The New Personality Self-Portrait by John M. Oldham and Lois B. Morris

This is definitely one of those “aha!” books ✨

You start with a long, surprisingly deep personality test — the kind with no obvious right answers. Then a bit of counting, and suddenly the result lands with a quiet “well yes… I’ve always known this, I just didn’t have the words.” 💡

📘 The New Personality Self-Portrait by John M. Oldham and Lois B. Morris is not a horoscope-style guide where everything fits everyone.

It’s based on personality style classification used by the American Psychiatric Association and helps you understand how your patterns show up across key areas of life: work, emotions, self-control, relationships, and more.

Despite the scientific foundation, it’s highly accessible and full of moments where things suddenly click. It helps you understand not only yourself, but also the people around you.

Of course, we all have elements of every style, but some are stronger. My results showed a lot of ➡️ Conscientious(organized, responsible), ➡️ Serious (focused, realistic), and ➡️ Idiosyncratic (imaginative, unconventional).

What I found particularly interesting is that I scored zero in the Aggressive style. And it clarified something important: even with the best intentions, I simply don’t function well with people operating in a “win at all costs” mode. Our approaches just don’t align ❌

Each style comes with strengths and potential pitfalls. For me:
✔️ Conscientious → reliability and high standards, but also perfectionism and rigidity
✔️ Idiosyncratic → creativity and independence, but sometimes distance or being hard to read

I genuinely recommend this book 📚 It’s an easy read that sparks great conversations — for example, how I see my husband versus how he sees himself 😁

It’s a powerful reminder of how differently we’re wired, and how that shapes our choices, expectations, and paths to happiness.

Absolutely worth reading 🩷