Hi everyone! I'm Jennifer from English with Jennifer. If you enjoy studying
American English and you want to practice all skills for confident communication,
be sure to subscribe. You can visit my website to see all my playlists.
I teach vocabulary, grammar, American pronunciation, U.S. culture, and more.
As you know, I'm an English language teacher, not a psychologist, but I think a
lot of us enjoy a bit of pop psychology. We have these common ideas about how
people think and how people behave. We categorize people according to their personalities.
This practice of labeling people and placing them in categories is
sometimes called pigeonholing. Sometimes our labels aren't fair or accurate,
but we still use them and rely on them.
In this lesson, we're not going to get into
a deep discussion about the human character. I just want to help you master
useful vocabulary for talking about personality types. Let's make it fun.
We're going to pigeonhole ourselves. Take my 10-question quiz and see if you agree with the results.
Ready? Note your answers to Questions 1-3. One. Where are you on the weekend?
A. In my room doing something on my phone or reading a book.
B. Out with friends or family.
Two. You're at a party. What do you do? A. Find a quiet place to
have a conversation with a friend or sit quietly with my phone. B. Have fun! Show off my dance moves.
Three. You're going on vacation. What are you thinking about?
A. I need to make sure that all my plans are in place and that I've given my
emergency contact information to my family.
B. I hope I have an amazing time. I can't wait to see my old friends and go bungee jumping.
Okay. Let's talk about the results. If you answered A to most of those questions,
you're an introvert. You're introverted. If you answered B to most
of those questions, you're an extrovert. You're extroverted. Introverts are often
called shy, but that's not the most accurate description. Introverts are
reserved, cautious, introspective. "Introspective" means they think quietly
about their feelings and their behavior. Introverts like time alone with less
excitement and noise. Introverted people can be very sensitive, and that's not
necessarily a bad thing. In contrast, extroverts are considered
outgoing. They're more likely to be risk takers, and they take initiative.
They don't wait for guidance or permission. Extroverts can find it boring to be alone,
and they enjoy being the center of attention. That's partly because they're so talkative.
Let me note that it's possible to be a combination of the two.
When the time is right, I can become more extroverted, but at heart, I'm an introvert.
I've heard the phrase "an extroverted introvert." I think that's me.
Okay. Let's go on with the next set of questions. Questions 4 and 5.
Question 4. Why would you join a game? A. I love a good competition!
B. Just for the fun of it. Win or lose, I just enjoy playing the game with others.
Question 5. How do you feel about having goals? A. I set goals and I
achieve them. B. I procrastinate. I put things off.
I finish things when I feel like it.
If you answered A to both questions, you probably have a Type A personality.
People with a type A personality are ambitious and competitive. They can be
high achievers, and they like to test the limits. They like to finish things, and
they can do it all quickly. If you answered B to both questions, you
probably have a Type B personality. People with this type of personality are
more relaxed. We call them easy-going.
People with a Type B personality are flexible. They don't get upset easily, so
they're likable. Type B people like to have a low stress level. Again, you could
be a mix of the two. I think that's what I might be. But there are two other types.
Let's see if these traits sound more like you.
Okay. Here we go with Questions 6 and 7.
Six. What gives you more satisfaction? A. When things are done well
and done right. B. When I feel safe and I feel certain that everything's going to
be okay. Seven. What bothers you more? A. When people ruin my order and routine.
B. My feelings of worry.
If you feel the first answer in both questions describes you better, you may
have a Type C personality. These people are perfectionists.
Time with others can hurt something they value: order and routine. One of their
strengths is problem-solving because they're committed to quality and
accuracy. If you feel the second answer in both of those questions describes you
better, you may have a Type D personality. These people can worry a lot and feel
lonely, but they have deep thoughts. They're reflective. They look inward.
They do a lot of quiet thinking, and other people may value all those insights by
turning to a Type D personality for advice when they have problems.
So although these may be anxious people, they can also be quite wise.
At least, that's how I understand a Type D. personality. So do you think you're Type A, C, D, or D?
Maybe you're a combination. I think I'm a mix, but I'm probably more of Type C.
All right. I have three more questions for you.
Questions 8-10. Here we go. Question 8. What will I find on your phone?
A. A full calendar of events and lots of reminders I've created.
B. A few events that I got invited to and that end up on my calendar.
Questions 9. What will you do for the holiday season?
A. Make sure I have small gifts for all my friends.
B. Make sure I catch all the holiday movies I want to see.
Ten. What describes your mood? A. I generally feel calm and relaxed. B. My mood changes quite often.
Okay. So people generally fall on a spectrum, within a range. They're not
always 100% one type or another, so we can talk about tendencies. If you tend to
be one way, that's your usual way of being.
If you said in Question 8 that you have a full calendar and a list of
reminders, you probably rank high in conscientiousness. The adjective is
conscientious. It's a positive trait. You like to prepare for situations and stay
on top of your work. You are efficient. If you rank low in this category, you don't
like the pressure of a strict schedule or too much organization. That may mean
you're a little disorganized. Now here's the funny thing. I rate myself high in
conscientiousness because I'm organized and detail-oriented, but I'm not totally
opposed to change. There's another category of openness. If you rank high,
then you're willing to try new things, and you can be creative. If you rank low,
then you're more rigid. You're less flexible in your thinking and in your routine.
So are you more open minded or closed-minded? If you said you care about
giving gifts to all your friends in Question 9, you rank high in
agreeableness. The adjective is agreeable. If you rank high in this category, you're
cooperative rather than competitive. You're caring and kind.
If you rank low in agreeableness, then you don't care too
much about how others feel or what problems they may have.
You might be considered insensitive.
If you said your moods change a lot in
Question 10, you may rank high in neuroticism. The adjective is more common:
neurotic. If your mood changes often, you may be irritable.
That means that things easily upset you.
In all honesty, most of us are a little neurotic in this fast-paced world we
live in. It's not always easy to go with the flow
and stay relaxed. Do you agree? We'll end here. I know I
presented a lot of vocabulary. Did you find the lesson useful? Please remember
to like and share this video with others learning English.
Post a comment. Tell me which words describe you best. To help you,
here's a short review. People can be introverted or extroverted. Introverts
are usually reserved, cautious, introspective, and sensitive. They keep to
themselves. And extroverts are often outgoing and talkative. They're risk takers.
People might be ambitious and competitive. They're high achievers, or
perhaps they're easy-going, flexible, and likable. Some are perfectionists. They're
detail-oriented. Some people are moody, anxious, but also wise.
You may be efficient and organized -- or disorganized because you procrastinate.
Are you open-minded and creative?
Are you close-minded and rigid? Are you competitive and insensitive sometimes?
Or cooperative and caring? Some people are irritable; others know
how to go with the flow.
If you'd like to talk about personality types or any other topic that interests you,
book a private lesson. We'll discuss what matters to you, and you'll get my
personal support and feedback. I'll put the link to my teaching calendar in the
video description. As always, thanks for watching and happy studies!
I'd like to say a very special thank you to the current members of my channel.
Hopefully, more of you will join us for the next live stream. Follow me and gain
more practice on Facebook and Twitter. I also have new videos on Instagram.
If you haven't already, subscribe to my channel so you get notification
of every new video I upload to YouTube.