, most religions have some sort of high power or deities, but the different religions may argue who that god is, and from my understanding, most religions have doctrines or principles related to how one should act.
Then there are those individual that are agnostic. Some believe in there is a higher power but do not align themselves with a particular faith. Others completely dismiss the fact that there is any celestial being. These individuals, I believe, are guided by their own philosophies of what life is, what is right or wrong, and how life should be lived.
For those that are not religious or share a different religious perspective, many of the items on this assessment could be answered differently. I cannot recall a Bible verse that says thou shall not be late, however I can think of several that would support the idea of tardiness to be faulty. I also think of other religions, such as the Muslim faith, that pray multiple times a day at specific times. In these instances, timeliness would be very important to an individual. However, meeting an obligation of another appointment could be of lesser concern for that same individual. Therefore, this question can be answered multiple ways depending on what the person is thinking about at the time of taking the test.
There are also several questions that relate to advanced planning. Individuals that are strongly devoted to their faith would need to adhere to some type of schedule. There are commonly certain days and even times to worship. This could result with those individuals answering yes to this question especially if their faith encourages multiple daily rituals. All other activities would need to be scheduled around those times reserved for prayer.
Another item asks, “You like to be engaged in an active and fast-paced job ((Humanmetrics).” I think of the Buddhist religion that practices calmness. This could influence the way that they answer this question opposed to those that have a more puritan work-ethic associated with many Protestant faiths.
Another test item that I believe could be influenced by one’s religion is, “You feel involved when watching TV soaps (Humanmetrics).” There are religions, such as the Anabaptist most closely associated with the Amish and the Mennonites, that simply do not watch television or engage in similar activities. It is impossible for them to accurately relate to this question. While they could answer this with a no, it may not be an accurate depiction of their true personality. As mentioned before, I felt as if my upbringing, although not religiously motivated, influenced the way that I answered this question and proposed the idea of adding while reading a novel to be a more inclusive question.
“You feel that the world is founded on compassion (Humanmetrics),” is the next item that raised concern for me while thinking about religion culture and taking this test. For me, I have been taught to believe in mercy and the good of all people. I have also been taught my God is forgiving and loving. I think of friends of different Christian churches that have received a very different message. They view God as someone to be feared and as vengful. I also think about the Hindu religion and its belief of the caste system. I think that one’s perception of others and his/her idea of God would influence this question. Those rejected by society and considered to be untouchable surely would not think that the world is compassionate, but someone of a higher level caste may view things differently even though they share the same religious beliefs.
“Strict observance of the established rules is likely to prevent attaining a good outcome (Humanmetrics),” is another item that I believe is closely related to one’s religious beliefs. I think of those individuals that have strong beliefs and practice the doctrines associated with their faith devotedly. There are also those that, while they identify with a particual faith, are more relaxed and do not necessarily adhere to all the principles of their faith. In addition, some individuals are agnostic, but that does not necessarily mean that they have not established or adopted a certain set of laws or a guideline to live by. For those that are more strict with their practice of faith or self-made principles, they would answer this question with a yes. Those that are more laxed would answer this with a no.
There are multiple questions that relate to interacting or speaking with others. I assume this is to determine whether one’s personality is more extraverted or introverted. I find bias with these questions because there are religions where interaction or speaking to others are restricted or prohibited. Even in my own faith, there are monks and nuns that have taken vows of silence. If people were to associate this item with their religion, it may not accurately reflect who they are.
This test also asks questions related to whether or not one seeks to find the big picture opposed to relying on facts. This is an area that I strongly believe to be influenced by one’s faith. At times, the facts do not make sense and it takes a leap of faith to proceed. Having a higer power, one can trust things to be as they are meant to be. There are faiths that are strictly deterministic, Hinduism and their belief in the caste system once again comes to mind. Other religions, including my own, are based on the freewill of God, however are still layered with the idea of predestionation. Even so, if one does not have that belief or religion supporting them, they may be reluctant or unable to see that bigger picture.
Because the answers vary between religions and even vary among those of the same faith, I question if religion is a relevent factor to agrue the bias found within this test. However, I stand firm. This assessment is used to determine one’s personality, not religion. Thinking of Bronfenbrenner’s ecological theory of development, one’s church or faith, is considered to shape the development of that individual. Therefore, it is logical to think that while people’s personalities may shape how they pracitice their faith, their faith would still influence how they would answer the items of this test.