Understand Your Child

Complete the questionnaire below to better understand your child’s personality!  This questionnaire has been developed by psychologists to provide a comprehensive description of personality.  It can be used to rate the personalities of children, adolescents, and adults of any age.  If you have more than one child that you would like to rate, you can complete this questionnaire multiple times, once for each child.

Directions:

Here are a number of statements that may or may not describe your child. Please type a number from 1 to 9 before each statement to indicate the extent to which that statement is characteristic or uncharacteristic of your child. You should rate your child as she is now, not as she was in the past or as you expect her to be in the future. Use the following rating scale:

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

Extremely
uncharacteristic

 

Somewhat
uncharacteristic

 

Neither characteristic
nor uncharacteristic

 

Somewhat
characteristic

 

Extremely
characteristic

 

  Rating
(type a number from 1-9)

Statement

1. She shows her thoughts and feelings in the way she looks and acts, but does not talk much about what she thinks and about how she feels.

2. She is considerate and thoughtful of other people.

3. She is a warm person and responds with kindness to other people.

4. She gets along well with other people.

5. Her peers look up to her and seek her out.

6. She is helpful and cooperates with other people.

7. She likes physical affection. (For example, she likes to hug; she likes to be held.)

8. She likes to keep her thoughts and feelings to herself.

9. She makes good and close friendships with other people.

10. She has friendships that don't last long; she changes friends a lot.

11. She tries to blame other people for things she has done.

12. She starts to act immature when she faces difficult problems or when she is under stress. (For example, she whines or acts out.)

13. She tries to see what and how much she can get away with. She usually pushes limits and tries to stretch the rules.

14. She is eager to please.

15. She shows concern about what's right and what's wrong.

16. She is proud of the things she has done and made.

17. She acts very feminine.

18. She lets her peers know it when she is upset or angry. She doesn't hold back her feelings when she feels upset or angry with them.

19. She is open and straightforward.

20. She tries to take advantage of other people.

21. She tries to be the center of attention.

22. She tries to get others to do what she wants by playing up to them. Acts charming in order to get her way.

23. She is nervous and fearful.

24. She worries about things for a long time.

25. She thinks things out and reasons like a very mature person.

26. She is physically active. She enjoys playing sports, running, and exercise.

27. She looks different from other people her own age.

28. She is energetic and full of life.

29. She is protective of others. She protects people who are close to her.

30. Most authority figures (e.g., teachers, professors, work supervisors) seem to like her.

31. She is able to see how others feel; she can put herself in their place.

32. She gives, lends, and shares things.

33. She cries easily.

34. She is restless and fidgety; she has a hard time sitting still.

35. She holds things in. She has a hard time expressing herself; she's a little bit uptight.

36. She finds ways to make things happen and get things done.

37. She likes to compete; she's always testing and comparing herself to other people.

38. She has an unusual way of thinking about things--for better or for worse, she puts things together in her head in a different way than other people would.

39. She freezes up when things are stressful, or else keeps doing the same thing over and over.

40. She is curious and exploring; she likes to learn and experience new things.

41. She is determined in what she does; she does not give up easily.

42. She is an interesting person; people notice her and remember her.

43. She can bounce back and recover after a stressful or bad experience.

44. She gives in or backs down when she has a conflict or disagreement with others.

45. When she is under stress, she gives up and backs off.

46. She tends to go to pieces under stress; she gets rattled when things are tough.

47. She has high standards for herself. She needs to do very well in the things she does.

48. She needs to have people tell her that she is doing well or ok. She is not very sure of herself.

49. She has specific habits or patterns of behavior. (For example, she taps her fingers, bites her fingernails, stutters or bites her lips.)

50. She tends to get sick when things go wrong or when there is a lot of stress. (For example, she gets headaches, stomach aches, throws up.)

