“Flexible Personality”: Why Tests Can’t Define Your Psychological Type

Based on the work of Dr. Benjamin Hardy and his book “Personality Isn’t Permanent”

Are personality traits really fixed, and can tests truly determine our type? Dr. Benjamin Hardy, a psychologist who has extensively studied the literature and recent research on the topic, is convinced otherwise. In his book “Personality Isn’t Permanent,” he argues that personality traits are not the main thing—they’re just a “byproduct of deeper processes.” The most important aspect of human nature, he says, is our ability to make choices and stay true to them, something Viktor Frankl once called the last human freedom.

“This requires at least two main actions: making decisions about what should happen, and choosing how to respond to what happens. It’s our ability to choose that makes us human. The more decisions you make for yourself, the more control you have over your life. We aren’t born with fixed traits—we develop them. They can and do change. We can and should choose and cultivate them. Choosing your own path is the main goal of life. But we fear this, because every choice has consequences.”

Below is a chapter from Hardy’s book, where he explores why the popular idea of fixed personality types is harmful and limiting, and how embracing change and focusing on the future—not the past—can make us more open to new experiences and more free in our reactions and behavior.

The Myth: There Are Fixed Personality Types

There are no pure extroverts or introverts. Such a person would be in a mental hospital.
— Dr. Carl Jung

There are two types of people in the world: those who believe there are two types of people, and those who don’t. But according to the Myers-Briggs classification, there are sixteen types. Wait—if you believe the revised NEO Personality Inventory, there are only six types. And I divide everyone into four types: Hufflepuffs, Gryffindors, Slytherins, and Ravenclaws.

So, how many types of people are there? Two? Four? Six? Sixteen?

The first myth about personality is that there are types. There aren’t. These are social models, invented schemes that don’t exist in reality. It’s a superficial, discriminatory, dehumanizing, and very inaccurate way to look at the complex organization of a human being.

The idea of personality types has no scientific basis, and most popular personality tests were created by people with no authority to divide people into groups. Dr. Merve Emre, author of the 2018 book “The Personality Brokers,” explains that personality testing has become a $2 billion industry, with the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) as the most popular test. Interestingly, neither Katharine Briggs nor her daughter Isabel Myers had any training in psychology, psychiatry, or test design. They never worked in a scientific lab or institute. Since women couldn’t work at universities or labs at the time, they developed their theories at home.

Katharine Briggs based her theories on her own experience as a wife and mother, not as a scientist. Because she and her husband had different outlooks on life, and one child was less sociable than the other, she wanted a system that would account for social nuances. Briggs believed it was psychologically difficult for people to resolve incompatibility, so instead of changing oneself, she suggested that differences in how people respond to life are innate and unchangeable—that they’re “hardwired” into us, and we must recognize and adapt to them.

According to this worldview, all your reactions are just expressions of “who you are,” and you shouldn’t be ashamed of them. You shouldn’t try to change yourself, and you couldn’t even if you tried. Even if your traits are negative, there’s nothing you can do—just live with the flaws given to you by God or your DNA.

Personality tests are entertaining, but unscientific, and they make you believe you’re much more limited than you really are. They paint an inaccurate and overly simplified portrait of people, making broad generalizations and forcing everyone into boxes, making you feel like you fit in. These tests oversimplify the psyche, and people think the tests know more about us than they really do. As Wharton School professor and organizational psychologist Dr. Adam Grant put it:

“Giving someone the Myers-Briggs questionnaire is like asking if they prefer shoelaces or earrings. You can always say, ‘See!’—even if it’s not the right question… [It] creates the illusion of psychological expertise.”

On social media, you’ll find an army of personality gurus who will tell you everything about yourself: who you should date or marry, whether you should have kids, what job you should have, and even whether you’ll be successful and happy—all based on your test scores. It looks scientific, but it’s really just superstition dressed up as science.

In social science, there are four criteria for a good theory: are the categories 1) reliable, 2) valid, 3) independent, and 4) comprehensive? For the Myers-Briggs typology, the evidence says: no, no, no, and no. What this test teaches us has nothing to do with understanding your personality; it’s just the power of marketing. That’s the real talent of Myers and Briggs.

While psychologists still debate whether personality traits can be changed, they all agree that the Myers-Briggs typology shouldn’t be taken seriously for the four reasons above, and that the “types” made famous by such tests and pop psychologists don’t exist.

That said, for some people, identifying with a personality type or label can be helpful. For example, Jeff Goins always wanted to be a writer but never took action. By labeling himself as a writer, he started working toward it and eventually succeeded. In this way, a label can help you reach a goal.

Labels can serve a goal, but goals should never serve labels. If your goal serves a label, the label becomes your expected reality, and you live to confirm or fit it. For example, when someone says, “I do this because I’m an extrovert,” they set goals that match who they are now, not goals that would change or fully realize their potential.

Your goals should shape your personality, not the other way around. Entrepreneur, venture capitalist, and writer Paul Graham said:

“The more labels you apply to yourself, the dumber they make you.”

When you label yourself as an introvert or even an extrovert, you limit yourself—unless, for some reason, that label helps you achieve a specific goal.

Research shows that such labels and diagnoses help therapists in their work, but they shouldn’t be used too often with patients. People identify with these definitions and significantly limit their ability to change.

