You, Center of the Universe – Demystifying Assessments

Imagine a world where all personality assessments use you as the benchmark, the center of the universe for the rest of us. For example, you would neither be extroverted or introverted, everyone else though would be more extroverted or introverted than you would be. This can be done. We have the technology. Demystifying these assessments will demonstrate.

Simply, all personality assessments use benchmarks arbitrarily established usually by dividing a sample population in half. People create a measuring protocol, take measurements (Figure #1), divide the results in half (Figure #2), tweak their benchmark as results accumulate and then declare one side to have this attribute and the other that attribute. By adding other dimensions, they can classify us further (Figure #3). Therefore, we aren’t really introverts and extroverts, we are either more extroverted or introverted than their benchmark. There is no absolute standard; it’s all relative.

So, if we happen to discover a parallel Earth totally inhabited by extreme extroverts, many of whom scoring off the charts, they would disorient the benchmark. Accounting for them, the creators would adjust it thus reclassifying many extroverts as introverts (Figure #4, shaded area) because there is no gold standard for personalities. Consequently, they use an artificial one.

Returning to you, you could be that gold standard, that center of the universe by which we could measure all personality attributes.  This would be much better for all of us. At least you exist. Statistical averages very often don’t. For example, the average person is half male, half female. How many of those exist? Moreover, a mother birthed you. Benchmarks are just sophisticated averages existing motionless on paper, birthed by statistics.

No, you would definitely make a better benchmark. How does it feel being the center of the universe?