Self Analysis II

Tool Selected: Am I a Type-A?

If only two personalities existed, this tool would be indispensable in distinguishing the two. It operates on the assumption that two basic personalities do exist, the Type-A and the Type-B. According to the test results, people who “are always moving, walking, and eating rapidly” or “strive to do two or more things at once” are considered Type-A personalities. The reverse, Type-B personalities, feel the opposite about this frantic approach to life. The tool itself comes from a scale printed in the Journal of Chronic Diseases.

As discussed in class, group dynamics relate closely to the personalities of the group. In an effort to best balance membership, it is important to consider personalities, and the Type-A/B split is a useful one. Having too many Type-A personalities may result in a flurry of activity without a methodical undertone that many Type-B personalities tend to provide.

Analysis of Self

According to the analysis, my score of 102 placed me as having an A- personality type. The scale does not “value” personalities as being better than one another, rather it gives a warning that Type-A people should observe the “tendency to focus on quantity over quality.” This score does not surprise me in the least since I have found myself to possess these traits described by the test. In fact, in the book, The Wisdom of the Enneagram: The Complete Guide to Psychological and Spiritual Growth for the Nine Personality Types, my personality type was 3, The Achiever.

The effect is that many times, I find myself trying to do too much and racing around at the last minute to take care of the things to which I have committed. This can indeed lead to quantity over quality.

Action Plan

As a result, my action plan to address these concerns includes the following goals:

• Each week, complete one project for work or school at least one full day before it is due.
• Since Type-A people have a higher rate of heart disease (Counihan, 2003) and I have a family history of heart disease, I will consciously monitor my cholesterol intake and exercise at the YMCA for one hour twice each week, despite my physically involving job.
• To keep from overload, I will invoke a 24-hour consideration period to contemplate whether a new opportunity or position is worth the time it would consume.

Journal of Chronic Diseases, June 1969, R.W Bortner, "Short Rating Scale as a Potential Measure of Pattern A Behavior," pp. 87-91.

This was the source for the self-assessment test.

Riso, Don Richard and Hudson, Russ. The Wisdom of the Enneagram : The Complete Guide to Psychological and Spiritual Growth for the Nine Personality Types. 1999. Bantam.

This book provides tests and analyses for the nine personality types they identified. Again, I’m a 3, the achiever.

Psychosomatic Medicine, July 2003. Peter Counihan, MD, preventive cardiologist, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

This study found that Type-A personalities are more likely to suffer from heart disease than the public at-large and recommended exercise to reduce stress.