The Soul's Mirror - Personality Traits

IT’S ME AGAINST THE WORLD

“You see, I wasn’t always like this, quiet, submissive or quick to back down - Various things led up to me being this way. It started that day I was body shamed publicly, bullied amongst those I thought to be my friends. It grew when I had an opinion but not the ears of an audience. It festered when I felt anxious to meet new people because of my flaws.

Now I own different personalities each suited to every individual I meet and situation I find myself in, I learnt to adapt to my environment’s stimuli and respond perfectly. It’s all good for a while, I don’t get talked over, bullied or shamed as much anymore- I am happy, at least I think I am, but at the end of the day, when I’m alone at night, I realize I don’t know which personality I display is truly mine.” – A teenager’s original thoughts.

Insight into Personality traits

There was a time where the classification of personality traits went from one extreme to the other- Introvert or Extrovert. Now it has been broadened to accommodate more personality traits such as the famous - Ambivert. Interestingly, in a survey I recently conducted amongst teens, 66.7% of them identified to be ambiverts and 33.3 recorded that they were Introverts.

Now I know the meaning of Ambiversion and I am fairly sure these teens have an idea of what it is too. Herein lies the bone of contention, these days, we have people introducing themselves saying

“Oh, I can be loud or quiet depending on the environment I find myself in or people I find myself with so I am an ambivert” - I am 60% sure that’s your go-to line as well.

With that in mind, let’s define an Ambivert. An ambivert is someone who has traits of both introversion and extroversion perfectly balanced in all their interactions.

Case Study 1.

Let’s use this scenario for more clarity – You’re invited to a dinner party with people you don’t know, how would you feel about it?

A: You feel a little nervous to meet new people but at the same time also excited to have chance to meet new people.

B: You feel really nervous to meet new people and would be extremely uncomfortable.

C: You feel very excited to meet new people and socialize.

I ’m sure you’d agree with me in saying Mr. A is an ambivert, yeah? Good

Mr. B is an introvert in your books too, right? Noted

Mr. C is an extrovert as well, I totally read your mind there.

Here’s a plot twist, ambivert A is balanced in full light of the scenario, nervous and yet equally excited to meet people. He is not deterred by the situation in any other way, his personality and feelings are in place and certain. He is independent of individuals and the events that could occur in the scenario.

How does that match to being an ambivert depending on the situation? Exactly, it doesn’t add up.

I can sense you questioning yourself already, chill, let’s think again.

If you were affected in a negative way by the situation, you would be Mr. B and if vice versa, you would be Mr. C.

Therefore, depending on the situation, you can show either introvert or extrovert behavior but definitely not a balance of the two as an ambivert would.

This realization poses the question, what personality trait does affected behavior due to experienced situations fall under then?

A Personality trait you probably haven’t heard of

A personality trait defined as Omnivert is the key to the puzzle we’re unraveling, the grey area between black and white.

Mr. B could be an omnivert, this depends on if he has negative feelings towards the situation or simply an introvert exactly as how Mr. C could be an omnivert if he has a positive mindset towards the dinner party or simply an extrovert.

An omnivert is someone who adapts their personality according to the situation they are in, an extrovert in some and introvert in others. An omnivert could be outgoing at a large party and then withdrawn at a smaller one. It all depends on the individual’s context of view of the situation.

Case Study 2

What would you do when you’re asked to make a presentation?

Feel honored and nervous at once? Or feel absolutely nervous if you realize crowd is not familiar? Or feel honored when you are the one chosen amongst your friends?

Ponder on that, if you are inclined to the first, you are an ambivert; the second you are an introvert or negatively affected omnivert; the third; you are an extrovert or you are a positively affected omnivert.

How to be sure of your personality? Honesty

Honesty is key for this task. You have to be completely truthful when judging your likely actions in scenarios that have been highlighted. Your personality goes a long way in determining how you manage your social interactions and in a grand scale, your emotional health.

Get the definitions right

Note the differences in these four possible personality traits

An introvert is shy, withdrawn and nervous regardless of whatever situation it is.

An extrovert is outgoing, social and bold regardless of whatever situation it is as well.

An ambivert balances his introversion and extroversion regardless of the situation.

An omnivert acts in accordance to how they feel about and what they make of the situation.

You could use this last scenario to quiz yourself as well – It’s Friday, party tonight or stay indoors?

Let me know your personality trait in the comment section!

Still unsure? Take a personality trait test.

The MYERS BRIGGS INDICATOR TEST and the BIG FIVE PERSONALITY TEST are great options to use if you’re looking for sound opinions and analytics of your personality trait.

I personally took a test on Wikihow.com as well and my results are in the picture below.

Note that tests aren’t perfect always, you are a complex, unique individual and a test doesn’t automatically define who you are.

Understanding the importance of knowing your personality trait

Doing work that aligns with your personality increases personal fulfillment and professional success. Knowing your personality gives you the upper hand in assessing situations and how you respond to them without a detriment to your emotional or mental health.

Self-awareness is promoted by being conscious of your personality trait, it is impossible to lose an identity you are sure of no matter the situation you find yourself in unlike the teenager we read about earlier in the post.

Your personality is your social manager, your mind’s advocate and your soul’s mirror. You have to be aware of the right one you identify with today.

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