Forget personality tests and long surveys. Using 'projective psychology,' these three simple prompts bypass your logic and dive straight into your subconscious desires.
I learned this “test” many years ago. You forgot question 4. Close your eyes. You’re in a room with no way in and no way out. No doors, windows. How do you feel? The answers describe how you feel about death.
Amused. That would be a great time to sit and think about things. I’ve long since taught myself to accept what I cannot do, being in such a situation would be pretty amusing, especially if I think about how others would respond, or if they are also there.
Thinking and meditation would become the optimal response to pass the time until the situation changes
Damn!... as a teenager I once wrote a song that starts with the exact line "There is no way out and there is just one way in." I wrote it as a critique of and protest against our society. Now it appears that subconsciously I was writing about death as well!
Entertaining nonsense, but still nonsense. Projective tests are so unreliable we can draw no firm conclusions. What our explanations after the fact reveal is not any fantasy of subconscious, but, to a limited extent, how our knowledge structures and memories are organised. They also depend on our biological context (arousal) at that point in time. And which parts of long term memory are currently activated by our current state. Entertaining yes, meaningful, no.
I too feel so. The answering part is simple. The interpretation is not. It is often guided by our own prejudices. From choosing a colour to concluding on one's core personality seems simplistic. Unless I am missing a lesson here...
Okay, I had done the cube thing before, so I was expecting something to do with self and with ideal partner. I honestly thought the body of water was going to represent how we view the world and I was so wrong.
And I think I did this wrong. I gave reasons for why I liked things, but they weren't descriptive in an easily transferable way; some of it involved anecdotes and associations for why I liked what I liked.
I'll include this here in case other readers find it amusing.
1. Favourite colour:
Teal
a. I used to say green was my favourite because when choosing colours in games or for products in my family, I often chose last, and my sisters snatched the other colours I liked first, such as blue and purple. So I settled for green. I began to identify with green. But after time I found I wanted to bring the blue that was taken from me back into it, and got teal.
b. Teal isn't quite green, isn't quite blue, but takes the best of both. It is warmer than some blues, and cooler than most greens.
c. It is not a colour often seen in nature, so its rarity causes it to stand out.
2. Favourite animal:
Echidna
a. When I was young I stumbled across an Australian 5-cent piece which had an echidna embossed on the flip side. I became enthralled.
b. The echidna, like the platypus, is a monotreme. Ancient non-placental mammals which lay eggs and produce milk. They are like a trip back in time, before we mammals went and had to get so complicated.
c. The taxonomic name for the echidna is Tachyglossus which means rapid tongue. I used to often speak before I really thought things through, though I have been working on it. Add to that its quills, its 'look but do not touch' defense, and I strongly identify with the echidna.
3. Favourite body of water:
Ocean
a. The ocean is expansive and mysterious; it has not been fully mapped. Within it is the abyss, a place of such depth, darkness, and pressure, that spectacular creatures that look like they were plucked right out of a science fiction inhabit. Or eldritch horrors. The fear and uncertainty draws me in.
b. Both the sound of thunder and the crashing of waves are soothing sounds for me. I like the idea of something both dangerous and soothing, when appreciated from warm shelter.
c. I find the cycle of tides very fascinating, tying in a connection to the moon, which I also am very fond of.
I enjoyed this, but what animal or color would ever be liked or described for being "stable," which the interpretation mentions twice? What's a stable color? And if you like muted colors and then start to like louder ones, that's growth? Perhaps a bit too on the nose, or reading too much in, or something like that. For me it was generally quite accurate, though! Even though I don't register favorites and have always found it to be a conversation-ender for me because I find it a terribly boring and judgemental way to look at the world! It's never made sense to me. What color or animal do you like more than all the others? No such thing on the former! But the way I described it worked just the same 🙂
What utter nonsense-if anyone found this convincing in any way I have a body of water that is your favorite color and frequented by your favorite animal that I'd like to sell you-and the price is right.
Fun, and possibly illuminating if you let it be. I think I came across this for the first time years ago. The "favorite water feature" question rang a bell, and I was pretty sure at that point it was going to say something about sex. Decades ago I'd chosen "waterfall," but now it's "one of those puddles or small lakes that forms in the grass when the earth is already saturated with water."
For myself, blue-green: "cool and refreshing and otherworldly" and "not strongly coded feminine or masculine."
For a partner, a raccoon: "they take what they want" and "might be domesticated one day."
