There are several ways to determine what kind of personality you possess. One way is to take a personality test. It is a worksheet that has a wide variety of questions that you answer and then the worksheet is tallied and you come up with a pattern of your personality. By knowing your type of personality, you can find things in life that will be more attuned to your ways. You may be able to find a career that suits your personality type. It is also helpful when you are in relationships to be able to identify your own as well as other people's personality so that communication and the relationship can work smoothly. If you feel that you may have a personality disorder a test can help you see more clearly where that disorder may be stemming from.

Personality tests try to tune in to what your lifetime character is and has been. It gives a somewhat clearer picture of who you are as a person. Some businesses require a personality test to be taken and scored before they hire you and at some private schools the classroom you are registered to is also based in part on a personality test session.

Some of the things measured on personality tests are strengths and weaknesses. There are some common terms across different tests that mean basically the same thing. The terms used are:

• Sanguine
• Choleric
• Melancholy
• Phlegmatic

These are words you have probably heard of before but they are hard to understand at times. To be simple and basic, you could think of the following as definitions of the four terms:

• Popular (sanguine)
  
• Powerful (choleric)
  
• Perfect (melancholy)
  
• Peaceful (phlegmatic)
  

Sanguine personalities are usually talkative, they have a good sense of humor, they have a memory for color, and also have energy and enthusiasm. Other traits of Sanguines are:

• Makes friends easily
• Loves to have people and crowds around
• Charming
• Sincere at heart
• Curious
• Good in front of others such as speaking or performing
• Wants to be popular
• Doesn't follow through on a lot of things
• Undisciplined

The Choleric is noted for being a born leader, being dynamic, wants to correct wrongs, strong-willed, goal oriented, may be a loner , bossy, impatient, inflexible, can't relax.

The Melancholy temperment is:

• Deep and thoughtful
• Analytical
• Talented, creative
• Artistic or musical
• Philosophical or poetic
• Idealistic
• Moody, depressed
• Low self image
• Not people oriented
• Critical

Phlegmatic's are low key, calm, collected, finds the easiest way, good listener, dry sense of humor, quiet, stays uninvolved, would rather be on the sidelines, indecisive and resists change.

There are natural born combinations of personalities. These are:

• Sanguine/Choleric
• Choleric/Melancholy
• Phlegmatic/Sanguine
• Melancholy/Phlegmatic

One of the two will usually be more dominant but it is possible to be evenly balanced. Any tests you take to determine your combination will be determined upon how you see your own self. There are some unnatural combinations that if scored together could indicate you are wearing a "mask" and can't see your own true personality.

The diametrically opposite combinations are :

• Sanguine/Melancholy
• Choleric/Phlegmatic

There are many reasons you may be "masking" a personality here are just a few:

1. Your birth order -
2. Legalistic religious home-
3. Emotional of physical abuse-
4. Alcoholism in the family-

Outside forces working in your life to make you conform to some else's concept of who you should be or a mask put on in childhood to survive a difficult situation is what generally causes masking. Another indication of you possibly wearing a mask is if you take a personality test and you score in three or even all four of the categories. Either you really can't see yourself, or you don't understand the questions or you are double masked. That means you can not perceive yourself as who you really are.

It takes a lot of energy to be someone who you are not, if you were born with a personality that is opposite of the one you are trying to wear as a mask, it is best to try and determine why you are putting on the one that is not natural to you and work through it. Consult a professional counselor to help you determine and work through this situation.

When taking personality tests there will probably be a list of words or phrases to choose from that best describe or most often apply to you. If you don't know for sure which one is most likely to apply to you , then it often helps to ask either a spouse or close friend . They can see you from a different point of view.

If possible when taking your test, ask the administrator if you can be provided with a definition list of the wording used in the test. For example: There may be a list of words that you are supposed to check which ones apply to you and in that list may be the following words:

• Repetitious
• Doubtful
• Crafty
• Refreshing

If the test provider can give you definitions of how they intend the word to be , then it will help you choose your answers better and therefore be more on target.

Other words and definitions frequently used on personality tests are as follows:

• Popular- Much desired as a guest, life of the party
• Funny- Sense of humor incorporated into stories and conversation
• Orderly- Methodical, systematic arrangement of things
• Changeable- having a child-like attention span that needs a lot of change and variety to keep from boredom.
• Frank- outspoken, doesn't mind saying exactly what they think
• Introvert- A person whose thoughts and interests are directed to their own self.

When dealing with personality tests there are so many that you need to be sure you are taking a reputable test and not just one of the fun quizzes that you often see online. Also, be sure and reference the exact specifics of the test you are taking. Some tests do not use the terms I described and they call their testing, a personality 'type' test. There are also some that are personality 'trait" tests. All in all, these testings can help you to learn more about your own self and your character and who you are and what you are about.

After finding the kinds of tests or assessments that you are interested in, then dive in and learn more about yourself. You'll be more aware of your own strengths, weaknesses, and you'll have learned a bit about your own self.

Here are a few tests that may interest you, if you find one listed that you want more information about then just use a search engine and research it online."

• Jung-Myers-Briggs typology
• The Big Five
• Keirsey Temperment sorter
• Enneagram
• Word Association testing

There are also personality test booklets and resources at local libraries and you can ask your family doctor about refering you to an office that specializes in personality types and subtypes.

Good luck and have fun with taking and understanding the personality tests you come across. Whatever your personality is, it is good to understand it so you can see how people are complex and different and how to better communicate with others of a different type. You'll be able to use your new found knowledge of yourself to explore areas in life that match up with who you are at the personality level. Much success to you in all you do!