Tuesday, May 27, 2008

My personality type: Rational

Rationals are the problem solving temperament, particularly if the problem has to do with the many complex systems that make up the world around us. Rationals might tackle problems in organic systems such as plants and animals, or in mechanical systems such as railroads and computers, or in social systems such as families and companies and governments. But whatever systems fire their curiosity, Rationals will analyze them to understand how they work, so they can figure out how to make them work better.
  • Rationals tend to be pragmatic, skeptical, self-contained, and focused on problem-solving and systems analysis.
  • Rationals pride themselves on being ingenious, independent, and strong willed.
  • Rationals make reasonable mates, individualizing parents, and strategic leaders.
  • Rationals are even-tempered, they trust logic, yearn for achievement, seek knowledge, prize technology, and dream of understanding how the world works.
Rationals are very scarce, comprising as little as 7 to 10 percent of the population. But because of their drive to unlock the secrets of nature, and to develop new technologies, they have done much to shape our world.

I'm not sure what to think about being supposedly scarce. Does it explain why people confuse me sometimes or why I can be confusing sometimes?

I love the last sentence about analyzing systems to understand how they work so I can figure out how to make them work better. Reminds me of the creepy Sylar character in the TV series Heroes though.

All in all, a well-spent 10 minutes on the test: it's mostly accurate and where it isn't, it describes what I want to be. What's more, it lines up nicely with my random ruminations on the kind of career I want to have.

Take the test: