I took the NEO-PI-R personality test again recently (here), on the Big 5 personality traits, whilst reading Jason Williams’ book The Mental Edge In Trading (New York: McGraw-Hill, 2012).
The individual weights have changed slightly over the past two decades, but are broadly similar to personal results from the Myers-Briggs, Enneagram, and McQuaig Survey tests. As with any test there are anchoring/representativeness biases and life experience factors that affected the weighted scores.
The NEO-PI-R test describes me as active, independent; an outsider; intellectual with artistic interests; fact-oriented; disciplined; achievement-striving (work-obsessed); cautious; friendly; have high self-efficacy; can be altruistic; aware of emotions; and politically liberal.
(This fits a trading style that is research/trading system focused, with an emphasis on distressed debt/value and event arbitrage approaches.)
Using Williams’ descriptions, the NEO-PI-R reveals my Personality Style as:
● Style of Well-Being: E- N- (Low Keyed).
● Style of Defense: O+ N- (Adaptive).
● Style of Interests: O+ E- (Introspectors).
● Style of Anger Control: A- N- (Cold-Blooded).
● Style of Impulse Control: C+ N- (Directed).
● Style of Interactions: A- N- (Competitors).
● Style of Activity: C+ E- (Plodders).
● Style of Attitude: A- O+ (Free-Thinkers).
● Style of Learning: C+ O+ (Good Students).
● Style of Character: C+ A- (Self-Promoters).