There are two “families” of psychometric personality assessments.
These either (i) group your results with people who are like you or they (ii) measure individual aspects separately.
The first family include tools like DiSC, Myers-Briggs, and Discovery Insights.
These are based on archetypes – a Jungian theory from 1917.
🐝 Are you extroverted 𝘰𝘳 introverted?
🐝 Are you a planner 𝘰𝘳 an ideas person?
🐝 Do you prefer outcomes 𝘰𝘳 relationships?
Notice that it’s 𝒐𝒓; not 𝒂𝒏𝒅.
These tools simplify assessments and can be a useful way of looking at how we behave and interact with others.
But that simplicity does sacrifice nuance, and doesn’t take in to account external factors.
The second family are based on personality models – the Five Factor (or Big5).
These measure individual facets of personality separately.
Gregariousness; dutifulness; hostility; altruism – around 30 different individual traits.
As they’re measured separately, we can be paradoxes.
We can be modest and assertive. We can be self-disciplined in some situations and frivolous in others.
Some of these tools – like Lumina Spark – also measure across different states.
🐝 Does your compliance increase or decrease when you’re tired?
🐝 Are you more or less ordered when stressed?
🐝 Are you naturally disordered at home, but structured at work?
Both families of tools have uses and benefits.
For example, you don’t need to be a psychologist or even understand any psychology of individual differences to be a great DiSC practitioner.
But, if you want a greater depth of insight that considered the whole personality, I’d recommend having an assessment and debrief of your Lumina Spark.