What if you don't have any favorites? For me it's situational. My favorite color varies on what it is. A car? A shirt? Paint for a room? Depends on the room.
I admire different animals for different traits. Dogs for loyalty, Elephants for their nurturing, Cheetahs for their graceful atlhletism, etc.
Favorite body of water depends on mood. Peaceful sunset on a lake, crashing waves on a beach, environmental nature of a stream.
Not one size fits all for general characterization.
Is there science that backs how these questions relate to their meaning? I had a lot of fun going through this, but I wasn’t sure how the questions and meanings were matched up or aligned.
I am fortunate to have spent time with cheetahs. Despite their strength and agility as killing machines they are the most elegant and gentle of all the big cats. You could not sit in an enclosure safely with a lion, tiger or leopard, but a cheetah will not harm you. I once fed chicken to a cheetah and she took each piece out of my hand so gently it was genuinely moving. Not sure what that says about the kind of partner I want. A gentle killer ?????
I love tigers. I love all the big cats, but tigers are languid and powerful and take up space. My Chinese zodiac is Wood Tiger, so this felt more related to me than what I want in a partner.
I originally thought pink, and thought well I wish pink was my favorite color; it’s feminine and feels clean and confident, but my actual favorite color is blue. Like you said, blue is deep, and complicated, but it’s fierce like an ocean.
Favorite animal: wolf, for the exact reasons you said (but I started becoming much more fascinated with wolves after I adopted a husky, so that mayyyy have something to do with that 😅)
Body of water: This stumped me at first, I’ve never been asked that before. I decided on the shore of an ocean. It’s fun and thrilling, but safe.
I learned this “test” many years ago. You forgot question 4. Close your eyes. You’re in a room with no way in and no way out. No doors, windows. How do you feel? The answers describe how you feel about death.
Oh gosh. I just felt quiet submission like "well, I'm trapped....might as well sit and chill and think"
Scared. I'd simply be scared. I think if you deny that then you're kidding yourself.
Amused. That would be a great time to sit and think about things. I’ve long since taught myself to accept what I cannot do, being in such a situation would be pretty amusing, especially if I think about how others would respond, or if they are also there.
Thinking and meditation would become the optimal response to pass the time until the situation changes
Hahahahaha love this 🤣
Oooh i don’t like the idea of being in that room instantly. For some reason, I think of myself being a lab rat like those Black Mirror episodes lol
Damn!... as a teenager I once wrote a song that starts with the exact line "There is no way out and there is just one way in." I wrote it as a critique of and protest against our society. Now it appears that subconsciously I was writing about death as well!
Entertaining nonsense, but still nonsense. Projective tests are so unreliable we can draw no firm conclusions. What our explanations after the fact reveal is not any fantasy of subconscious, but, to a limited extent, how our knowledge structures and memories are organised. They also depend on our biological context (arousal) at that point in time. And which parts of long term memory are currently activated by our current state. Entertaining yes, meaningful, no.
I too feel so. The answering part is simple. The interpretation is not. It is often guided by our own prejudices. From choosing a colour to concluding on one's core personality seems simplistic. Unless I am missing a lesson here...
Why is personality still a thing ? 130 + years of null results in predicting anything😂😂
Okay, I had done the cube thing before, so I was expecting something to do with self and with ideal partner. I honestly thought the body of water was going to represent how we view the world and I was so wrong.
And I think I did this wrong. I gave reasons for why I liked things, but they weren't descriptive in an easily transferable way; some of it involved anecdotes and associations for why I liked what I liked.
I'll include this here in case other readers find it amusing.
1. Favourite colour:
Teal
a. I used to say green was my favourite because when choosing colours in games or for products in my family, I often chose last, and my sisters snatched the other colours I liked first, such as blue and purple. So I settled for green. I began to identify with green. But after time I found I wanted to bring the blue that was taken from me back into it, and got teal.
b. Teal isn't quite green, isn't quite blue, but takes the best of both. It is warmer than some blues, and cooler than most greens.
c. It is not a colour often seen in nature, so its rarity causes it to stand out.
2. Favourite animal:
Echidna
a. When I was young I stumbled across an Australian 5-cent piece which had an echidna embossed on the flip side. I became enthralled.
b. The echidna, like the platypus, is a monotreme. Ancient non-placental mammals which lay eggs and produce milk. They are like a trip back in time, before we mammals went and had to get so complicated.
c. The taxonomic name for the echidna is Tachyglossus which means rapid tongue. I used to often speak before I really thought things through, though I have been working on it. Add to that its quills, its 'look but do not touch' defense, and I strongly identify with the echidna.
