Personal Narrative: My Personality Project

My project poster board did not take the shape that most poster boards do. In fact, it was cut down and folded meticulously until it reached its final form: a hexagon. And even that hexagon is different than most. It can fold in on itself and produce a new side. Its proper name is Hexaflexagon. On the three sides that are exposed as the hexagon is folded, I have organized different personality symbols and traits.
The first side, labeled “My Personality Project...Sophia Jones…INFJ-T”, explains the traits pointed out by the Myers-Briggs personality test that also fit with my personality. The Myers-Briggs test was by far the most accurate. (Introverted, Intuitive, Feeling, Judging, Turbulent). However, I have taken this test in the past and I was surprised to find that my
results changed as I was previously an INFP-?. Although the difference is not that great between the two, I know I have changed drastically. I always have trouble writing about my health as I do not really know what I am like without my illnesses, but I do know how I feel when a certain illness is affecting me more than another. I first took the MBTI test about two years ago. At that time I knew I was sick, but hardly anyone believed me. I viewed the world from behind a curtain and was constantly working to prove to myself and others that I was not sick at all. Now I know that I am indeed sick and I do not believe the test would have changed that much until about a month ago. I had just began receiving treatment for Lyme disease and it was the most amazing feeling. It was as if I had fog being lifted from around me and I could finally see, but I knew to keep my expectations low as I knew the chances of this happiness lasting were slim. Sure enough, two weeks later the fog rolled back in. Even though I tried to keep my expectations low, I was still let down by the fact that all my happiness and hope was ripped away from me. Again. I have become bitter about my health and the chances that I will get better. Following the change in my MBTI results, judging has become my new way to have control over my life. It is not the type of judging in the sense that one criticizes another for certain attributes of their life, but rather one of planning the way events should work out and working to the end. The symbols on this side include a timepiece representing an “old soul”, a fortune telling crystal ball to represent foresight, Comedy and Tragedy representing my fluctuating emotions, and a ruler and handwriting scale to represent my constant strive for perfection.
My “old soul” has been present since I was born. I never cried, always slept well (that has now been attributed to my illness), and was always very friendly and talkative to others including eye contact. Throughout elementary school, I was often asked by my classmates if they could use the restroom and I soon grew accustomed to pointing them in the direction of the nearest teacher. I have to admit that as much as my classmates treated me as their mother, I also treated and cared for them like my own children. This has inevitably become a problem as my previous friends split off into groups of their own and we grow apart. My foresight ties into my “motherly” instinct although I have trouble recognizing it. This may be in part of my emotional confusion that conflicts most things I do. I often have trouble deciding between my emotions that I show on the outside and the emotion that I show on the inside and because of this I miss whatever else may be happening in my thoughts at the time.
Perfectionism is a trait that is very common on my mother’s side of the family. It is the main reason that presents get wrapped slowly, pictures have to be taken over a hundred times (a small exaggeration), and art supplies have to be high quality to yield the best results. I find it difficult to keep up with the harshest form of personal verbal abuse and it keeps me from finishing projects on time, including this one.
The second side is labeled, “What Do You See?” on a cardboard box. The symbols include Mickey Mouse representing my tendency to be “quiet as a mouse”, binoculars to represent the fact that I watch what everyone does, a crazy face representing that I tend to be a little quirky, and a xylophone and dotted eighth note to represent my involvement with the band.
The third side is labeled, “What Do I See?” on an open cardboard box. The symbols underneath represent what I know about myself and what my close friends know about me as well. This includes my love for animals, art (tangible and abstract), my difficult with my illnesses, and my love for music.

I believe that many outside factors have shaped my personality, but I know that there are some things that will never change. I will always love to help people, work to create something beautiful, and never stop looking forward.