27 Personalities

Introductory guide

Why it can be easy to misidentify your type

Looking only at a recent role, an appealing description or familiar behaviors makes it easy to choose a type that differs from your core motivation.

Being drawn only to strengths

It is easy to choose a type close to who you want to be or the abilities you have been praised for. Read not only about strengths, but also about the difficulties that arise when automatic reactions become rigid.

Treating a role as personality

You may be firm because you are in a leadership role, or kind because you are in a caring role. Notice what you keep checking even when that role is absent.

Treating your recent state as the whole picture

Stress or a major change can amplify reactions that differ from your usual ones. Look for patterns that have recurred across years and different relationships, rather than just the past few weeks.

Not comparing similar types

Reading about only one candidate with similar behaviors means missing the differences. Compare what the two types try to protect in the same situation, and answer the observation questions.

Related reading

See the type descriptions