3. Favourite body of water:
Ocean
a. The ocean is expansive and mysterious; it has not been fully mapped. Within it is the abyss, a place of such depth, darkness, and pressure, that spectacular creatures that look like they were plucked right out of a science fiction inhabit. Or eldritch horrors. The fear and uncertainty draws me in.
b. Both the sound of thunder and the crashing of waves are soothing sounds for me. I like the idea of something both dangerous and soothing, when appreciated from warm shelter.
c. I find the cycle of tides very fascinating, tying in a connection to the moon, which I also am very fond of.
Thought you’d all appreciate one of the three reasons I listed for choosing my body of water: It accommodates many different species. 😂 hey now!
I enjoyed this, but what animal or color would ever be liked or described for being "stable," which the interpretation mentions twice? What's a stable color? And if you like muted colors and then start to like louder ones, that's growth? Perhaps a bit too on the nose, or reading too much in, or something like that. For me it was generally quite accurate, though! Even though I don't register favorites and have always found it to be a conversation-ender for me because I find it a terribly boring and judgemental way to look at the world! It's never made sense to me. What color or animal do you like more than all the others? No such thing on the former! But the way I described it worked just the same 🙂
I’ve been in love with the color purple since I was 3 years old and finally knew how to say it. I was born knowing who I am.
Ah yes, I have loved purple since I was a child as well. It's a glorious color, with so many shades.
What utter nonsense-if anyone found this convincing in any way I have a body of water that is your favorite color and frequented by your favorite animal that I'd like to sell you-and the price is right.
😂🤣👏👏
Fun, and possibly illuminating if you let it be. I think I came across this for the first time years ago. The "favorite water feature" question rang a bell, and I was pretty sure at that point it was going to say something about sex. Decades ago I'd chosen "waterfall," but now it's "one of those puddles or small lakes that forms in the grass when the earth is already saturated with water."
For myself, blue-green: "cool and refreshing and otherworldly" and "not strongly coded feminine or masculine."
For a partner, a raccoon: "they take what they want" and "might be domesticated one day."
I also chose blue-green (teal) for my colour. Woo!
Love To See Stats!
My Valuable Post: https://echoframe.substack.com/p/4-mindset-shifts-that-will-finally-492?r=6g3a7x
What if you don't have any favorites? For me it's situational. My favorite color varies on what it is. A car? A shirt? Paint for a room? Depends on the room.
I admire different animals for different traits. Dogs for loyalty, Elephants for their nurturing, Cheetahs for their graceful atlhletism, etc.
Favorite body of water depends on mood. Peaceful sunset on a lake, crashing waves on a beach, environmental nature of a stream.
Not one size fits all for general characterization.
When I chose a bubbling brook because it’s innocent and childlike 😳
SAME
3rd Q - a little stream because I could imagine fairies living there - not sure what that says about my view on sex 😅
Is there science that backs how these questions relate to their meaning? I had a lot of fun going through this, but I wasn’t sure how the questions and meanings were matched up or aligned.
Blue. A cheetah. The ocean.
I am fortunate to have spent time with cheetahs. Despite their strength and agility as killing machines they are the most elegant and gentle of all the big cats. You could not sit in an enclosure safely with a lion, tiger or leopard, but a cheetah will not harm you. I once fed chicken to a cheetah and she took each piece out of my hand so gently it was genuinely moving. Not sure what that says about the kind of partner I want. A gentle killer ?????
I said blue, a tiger, and the ocean.
I love tigers. I love all the big cats, but tigers are languid and powerful and take up space. My Chinese zodiac is Wood Tiger, so this felt more related to me than what I want in a partner.
Puma over here.... for similar reasons + that they are elusive and not the obvious choice. Oh dear.
I originally thought pink, and thought well I wish pink was my favorite color; it’s feminine and feels clean and confident, but my actual favorite color is blue. Like you said, blue is deep, and complicated, but it’s fierce like an ocean.
Favorite animal: wolf, for the exact reasons you said (but I started becoming much more fascinated with wolves after I adopted a husky, so that mayyyy have something to do with that 😅)
Body of water: This stumped me at first, I’ve never been asked that before. I decided on the shore of an ocean. It’s fun and thrilling, but safe.
If I have multiple favorite colors and animals, then what?