Words: 1470
I have always perceived myself as a very straight forward individual with a very open mind and pride filled heart, but that was the extent of my thinking. I never really took the time to analyze my personality traits and research within myself to discover why I am the way I am. After taking the Jung Typology Test and going through the brain-storming process to prepare for this paper, I have come to the realization that there are specific events in my life that have conformed me into what I see in the mirror today.
According to the test my personality type is ENFJ and the most appropriate career choice for me is teaching, I both agree with the results for many different yet rational reasons. The test results show that I distinctively expressed an extravert personality which I more than I agree with. Some would say that this can be contributed to growing up in Buffalo, New York and having the East Coast attitude, which is very loud and robust.
However for me it’s a little bit more specific, you see I was born in South Korea and didn’t come to the United States until I was about 5 years old and it is no secret that the our culture and Korea’s are worlds apart. It has been said that a person’s personality is most affected when they are young, well living in Korea I was taught to be very passive and not to be outspoken, which are two traits that the average New Yorker do not live by. So as you can imagine I had a very hard time adapting to my new environment and I spent my first year barely speaking a word to anyone including my teachers.
Needless to say I was miserable in all aspects of the word, I didn’t know how to tell my parents and I had no idea how to break out of my shell, all I could focus on is going back home where I thought I belonged and most of all fit-in. Lost and confused I turned to my older sister for guidance seeing how she wasn’t having any trouble adjusting or making friends, then she told me something that was so simple that even a five year old could grasp, she turned to me and said, “If you were in Korea how would you treat a new American kid in school and how would you want them to act? Then I realized I too would be a little reserved to a new foreign student and then I realized this whole time I had been waiting for friends just to appear and approach me instead me extending my hand of friendship. So the following year I went against my nature and overcame my shyness and decided to be as outgoing as possible, and to no ones surprise but my own it worked perfectly. I will be the first one to admit that this was the scariest most nerve wrecking thing that I ever had to do but it was also the most exhilarating feeling in the world.
Once I had opened up, I had learned that the whole class was anxious to learn about me and where I had came from but due to my quite and reserved demeanor they too were scared to approach me. By end the end of that year I not only spoke English fluently but I had more friends than I could handle. After overcoming that milestone, I have had no problem adjusting to my surroundings and especially expressing my extravert personality. The rest of the categories in the ENFJ personality types are Intuitive and Feeling.
I distinctively expressed an intuitive personality and a feeling personality, which I both concur with. I have always been taught to be aware of my surroundings and be able to view the bigger picture and I can contribute those traits to my mother. My mother is the most caring, loving, giving and hard-working person I have encountered in my life. I know that I have a biased opinion on the matter, her being my mother and all but I know for a fact that anyone that has crossed paths with my mother will agree.
My mother came to the United States with nothing but a vision of equality and a drive for success and after meeting my father and then returning back to Korea to have me and then coming back to the states she has the strength of a superhuman. It has always been her goal, which she always made clear to me to instill her emotion and passion for life in me, whether it was by her words or examples. One particular moment of compassion will stick with me forever.
My mother and father both owned convenient stores where I grew up and I spent a good portion of my younger years at my mother store. One day a young man came into the store and shop lifted numerous of items in which I caught out the corner of my eye. I quickly turned to my mother and proceeded to tell, my mother confronted the young man who couldn’t of been any older that 13 or 14 and then to my surprise did not call the police but took the boy aside and exchanged a few words and let the boy go with a bag of groceries.
I was fiercely upset and confused being taught that stealing is one of the worst things that a person could do. It wasn’t until later my mother explained to me that it wasn’t that he was stealing it was what he was stealing that she was concerned about. He tried to steal a loaf of bread and carton of milk, not the average teenage shoplifter’s main products. She then proceeded to tell me that the boys father had left him and this two younger sisters alone with there sick mother to fend for themselves, and that by calling the police we would only be contributing to his misery.
From the day on I looked at life with a more compassionate view, instead of only seeing the problem and not understanding it, we are cutting ourselves short and in sense adding to the problem. My mother’s compassion that day has followed me throughout my entire life and I have tried my best to not only be sympathetic to others needs but appreciate what I have and cherish it with a passion that is un-parallel. Last but no least I slightly expressed a judging personality which I am very proud of. I take the saying don’t judge a book by its cover very literally.
The way I look at it is I don’t want others to judge me so why would I judge them. I always try to give the other person the benefit of the doubt and to the best of my capability let them express who they are before jumping to judgment. Whether we like to admit it or not we live in a discriminating world whether it’s by race, religion, or social status, and this is due to fear and ignorance. I don’t have a specific example as to why I am not judgmental I think that I am not because I was raised right and I know that everyone has something to offer and it would be a shame not to give them that chance due to pre-judgment.
This is one of the main reasons why I agree with the career path, I feel like I have the ability to be a great teacher because of my ability not to judge which after tutoring in the Clover Park School district happens a lot more often then you would like to think. In closing I agree with the overall views of the test results, as I reading the description of the ENFJ I felt like I was reading a guideline of my life. I have always prided myself on my interpersonal skills and my ability to be able to relate with others on a personal level.
My mind is always working and thinking outside of the box, with coincides with my dreams of becoming a successful entrepreneur. I always seem to put other people’s problems and concerns before mine even when I have to sacrifice things that are important to me. I greatly enjoyed this assignment because for the first time in a long time I was able to learn and understand a lot about myself. Most of all I learned that I am who I am because who I have surrounded myself with good people and through my trials and tribulations I have become a better person.