Knowing the different aspects of your personality can give you an indication of your preferred behaviours in a work setting. Personality is a complex phenomenon and it is not assumed that an individual's entire personality can be summarised by a single questionnaire. Useful measures of aspects of personality are included in the Ocupational Interests Profile (OIP+) and the Learning Styles Indicator (LSI).
Need for Variety
This scale provides a measure of the extent to which an individual requires variety and change in their life. High scorers will always be seeking new and exciting activities and will probably become extremely bored if asked to perform the same task for any length of time. Such individuals also enjoy taking risks and require some element of adventure or excitement in their life. Low scorers, on the other hand, will prefer set routines and the familiarity of doing things they have done before. These will be cautious, safety conscious individuals who have little need for excitement and thrills in their life.
Stability
High scorers on this dimension are emotionally stable, calm and composed individuals. Generally optimistic, they will rarely brood over past failures but will instead get on with the next task. Accepting criticism in a good natured way they will rarely be upset by the thoughtless comments others might make. Low scorers tend to be emotionally volatile and prone to sudden swings in their mood. Easily upset by others, they may react adversely to criticism even if this is justified. Such individuals will have a tendency to worry about past failures and feel depressed at their perceived inadequacies.
Structure
A high score on this scale suggests an individual who will pay attention to detail, displaying perseverance and self-control. Well organised, they will be careful to plan ahead, attempting to account for any possible contingencies. If they start a task they will feel compelled to see it through to completion. Low scorers will not be the most organised people in the world, tending to be careless and impractical. Spontaneous people, they will see little need for making plans, and will often start tasks but lose interest in them before they are finished.
Need for People
A measure of sociability, giving an indication of an individual's desire to work with people, be an active group participant and need group support and recognition. High scorers will dislike being on their own, preferring to be a member of a group. They will have a great liking for social occasions and will not shirk from being the centre of attention. Low scorers will much prefer to work alone, tending to prefer their own company to that of others. They will have little need for group support and social recognition, feeling comfortable when making their own decisions.
Need for Control
This scale gives a measure of a person's preference for leading and directing people, taking charge and responsibility for others. High scorers will be assertive individuals who are in their element in positions of power and responsibility. Thriving in a position of leadership and authority, they love to organise other people. Such individuals will tend to take the lead in group discussions pushing their own views and ideas forward, paying little attention to those of others. Low scorers will not particularly like being in positions of authority, finding it difficult to give orders to people. They will much prefer to be left to get on with their own work rather than being responsible for organising the work of others.
Link to sample OIP+ report (for counsellors)
Link to sample OIP+ report (for students)
Different people have different ways that they prefer to learn. For example, while some people prefer to learn by reading about things, others prefer to learn by direct experience. In this way each person has their own preferred way of learning, or Learning Style. There are no good or bad, right or wrong learning styles, just different preferred ways of learning; just as some people prefer rock music to rap, or folk music to classical music.
The implication is that you will be able to learn something most easily if it is taught in a way that is consistent with your learning style, e.g., learning a foreign language best by memorising lists of words (if you prefer learning by reading about things) vs. using the language in real settings (if you learn best by experience, for example, role play).
The important thing here is that to maximise your learning potential you have to approach learning something new in a way that is consistent with your Learning Style. One reason why many people have difficulty learning certain things is because they go about learning things in the wrong way, then may come to the opinion that they are bad at learning that subject.