Apparently I'm an Idealist

After two days of Teachers Convention I've picked up a few ideas here and there - not all of them terrifically new or exciting, but I just went to a session that was supposed to be about learning styles but instead just made me think about my tendency towards introversion.

Apparently introverts attract extroverts, and organized people tend to attract flexible ones..... You know, opposites attract. So then I start thinking about whether or not I'm an introvert. I'm pretty sure I am - apparently 75% of teachers ARE, we just stand up all day and pretend we're not, and then we need two months of summer vacation to recover from it all. ANYWAY.

Then I start thinking of my relationships, with my family, friends, and so on and I realize that I do not usually find myself attracted to extroverts - for friends or otherwise - so I'm finding it all rather confusing. Amy made me make a list once of t.v./movie personalities I would date. I won't get into the list, just let it be known that it was short, and they were all definitely what I would categorize as introverts.

Anyway, I'm not sure where that leaves me when it comes to sharing my life with someone, but it's interesting in terms of the kind of person I am and the kind of person I want to be with.

Then I did a personality test called the Keirsey Personality Sorter - II online. And according to the so-called-diagnosis, I'm a rare breed - the Idealist.

Idealists, as a temperament, are passionately concerned with personal growth and development. Idealists strive to discover who they are and how they can become their best possible self -- always this quest for self-knowledge and self-improvement drives their imagination. And they want to help others make the journey. Idealists are naturally drawn to working with people, and whether in education or counseling, in social services or personnel work, in journalism or the ministry, they are gifted at helping others find their way in life, often inspiring them to grow as individuals and to fulfill their potentials.

Idealists are sure that friendly cooperation is the best way for people to achieve their goals. Conflict and confrontation upset them because they seem to put up angry barriers between people. Idealists dream of creating harmonious, even caring personal relations, and they have a unique talent for helping people get along with each other and work together for the good of all. Such interpersonal harmony might be a romantic ideal, but then Idealists are incurable romantics who prefer to focus on what might be, rather than what is. The real, practical world is only a starting place for Idealists; they believe that life is filled with possibilities waiting to be realized, rich with meanings calling out to be understood. This idea of a mystical or spiritual dimension to life, the "not visible" or the "not yet" that can only be known through intuition or by a leap of faith, is far more important to Idealists than the world of material things.

Highly ethical in their actions, Idealists hold themselves to a strict standard of personal integrity. They must be true to themselves and to others, and they can be quite hard on themselves when they are dishonest, or when they are false or insincere. More often, however, Idealists are the very soul of kindness. Particularly in their personal relationships, Idealists are without question filled with love and good will. They believe in giving of themselves to help others; they cherish a few warm, sensitive friendships; they strive for a special rapport with their children; and in marriage they wish to find a "soulmate," someone with whom they can bond emotionally and spiritually, sharing their deepest feelings and their complex inner worlds.

Idealists are rare, making up between 20 and 25 percent of the population. But their ability to inspire people with their enthusiasm and their idealism has given them influence far beyond their numbers.

The Four types of Idealists are:
Healers (INFP) | Counselors (INFJ) | Champions (ENFP) | Teachers (ENFJ)

Something for me to chew on for a bit. Where will it take me? I'm not quite sure. But it is kind of fun!