Most people are familiar with the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, and it’s been my experience that a lot of individuals in the social sciences can rattle off the four letters indicating their type. (I’m an INTP, for what’s it’s worth.)
The Myers-Briggs has its detractors, with a number of criticisms leveled at the validity of the test and its usefulness. I say there’s a better way to determine one’s personality type without a barrage of questions, and I’m going to call it the NPZR Profile.
NPZR stands for “Ninja Pirate Zombie Robot,” and comes from the name of a clan in the online MMORPG Kingdom of Loathing. While I haven’t played KoL in months, the four alt-culture figures of ninjas, pirates, zombies, and robots provides a decent roadmap to geek subculture. It is this upon this premise that I base the NPZR Profile.
The test is simple. One simply looks within oneself and determines one’s order of preference for the four figures. I, for example, would choose robots, ninjas, zombies, and then pirates, making me an RNZP. Robots and ninjas are most in line with my dominant personality traits, while zombies and pirates reflect my less-expressed traits. Here’s the breakdown:
Ninjas: Those with a ninja preference prefer to work in the background and value skill highly. Ninja-dominant individuals prefer to work alone, and if in a situation which demands working in a group, will attempt to assume a leadership role. They enjoy darkness, stealth and anonymity, preferring these conditions in order to enact a well-thought-out plan. Individuals with a strong ninja preference include teenagers, mutants and some reptiles.
Pirates: A pirate preference indicates a knack for adventure and showmanship. Pirate-dominant individuals prefer improvisation over planning and will gladly steal the spotlight at a moment’s notice. While usually focused on the acquisition of material things, their affinity for unique and novel situations can lead to distraction and adaptation. While individuals with a pirate preference enjoy earthly items such as liquor, they may also have enjoy the arts.
Zombies: Zombie-dominant individuals will let emotions such as desire, lust and hunger get the better of them. Those with a zombie preference are adaptable to any situation and will make the best of that situation, even if it is uncomfortable to them. Their intense focus and single-mindedness can sometimes lead to unforeseen circumstances, but their adaptability usually allows those with a zombie-preference to work through any circumstance.
Robots: Those with a robot preference value reason over emotion. While absurdly intelligent, robot-dominant individuals can sometimes be tricked by not being able to understand emotional situations or paradoxes. Robot-dominant individuals are patient and determined, possibly waiting for a distant future situation in which they will lead. Individuals with a robot preference enjoy ordered, structured environments as well as whistling.
So, there you have it: a personality test you can safely conduct at home that takes all of thirty seconds to conduct. As a robot-dominant individual, I can attest to the structured nature of the NPZR system, and I think it has the potential to do wonders for humanity (or at least the corner of humanity that considers themselves geeks). For those of you geeky enough to care, here’s the Myers-Briggs breakdown for the four preferences:
Ninjas: INTJ
Pirates: ENFP
Zombies: ESFJ
Robots: ISTP
