Personality test

A friend recommended a personality test. I liked my result; it seems pretty accurate. And it's got the coolest name. I'm a Guardian Protector.

Here's my result (my comments are in bold):

We are lucky that Protectors make up as much as ten percent the population, because their primary interest is in the safety and security of those they care about - their family, their circle of friends, their students, their patients, their boss, their fellow-workers, or their employees. Protectors have an extraordinary sense of loyalty and responsibility in their makeup, and seem fulfilled in the degree they can shield others from the dirt and dangers of the world. This makes me think of the popular sheep, sheepdog and wolf metaphor that I first read about in Lt. Col. Grossman's book about warriors. I'm a sheepdog. He said:

Here is how the sheep and the sheepdog think differently. The sheep pretend the wolf will never come, but the sheepdog lives for that day. After the attacks on September 11, 2001, most of the sheep, that is, most citizens in America said, "Thank God I wasn't on one of those planes." The sheepdogs, the warriors, said, "Dear God, I wish I could have been on one of those planes. Maybe I could have made a difference."

That's exactly how I felt.

Speculating and experimenting do not intrigue Protectors, who prefer to make do with time-honored and time-tested products and procedures rather than change to new. At work Protectors are seldom happy in situations where the rules are constantly changing, or where long-established ways of doing things are not respected. For their part, Protectors value tradition, both in the culture and in their family. Protectors believe deeply in the stability of social ranking conferred by birth, titles, offices, and credentials. I don't know about all that, but I do respect rank and the chain of command. And they cherish family history and enjoy caring for family property, from houses to heirlooms.

Wanting to be of service to others, Protectors find great satisfaction in assisting the downtrodden, and can deal with disability and neediness in others better than any other type. Very true.

They are not as outgoing and talkative as the Provider Guardians [ESFJs], and their shyness is often misjudged as stiffness, even coldness, when in truth Protectors are warm-hearted and sympathetic, giving happily of themselves to those in need. I've been told I come across as arrogant, but I'm not.

Their reserve ought really to be seen as an expression of their sincerity and seriousness of purpose. The most diligent of all the types, Protectors are willing to work long, hard hours quietly doing all the thankless jobs that others manage to avoid. Protectors are quite happy working alone; in fact, in positions of authority they may try to do everything themselves rather than direct others to get the job done. When it's my case, I do have trouble delegating. I don't even like my coworkers to search my prisoners, even when policy says they should (same gender searches when possible).

Thoroughness and frugality are also virtues for them. When Protectors undertake a task, they will complete it if humanly possible. They also know better than any other type the value of a dollar, and they abhor the squandering or misuse of money. I don't consider plane tickets to Africa to be "squandering." To save, to put something aside against an unpredictable future, to prepare for emergencies-these are actions near and dear to the Protector's heart.

For all these reasons, Protectors are frequently overworked, just as they are frequently misunderstood and undervalued. Their contributions, and also their economies, are often taken for granted, and they rarely get the gratitude they deserve. This is OK since I don't do things for gratitude.

Mother Teresa, George H.W. Bush, Jimmy Steward, and Tsar Nicholas II are examples of Protector Guardian style.

And just to round out the post, here's a quote from Dave Duncan:

It is in the darkest of times that honor and courage and service shine most brightly. So let us make this our pledge together, you and I... that we shall always hold true to our ways, or laws and our traditions. Then centuries yet unborn will look back on us and see, not our darkest times, but our most glorious.