Labels act like blinders. When you accept them, you become “narrow-minded,” because you stop noticing when they don’t fit. Harvard psychologist and mindfulness expert Dr. Ellen Langer said: “If something is presented as an absolute truth, alternative ways of thinking are not even considered. In depression, people tend to think they’re always depressed. If you consciously pay attention to the impermanence of that state, you’ll realize it’s not true.”

Personality is much more subtle and complex than an oversimplified generalization or categorization. You can’t view it as a separate trait, independent of context, culture, behavior, and thousands of other factors. As personality psychologist Dr. Katherine Rogers said:

“We know the theory of personality types doesn’t work… As for personality traits, I’d trust the Myers-Briggs test no more than a horoscope.”

Dr. Rogers is absolutely right. And that’s incredibly good news! As soon as you allow yourself to stop identifying with a certain type—like thinking of yourself as an introvert or extrovert—you become more open. Your options and choices expand. You’re more willing to take responsibility for your life and act on your own. You do what you want, regardless of how you see yourself at the moment.

Despite the unscientific nature of personality type tests, they remain popular in mainstream culture and in the corporate world in the U.S. Sometimes, even your salary depends on how you answer such a test. Many people have had their careers ruined by not being the “right color,” or their dreams crushed by not being the “right type” for a certain company.

You can’t be described as a narrow type. In different places and with different people, you change. Your personality is dynamic, flexible, and context-dependent. In fact, it changes throughout your life much more than you might think. At different life stages and ages, your individuality will show up differently. Heck, you can live through dozens of personalities in a single day! As radio host Jordan Harbinger once said in an interview: “Before coffee, I’m a ‘strategist’; after coffee, I’m a ‘commander.’”

Instead of seeing personality as a type you fit into, think of it as a continuum of behaviors and attitudes—flexible, changeable, and context-dependent. The most scientifically supported theory is the “Big Five” personality factors:

• How open you are to learning and new experiences (Openness to Experience)
• How organized, motivated, and goal-oriented you are (Conscientiousness)
• How active and social you are (Extraversion)
• How friendly and agreeable you are (Agreeableness)
• How well you handle stress and negative emotions (Neuroticism)

But none of these are personality types. Instead, depending on the situation, experience, and preferences, we combine all these factors. In different circumstances, you’ll behave differently—sometimes better, sometimes worse.

For example, researchers have found a strong link between social role demands and the expression of personality traits. If a role requires someone to be a conscientious extrovert, they’ll act more conscientiously and extroverted. But when they switch to a role that requires less of those traits, they’ll show them less. Long-term studies show that personality is often explained by the social roles we take on or don’t take on throughout life. Social roles are often studied as the main mechanism shaping personality.

We may think of ourselves as consistent, but our behavior and attitudes often change. What stays the same is our view of our own behavior, which makes it seem unchanging. We selectively notice what fits our self-image and ignore what doesn’t. We often miss or deliberately overlook times when we act out of character.

Recent research shows that people want to be more flexible and able to change, and they want to improve their personalities. Fewer than 13% of people say they’re satisfied with themselves as they are. Most want to be more open to experience, conscientious, and extroverted, and less neurotic.

If someone has a reason to become better, modern science says it’s possible. A 2015 study by Drs. Nathan Hudson and Chris Fraley showed that personality can be intentionally changed by setting goals and making consistent efforts. Research by Drs. Christopher Soto and Jule Specht shows that personality changes faster when people have a goal and are satisfied with their lives.

Each of the five factors changes throughout life, whether you try to influence them or not, but you can consciously adjust any of them. Vanessa O’Brien set a goal to climb Everest, and as a result, became more open to new experiences.

Modern research on personality change is conservative about how much change to expect, at least in the short term. But as you read Hardy’s book, you’ll see that the degree of change isn’t about whether it’s possible. Rather, people usually don’t change purposefully or significantly because of emotional and situational factors—which can be controlled.

Intentional change is emotionally hard: it’s not just unpleasant, it can be extremely painful. If you’re not willing to go through that, to adjust your perspective, behavior, and environment, don’t expect big changes (at least in the short term). The key to personality transformation is psychological flexibility, not clinging to your current personality or interests. Radical change happens when you fully commit to a future goal and accept your emotions instead of avoiding them.

Big changes are absolutely possible. In fact, all five factors are expressions of your behavior, and they’re skills you can learn. You can become more open to new things, or learn to be less open. You can learn to be more organized and goal-focused, more introverted or extroverted. You can learn to communicate better with different people. You can become more emotionally intelligent, respond appropriately to situations, and stop being a victim.

Perhaps the most problematic aspect of dividing people into categories or types is the idea that they’re innate and unchangeable. If you believe someone can’t change, you define them by their past. If they did something before, you see them as the type who always does that, and you don’t recognize that personality can change.

The limitations of this view are brilliantly illustrated in Victor Hugo’s novel “Les Misérables.” It tells the story of two men: the self-righteous policeman Javert, who believes people never change, and Jean Valjean, a former convict who changes his life and dedicates himself to a higher purpose. Javert refuses to accept that Valjean has changed. In his view, a person can never be forgiven for past actions, and once bad, always bad.

Throughout the novel, Javert and Valjean cross paths in different situations. Bringing Valjean to justice becomes Javert’s obsession. All the while, Valjean tries to live a good life, helping those in need to atone for his past. In the end, Javert can’t accept the contradiction Valjean presents and takes his own life. Instead of changing his perspective, he destroys himself.

Conclusion: You are not a fixed type. Your personality is flexible, dynamic, and can change throughout your life. Embracing this truth opens up new possibilities and allows you to take control of your own story.