Saturday, October 31, 2015

How self-confident are you? Professional Personality Test

Answer each question or statement by choosing which one of the three alternative responses given is most applicable to you.

Questions

1. How much do you depend on the approval of others in order to feel good about yourself?
a. Very much, as it makes me feel I am doing right not just by myself but also by others.
b. Not very much, as generally I trust my own abilities.
c. Generally, it does make me feel better when I have the approval of others.

2. How comfortable would you feel if invited to attend a social gathering such as a Buckingham Palace Garden Party?
a. Not very comfortable, in fact extremely nervous.
b. Very comfortable, and welcoming of the opportunity to meet many interesting and possibly famous people.
c. Fairly pleased about the prospect of attending, but also a little nervous.

3. How often do you worry about your appearance?
a. Frequently.
b. Rarely or never.
c. Occasionally.

4. In general, do you feel good about yourself?
a. I often feel frustrated and that I could do better and achieve more.
b. Yes.
c. It is not something to which I have particularly given much thought.

5. How much would you welcome the opportunity to take part in a current affairs radio discussion?
a. I would be very nervous and prefer not to take part.
b. Very much.
c. I would not mind taking part, but would not be overly excited at the prospect.

6. How would you describe your expectations in life?
a. I live more in hope than anticipation.
b. Realistic.
c. Quite high.

7. How good are you at selling yourself?
a. Not very good.
b. Very good.
c. I have some strengths that I am able to emphasize.

8. Do you feel there is a need to conform in order to be accepted by others?
a. Yes, to a great extent.
b. I am not interested in conforming, merely to be accepted.
c. To a certain extent.

9. How important is it to live up to the standards of others, such as parents?
a. I believe it is important to have role models.
b. Not that important, as it is more important to become your own person.
c. It is more important to live up to the standards expected by society in general, rather than the standards of individuals.

10. Do you generally strive for approval from every significant person in your life?
a. Yes, generally.
b. No, as this would seem to be an unattainable goal.
c. Sometimes.

11. Do you believe you have the courage of your own convictions?
a. Not particularly.
b. Yes.
c. Perhaps not as much as I would like.

12. Do you set yourself very high standards in everything you do?
a. Yes, I believe everyone should set themselves high standards.
b. I believe it is more important to set myself realistic standards.
c. Perhaps, in some things I do set myself high standards.

13. How optimistic an outlook have you on life?
a. I am more of a pessimist than an optimist.
b. Very optimistic.
c. Fairly optimistic.

14. What are your feelings about trying but failing?
a. Disappointment.
b. At least I tried, now is there anything positive I can gain from the experience?
c. Try, try, and try again.

15. How easy is it for you to bounce back after adversity?
a. Quite difficult, and there are some adversities from which you can never totally bounce back.
b. It is easier to bounce back after some adversities than others, but generally I feel I can bounce back pretty quickly.
c. It is never easy, but, hopefully, given time I am able to bounce back from most things.

16. How self-reliant are you in your own abilities?
a. We all need to rely on others to some extent.
b. Very much.
c. Fairly self-reliant.

17. How desirable is it for you to develop personal standards in life?
a. It is important to me that my values and standards have the approval of others.
b. Very desirable.
c. Fairly desirable.

18. Do you believe you are in control of your own life?
a. Not particularly, and none of us are ever completely in control of our own lives.
b. In general, I am in control of my own life.
c. I am in control to a certain extent, but not perhaps as much as I would wish.

19. How assured are you in your own abilities?
a. Not particularly assured.
b. Very assured.
c. Fairly assured.

20. Do you accept yourself for what you are?
a. No, there is always room for improvement.
b. Yes, in general I do.
c. To some extent; however, there are certain things I would perhaps prefer to change for the better.

21. How afraid are you of taking risks?
a. I worry greatly about taking risks and the possible consequences of failure.
b. I am not afraid of taking risks, as this is sometimes necessary in order to be successful.
c. It depends how great the risk.

22. Do you feel independent of the goodwill of others?
a. No.
b. Yes.
c. Sometimes, but not always.

23. How do you view new experiences?
a. With a certain amount of trepidation as not all new experiences are good ones.
b. As opportunities to learn and open up new possibilities.
c. As occasions where it is possible to either win or lose.

24. Do you carry out self-evaluation?
a. Rarely or never.
b. Yes, I often evaluate myself independently.
c. Sometimes.

25. How often do you put yourself down?
a. I am often very self-critical.
b. Very rarely or never.
c. Sometimes; however, I am also very mindful of the criticisms of others.

Analysis

The three definitions of confidence are:
* Assuredness and self-reliance in one’s own abilities;
* Belief in another person’s trustworthiness or competency;
* An agreement that information is not to be divulged, as in the phrase ‘in confidence’.

