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 he is now, not as he was in the past or as you expect him 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. He shows his thoughts and feelings in the way he looks and acts, but does not talk much about what he thinks and about how he feels.

2. He is considerate and thoughtful of other people.

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

4. He gets along well with other people.

5. His peers look up to him and seek him out.

6. He is helpful and cooperates with other people.

7. He likes physical affection. (For example, he likes to hug; he likes to be held.)

8. He likes to keep his thoughts and feelings to himself.

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

10. He has friendships that don't last long; he changes friends a lot.

11. He tries to blame other people for things he has done.

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

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

14. He is eager to please.

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

16. He is proud of the things he has done and made.

17. He acts very masculine.

18. He lets his peers know it when he is upset or angry. He doesn't hold back his feelings when he feels upset or angry with them.

19. He is open and straightforward.

20. He tries to take advantage of other people.

21. He tries to be the center of attention.

22. He tries to get others to do what he wants by playing up to them. Acts charming in order to get his way.

23. He is nervous and fearful.

24. He worries about things for a long time.

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

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

27. He looks different from other people his own age.

28. He is energetic and full of life.

29. He is protective of others. He protects people who are close to him.

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

31. He is able to see how others feel; he can put himself in their place.

32. He gives, lends, and shares things.

33. He cries easily.

34. He is restless and fidgety; he has a hard time sitting still.

35. He holds things in. He has a hard time expressing himself; he's a little bit uptight.

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

37. He likes to compete; he's always testing and comparing himself to other people.

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

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

40. He is curious and exploring; he likes to learn and experience new things.

41. He is determined in what he does; he does not give up easily.

42. He is an interesting person; people notice him and remember him.

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

44. He gives in or backs down when he has a conflict or disagreement with others.

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

46. He tends to go to pieces under stress; he gets rattled when things are tough.

47. He has high standards for himself. He needs to do very well in the things he does.

48. He needs to have people tell him that he is doing well or ok. He is not very sure of himself.

49. He has specific habits or patterns of behavior. (For example, he taps his fingers, bites his fingernails, stutters or bites his lips.)

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

51. He is well-coordinated. (For example, he does well in sports.)

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

53. He has a hard time making up his mind; he changes his mind a lot.

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

55. He worries about not getting his share of material things, food, or love. He seems afraid he won't get enough.

56. He is jealous and envious; he wants what other people have.

57. He exaggerates about things that happen to him; he blows things out of proportion.

58. He openly shows the way he feels, whether it's good or bad.

59. He is neat and orderly in the way he dresses and acts.

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

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

62. He is obedient and does what he is told.

63. He is fast-paced; he moves and reacts to things quickly.

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

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

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

67. He plans things ahead; he thinks before he does something. "Looks before he leaps."

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

69. He has a way with words; he can express himself well with words.

70. He daydreams; he often gets lost in thought or a fantasy world.

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

72. He often feels guilty; he is quick to blame himself, even though he might not talk about it.

73. He has a sense of humor--he likes to laugh at funny things.

74. He usually gets wrapped up in what he is doing.

75. He is cheerful.

76. He can be trusted; he's reliable, and dependable.

77. He feels unworthy; he has a low opinion of himself.

78. He has his feelings hurt easily if he is made fun of or criticized.

79. He is suspicious--he doesn't really trust other people.

80. He teases and picks on his peers.

81. He can talk about unpleasant things that have happened to him.

82. He speaks up and sticks up for himself; he goes after what he wants.

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

84. He is a talkative person; he talks a lot.

85. He is aggressive. (For example, he picks fights or starts arguments.)

86. He likes to be by himself; he enjoys doing things alone.

87. He tries to copy and act like the people he admires and looks up to.

88. He is self-confident and sure of himself; he makes up his own mind on his own.

89. He is able to do many things well; he is skillful.

90. He is stubborn.

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

92. He is attractive, good-looking.

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

94. He whines or pouts often.

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

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

97. He likes to dream up fantasies; he has a good imagination.

98. He is shy; he has a hard time getting to know people.

99. He thinks about his actions and behavior; he uses his head before doing or saying something.

100. His peers often pick on him; he is also often blamed for things he didn't do.

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

102. He is talkative.

103. He tends to find fault with others.

104. He does a thorough job.

105. He worries a lot.

106. He likes to reflect, play with ideas.

107. He tends to be quiet.

108. He is considerate and kind to almost everyone.

109. He tends to be disorganized.

110. He is relaxed, handle stress well.

111. He has few artistic interests.

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

113. He is outgoing, sociable.

114. He is sometimes rude to others.

115. He perseveres until the task is finished.

116. He can be tense.

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

118. He is reserved.

119. He has a forgiving nature.

120. He can be somewhat careless.

121. He is emotionally stable, not easily upset.

122. He prefers work that is routine.

Before submitting your responses, please help us improve this site by answering a few demographic questions about yourself and this 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 he live?

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

If this child is financially independent, where would you place him 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?