I'm one of those people. You know, the ones who cannot — under any reasonable circumstance — pass up the opportunity to take a personality test. So when my editor asked me this morning to take the castle personality test, my first thought was, "Yesssss." Well, that and, "What is the castle personality test?" Obviously it's not one of the big ones (think Myers-Briggs or Cube), and it wasn't connected to any sort of nostalgia (i.e. "What Disney princess are you?"). Naturally, I was intrigued.
Before we delve into this potentially psyche-illuminating exercise, though, let it be clear that this particular personality test does not seem to have any serious scientific basis. If some incredibly astute psychologist somewhere created it based on years of study, you would not be able to tell it by me. I found no evidence of no such person's existence. But, hey, it's entirely within the realm of possibility, and this was super fun so... I say take it with that old adage in mind about expecting the worst but hoping for the best. Then you'll never be disappointed, as they say. With that said, I highly recommend taking the test prior to reading ahead. You can find it here or here.
Done? Good. Let's discuss. In full disclosure, I'm 94 percent certain my results were skewed due my utter inability to picture any castle other than Hogwarts. Still, here's the basic breakdown and some possible outcomes:
The Door
The door supposedly represents your attitude to new experiences. If you picture a totally normal door, you aren't afraid of new challenges and don't hesitate to try new things. If you chose the door hidden by plants, you might not have a clear view of where your future is going. And if you opted for the big, intimidating door — like I did — you apparently are afraid of the unknown and have a hard time breaking out of your comfort zone. For the record, though, that doesn't sound like me AT ALL. I am the girl who left the small town she grew up in to attend college in Hawaii on a whim. I've been scuba diving in the Great Barrier Reef. I've gone cliff diving. I embrace the unknown. Get your life together, castle test.
Inside The Castle
What you saw inside the castle is supposed to represent the way you think others perceive you. Did you see a library? No. 1, me too! No. 2, this may mean that you consider yourself to be pretty smart, and that you think people see you as a person who can help solve their problems. Fair enough... touché, castle test. If you saw a fireplace, it means you think you bring out the passion in people and make them feel comfortable. If you saw a fancy ballroom, it suggests you think you've got a lot to offer in relationships/friendships and consider yourself quite the charmer. Lastly, if you saw a long corridor with closed doors, you might feel like others don't understand you and have to try harder to get you to open up.
The Staircase
It bodes well if the staircase you imagined was of the stunning, sweeping, spiral variety. This apparently means that you are a romantic person who sees the beauty in life (Hollaaaaa!). On the other hand, if you saw a sharp and massive staircase that seemingly never ended, you're more of a realist — if not a little morose. You tend to see life with all its flaws and view the journey as long-suffering and stacked with difficulties.
The Window
How are you feeling right now? How are you really feeling? If the castle test is to be believed, the way you saw the window is indicative of how you feel this very minute. If you saw a small window, you could be feeling down in the dumps and trapped. A normal window, like I saw, shows that you have realistic expectations at this point in your life. You're away your life has limitations, but you feel pretty good going forward. If you saw an oversized window, well, kudos to you, my friend. You likely feel like you're on top of the world and capable of achieving anything you set your mind to.
The View From The Window
The view you saw from the castle window represents the overview of you entire life. Stormy seas? You feel like your life has been hectic and turbulent. A snowy forest? You've always felt isolated. A green valley? You feel chill about everything, because your life has been laid-back. A vibrant city? You feel as though your life has been full. You have lots of friends and adventures, and don't really want for anything. For the record, I chose a green valley but I feel like I'm really somewhere between a stormy sea and a vibrant city, if that makes sense.
The Courtyard of the Castle
We've covered the past and the present so, as you might have guessed, your vision of the castle's courtyard represents the way you feel about the future. If you envisioned a neat and tidy garden, you're convinced your future is going to be stellar. If you pictured a garden that was a bit wild but had potential, you're optimistic about the future but realistic. You feel like the world can be a beautiful place, but you have to help make it that way. And, finally, if your garden was overgrown and in ruins, you think the future is bleak and are admittedly pessimistic about the state of the world.
So, inquiring minds want to know, how did it go? Do you feel like your answers accurately reflected your views? I'm on the fence.
Images: Harald Freudenmacher/Moment Unreleased/Getty Images; Giphy (3)
