Still asking the question…

It is a holiday weekend, the decibels of medicine and bike racing are tuned down low, so I ask myself, “why do I have this blog?”

Then, as if on cue, Dr Ves’ tweet about personality traits of bloggers appears.  The study said that only openness to new experiences was predictive of being a male blogger. (For female bloggers, don’t ask; it isn’t good news.) Surely, there had to be more to this story.

I am, as all of you humans are, many things.

Personality type?  Blogger?  Ah, maybe answers lurk a few clicks away?  Learning in the internet era unleashed.

Before today, I knew nothing of the formal classification of personality types.  I know like-minded people when I meet them, and I recognize the type in which I will get along with quite quickly.  That’s it.  Psychology 101 encompasses my knowledge base.

Why would I care about the personality traits associated with the “blogger” disease?

Because Andrew, a free-spitited teen with seemingly little life-pressure, said he couldn’t go ride mountain bikes today on some of the sweetest trails east of the Mississippi.  This awfully bitter elixir was a result of having to write two essays for summer school.  So, I asked myself, why would I write 5-7 essays per week, for free and with no teacher mandated deadlines?  Why blog?  English class was my least favorite.  Words were my nemesis. (Some critics send me Facebook messages suggesting they still are.)

Maybe learning more about personality types would help me through the fog of why a busy doctor, husband, dad and bike racer would feel the need to have a blog.

So it is that I happened onto the Myers-Briggs Personality Test.  And how could I resist taking the test–a free version, of course.  Knowing your personality-type is fast; internet-fast, the test takes only minutes.

Answer:  An ESTJ is my personality-type.  Frighteningly close, really.

As an ESTJ, your primary mode of living is focused externally, where you deal with things rationally and logically. Your secondary mode is internal, where you take things in via your five senses in a literal, concrete fashion.

ESTJs live in a world of facts and concrete needs. They live in the present, with their eye constantly scanning their personal environment to make sure that everything is running smoothly and systematically. They honor traditions and laws, and have a clear set of standards and beliefs. They expect the same of others, and have no patience or understanding of individuals who do not value these systems. They value competence and efficiency, and like to see quick results for their efforts.

ESTJs are take-charge people. They have such a clear vision of the way that things should be, that they naturally step into leadership roles. They are self-confident and aggressive. They are extremely talented at devising systems and plans for action, and at being able to see what steps need to be taken to complete a specific task. They can sometimes be very demanding and critical, because they have such strongly held beliefs, and are likely to express themselves without reserve if they feel someone isn’t meeting their standards. But at least their expressions can be taken at face-value, because the ESTJ is extremely straight-forward and honest.

The ESTJ is usually a model citizen, and pillar of the community. He or she takes their commitments seriously, and follows their own standards of “good citizenship” to the letter. ESTJ enjoys interacting with people, and likes to have fun. ESTJs can be very boisterous and fun at social events, especially activities which are focused on the family, community, or work.

The ESTJ needs to watch out for the tendency to be too rigid, and to become overly detail-oriented. Since they put a lot of weight in their own beliefs, it’s important that they remember to value other people’s input and opinions. If they neglect their Feeling side, they may have a problem with fulfilling other’s needs for intimacy, and may unknowingly hurt people’s feelings by applying logic and reason to situations which demand more emotional sensitivity.

When bogged down by stress, an ESTJ often feels isolated from others. They feel as if they are misunderstood and undervalued, and that their efforts are taken for granted. Although normally the ESTJ is very verbal and doesn’t have any problem expressing themself, when under stress they have a hard time putting their feelings into words and communicating them to others.

ESTJs value security and social order above all else, and feel obligated to do all that they can to enhance and promote these goals. They will mow the lawn, vote, join the PTA, attend home owners association meetings, and generally do anything that they can to promote personal and social security.

The ESTJ puts forth a lot of effort in almost everything that they do. They will do everything that they think should be done in their job, marriage, and community with a good amount of energy. He or she is conscientious, practical, realistic, and dependable. While the ESTJ will dutifully do everything that is important to work towards a particular cause or goal, they might not naturally see or value the importance of goals which are outside of their practical scope. However, if the ESTJ is able to see the relevance of such goals to practical concerns, you can bet that they’ll put every effort into understanding them and incorporating them into their quest for clarity and security.

All true, except mowing the lawn, and joining the PTA–that is unless they made me chief of the PTA on the first day.

Reason for blogging?  A little clearer, perhaps.

JMM