It is the first of these definitions, self-confidence, which is being assessed in this exercise.

Self-confidence is an attitude in which individuals have positive, but at the same time realistic, views about themselves and their situation. Such an attitude means that self-confident people are able to place trust in their own abilities and decisions. It also means they are able, to a great extent and within reason, to take control of their own lives and stand up for their rights and aspirations in today’s sometimes intimidating world.

At the same time, self-confident people have aspirations that are realistic. Being self-confident, therefore, does not mean being able to do everything. It does mean, however, that when sometimes their aspirations are not fulfilled, they continue to adopt a positive attitude and make the best of their situation. Self-confidence also need not apply to all aspects of a person’s lifestyle. Because self-confidence also means the ability to take a realistic view of themselves, some individuals will have total confidence in some aspects of their life, such as sporting prowess or social skills, but other aspects where they do not feel so confident, such as academic achievement.

Because they do not feel the need to conform in order to be accepted, self-confident people are not excessively dependent on others in order to feel good about themselves, and rarely put themselves down. Instead, they are willing to risk the disapproval of others because they have such confidence in themselves and trust their own abilities, and are able to accept themselves for what they are.

Assessment

Award yourself 2 points for every ‘b’ answer, 1 point for every ‘c’, and 0 points for every ‘a’.

40–50 points

Your score indicates that you are very self-confident and have great belief in your own abilities. Because you are so assured and self-reliant, you are someone who likes to be involved in, or take control of, any situation that concerns you. If, for example, there was a reorganization at work, you would want to take a central part in that reorganization and would see this as a career opportunity, whereas a less self-confident individual might view such a situation with a great deal of alarm and worry, and fear that the reorganization might lead to changes for the worse or even job losses.

The only word of caution to someone who scores so highly on this test is the need to be wary of over-confidence, to the extent that others perceive you as brash or cocky. You should at all times maintain a sense of reality, and bear in mind that success is something that needs to be worked hard for and will not just happen automatically.

25–39 points

You appear to be a generally confident person with a positive outlook. Although you are prepared to take a few risks in life, you are in the main someone who prefers security to a gamble. As you are not seen as over-confident, this means that you are able to interact with people on an equal basis, and this ability to interact with others is likely to make you a good team player.

You are likely to take a positive outlook in most situations, and have the ability to make decisions in a careful, measured and structured manner after weighing up all the options carefully.


Fewer than 25 points

As your score indicates a lack of self-confidence in your own abilities, you need to consider adopting certain strategies for developing your confidence. This entails first of all analyzing the reasons why you do not possess the self-confidence of others. One reason may be because it is simply the way you are. Many people are of a somewhat nervous disposition, or are so over-modest about their achievements that they tend to run themselves down.

Recommendations

There are other negative assumptions that individuals lacking self-confidence tend to make about themselves, which it is possible to address. These include:
* The belief that they are a failure, and not looking at the positive aspects of their life;
* The pessimistic attitude that disaster is always lurking around the next corner, and that even when things appear to be looking up and running smoothly someone, or something, is certain to throw a spanner in the works very soon;
* Magnifying everything negative that happens out of all proportion;
* Looking at others and thinking they have done better than them;
* Taking a generally negative view about many aspects of their life: who they are, what they have achieved and what they will achieve.

Instead of adopting these attitudes, strategies that can be adopted for developing confidence include:
* Evaluate and emphasize your strengths. Give yourself credit for everything you try to achieve. Focus on your achievements and any talents you possess.
* Nothing ventured nothing gained! Do not be afraid of taking risks. Regard risk taking as not so much a gamble, but the chance to grasp new opportunities. Even if you fail, be upbeat and give yourself credit for trying, View the failure as a learning experience and as achieving some personal growth.
* Learn to evaluate yourself instead of letting other people do it for you. Often lack of self-confidence is the result of focusing too much on the unrealistic aspirations of others such as parents, or the standards and lifestyle of others in society. Instead, focus on how you feel about yourself and your lifestyle. This will make you feel more in charge of your own life.
* Do not expect perfection. There is no such thing. Learn to accept yourself with all your imperfections, at the same time balancing this with the desire to improve.
* Do not assume you always have to please everyone. Develop your own standards that are not dependent on the approval of others.
* Do not let your past rule your life. Develop the confidence to move on and make choices when circumstances dictate this is the best course of action.

Adopting the above strategies should have the effect of making you believe more in your own abilities in the future. If you can gain more confidence, it will in turn encourage more people to have confidence in you, with the result that you could become a stronger, more respected person, and have more potential to achieve success in life.

Source: “IQ and Psychometric Tests”, by Philip Carter


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