51. She is well-coordinated. (For example, she does well in sports.)

52. She is careful not to get hurt (physically).

53. She has a hard time making up her mind; she changes her mind a lot.

54. She has unpredictable moods--they change often and quickly.

55. She worries about not getting her share of material things, food, or love. She seems afraid she won't get enough.

56. She is jealous and envious; she wants what other people have.

57. She exaggerates about things that happen to her; she blows things out of proportion.

58. She openly shows the way she feels, whether it's good or bad.

59. She is neat and orderly in the way she dresses and acts.

60. She gets nervous if she is not sure what's going to happen or when it's not clear what she is supposed to do.

61. She tends to be judgmental of the behavior of others.

62. She is obedient and does what she is told.

63. She is fast-paced; she moves and reacts to things quickly.

64. She is calm and relaxed; easy-going.

65. When she wants something, she wants it right away. She has a hard time waiting for things she wants and likes.

66. She pays attention well and can concentrate on things.

67. She plans things ahead; she thinks before she does something. "Looks before she leaps."

68. She is a very smart person (even though formal tests and evaluations, such as grades in school,  might not show this).

69. She has a way with words; she can express herself well with words.

70. She daydreams; she often gets lost in thought or a fantasy world.

71. She often asks authority figures for help and advice.

72. She often feels guilty; she is quick to blame herself, even though she might not talk about it.

73. She has a sense of humor--she likes to laugh at funny things.

74. She usually gets wrapped up in what she is doing.

75. She is cheerful.

76. She can be trusted; she's reliable, and dependable.

77. She feels unworthy; she has a low opinion of herself.

78. She has her feelings hurt easily if she is made fun of or criticized.

79. She is suspicious--she doesn't really trust other people.

80. She teases and picks on her peers.

81. She can talk about unpleasant things that have happened to her.

82. She speaks up and sticks up for herself; she goes after what she wants.

83. She tries to be independent and do things without the help of other people. She tries not to rely on other people.

84. She is a talkative person; she talks a lot.

85. She is aggressive. (For example, she picks fights or starts arguments.)

86. She likes to be by herself; she enjoys doing things alone.

87. She tries to copy and act like the people she admires and looks up to.

88. She is self-confident and sure of herself; she makes up her own mind on her own.

89. She is able to do many things well; she is skillful.

90. She is stubborn.

91. She has emotions that don't seem to fit the situation. (For example, she either overreacts, doesn't seem to care, or sometimes her reactions just don't make sense.)

92. She is attractive, good-looking.

93. She is bossy and likes to dominate other people.

94. She whines or pouts often.

95. She lets little problems get to her and is easily upset. It doesn't take much to get her irritated or mad.

96. She is creative in the way she looks at things; the way she thinks, works, or plays is very creative.

97. She likes to dream up fantasies; she has a good imagination.

98. She is shy; she has a hard time getting to know people.

99. She thinks about her actions and behavior; she uses her head before doing or saying something.

100. Her peers often pick on her; she is also often blamed for things she didn't do.

101. She is the kind of person almost everyone likes.

102. She is talkative.

103. She tends to find fault with others.

104. She does a thorough job.

105. She worries a lot.

106. She likes to reflect, play with ideas.

107. She tends to be quiet.

108. She is considerate and kind to almost everyone.

109. She tends to be disorganized.

110. She is relaxed, handle stress well.

111. She has few artistic interests.

112. She is someone with whom people really enjoy spending time.

113. She is outgoing, sociable.

114. She is sometimes rude to others.

115. She perseveres until the task is finished.

116. She can be tense.

117. She is sophisticated in art, music, or literature.

118. She is reserved.

119. She has a forgiving nature.

120. She can be somewhat careless.

121. She is emotionally stable, not easily upset.

122. She prefers work that is routine.

Before submitting your responses, please help us improve this site by answering a few demographic questions about yourself and your child.These questions are entirely optional and will not affect your feedback.

About You About This Child

Have you completed this questionnaire before to describe any child? Yes No

What is your gender? Male Female

What is your age? years

What is your ethnicity?

If you currently live in the United States, in which state do you live?

If you currently live outside of the United States, in what country do you live?

Are you a fluent speaker of English? Yes No

If you are financially independent, where would you place yourself on the following spectrum of social class?

What is the highest level of formal education that you have completed?

What is your current employment status?

What is your current marital status?

What is your relationship with this child?

Have you completed this questionnaire before to describe this particular child? Yes No

What is this child's age? years

What is this child's birth position?
out of children

What is this child's ethnicity?

If this child currently lives in the United States, in which state does she live?

If this child currently lives outside of the United States, in what country does she live?

If this child is financially independent, where would you place her on the following spectrum of social class?

What is the highest level of formal education that this child has completed?

What is this child's current employment status?

What is this child's current marital status?

About how frequently do you see or talk with this child?