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Auras and other Personality Indicators

Discussion in 'General Discussions' started by genuinemommy, Sep 24, 2018.

  1. genuinemommy

    genuinemommy Moderator Staff Member

    This came up in a conversation that started in our blogs.
    I'm curious what people think about personality indicators. I'm curious if anyone else views auras and astrology in the same vein as personality indicators.

    I view them in the same light as other personality indicators, such as the love languages, astrological sign, or the meyer-briggs personality indicator. I think it's fun that people have noticed trends about people and have assigned some sort of designation. I personally don't feel that I understand enough about people to make such statements. But I do enjoy hearing what people have to say about the matter.

    Which personality indicator best describes you?


    ---My response-----
    Auras:
    I have a friend who bases his every interaction with people on the aura that he sees / feels as he first meets them. He knows that the person is going to be a certain way, and so approaches them with that in mind. I find this process fascinating. I listen to what he has to say and wonder how he feels so confident that he can understand their personality so completely from a first impression.

    Astrological Signs:
    These are really confusing for me. As a kid I always read the horiscopes that were printed in the newspaper. That's because they were on the same page as the comics. I saw them as equally entertaining. I didn't even put together the concept that the signs corresponded with dates until the newspaper printed the date ranges for me to reference. Then I looked it up in our encyclopedia and realized it was actually a "thing" and that it wasn't just someone writing comedy. I felt a little bad that I had misunderstood. So I stopped reading them. I thought it must be better to not read them at all than to make light of them. Surely they were of spiritual/religious significance to someone. Years later I learned that a friend was really, really interested in astrology. He explained to me that it helps him to feel at peace when something goes horribly wrong. Like when he lost his job, he admitted to himself that he was just going through some astrological phase and it would be over by this-and-that-date, and if not then by this-and-that-year. It was fascinating that someone would live their lives based on how someone interpreted the stars.

    Other test-based personality indicators:
    I have a hard time wrapping my mind around qualitative data sets, and that's the basis of many personality indicators. Conceptually I understand that it's possible to see trends in qualitative data and to make generalizations and then predictions based on that data. But it all seems a little confusing for me. Surely there are people who don't fit into every mold.

    It seems that I can never find one that I feel is a good fit. I take these tests hoping to find something that relates to me - that would explain to people how I operate. But I just haven't had much luck. I'm ok with that. I like a little mystery.
     
  2. rogue49

    rogue49 Tech Kung Fu Artist Staff Member

    Location:
    Baltimore/DC
    Well, I don't think Astrology is true or accurate....but I like the symbolism.
    The archetypes are fun but broad enough that you could apply it to a lot of people.

    I do like personality indicators like Myers-Briggs and the such. It's interesting.
    But you have to tweak it to find what works for you...and your own self-view. Some are good, some aren't.

    Now auras...most is BS and a con.
    BUT I could possibly see that VERY few people may be mutated to sense certain signatures or forces...like many of our tools, noting heat or such.
    And perhaps they've been become oriented and practiced enough to be able to interpret those radiating fields to determine emotion or mental state.
    But I don't know if it would translate into a personality...unless it was immediate and limited in scope.

    Usually, I think it's intuitive where the person a gained some sense of practiced cunning to figure out a general personality...but it's not attributed to an aura.
    I'll give the benefit of the doubt to say that it could be "all the above" factors to be able to figure it.
    However, science is going to have a hard time making a distinction or proving it.
     
  3. Lindy

    Lindy Moderator Staff Member

    Location:
    Nebraska
    The idea of an aura being color, or a field in the ether, etc. I just can't buy. Having said that, it is certainly possible for a person to have an aura of self confidence or competence. I may notice it as posture, gait, carriage, a look of attentiveness, alertness, or curiosity.:) Or the opposite. Hang dog, what else can go wrong now, avoiding eye contact, etc.

    Tests like Meyers-Briggs only seem to suggest tendencies or directions to me. But my INFP hits me pretty much on target, but the F is a little iffy, and can vary from on test to the next. And my personality today will not necessarily be identical to that of yesterday or tomorrow. Just ask my SO.;)
    I've had some success explaining how I operate: I'm highly pragmatic, based on my perceived self interest. I'm opportunistic, but not completely amoral. I tend to look at the long run, the big picture, and how I fit in to that. Which piece of the puzzle am I? How can I turn that to my (long term) advantage? I'm not motivated by money, which always seems to come easily to me, or by flash, (the flesh is another matter) bling, status or toys. I'm a nerd through and through. But not an intellectual. I find most intellectuals tiresome.:rolleyes:

    But people that I know say that doesn't sound like me at all.:confused:
     
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