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MOTIV Personality Trait Descriptions

MaterialisticOffbeatThinkingInterpersonal | Vital | Easygoing | Sectarian
Ascetic | Conventional | Haphazard | Withholding | Depressive | Rigid | Globalistic

Interpersonal (Othercentric)

High scoring Interpersonal testimonials
Low scoring Interpersonal testimonials

I asked low scorers for some insight into their orientation, here are their answers:

I pursue my own goals- to be a musician. I don't care if I'm helpful to others. I try to get where I need to be, and that's that. I scored low on the othercentric drive because I feel I only care about my band members, my lover, and my music. If people get in my way, they'll be horribly inconvenienced. M-66 O-94 T-66 I-33 V-38

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It's not that I don't help others, I just don't enjoy doing it. I may sound like an egocentric asshole, but if it doesn't benefit me then I really have no use in doing it. M-66 O-88 T-77 I-27 V-55

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I only choose to help people in free time, or if it presents a logical basis to help them instead of going out of my way. M-61 O-66 T-100 I-16 V-55

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I don't mind being selectively helpful to others (partner, friends, family) but I think these days there is a feeling of entitlement in society - people putting their hands out for others to solve their problems without making an effort themselves. I don't have much sympathy for people like that. I guess I am not a people person - when donating to charity I prefer to give to an animal welfare one rather than a person one. I guess I see too many people ruining the world and not enough people with ethics and integrity to be focused on helping people and being 'selfless' - there are other ways to be selfless than helping people in general. M-33 O-71 T-43 I-27 V-52

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I like to help others if the need is right before me. But I find it exhausting to go looking for ways to help others. There is so much need that it would be overwhelming. I would rather help people that I know so that I can see the result. M-66 O-61 T-55 I-33 V-44

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I love who I am, I love my life. Things could not be better, I could not be better. M-100 O-100 T-66 I-16 V-66

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I feel like I scored low on the Othercentric drive possibly because at times I don't feel wanted anywhere, which makes me think 'Why put effort into being helpful if it would help them more if I just left?". This is difficult as it is hard to keep deep relationships for long periods of time, as sadly some people (like me, I'll admit) like things to be done for them and desire attention. M-61 O-77 T-38 I-16 V-27

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Because in the world we live in nowadays people like to take advantage of the helpful people. I help my close trusted friends, just not everyone. M-94 O-66 T-94 I-16 V-44

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I had 3 brothers and two middle class parents raised in the 70s. i learned quickly to look out for ME.
pros?: i don't get screwed over. cons?: people think im a bitch (i don't see this as a con, but most would) M-61 O-77 T-61 I-27 V-33

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I feel like it is hard enough to take care of myself, and I do the very bare minimum, or maybe even less than that, for myself. So if it sucks so much for me to take care of me, caring for someone else is abhorrent. I love life but it is troublesome to live. M-27 O-88 T-33 I-22 V-55

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I scored low on othercentricism because I'm psychopathic. M-55 O-72 T-83 I-0 V-38

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My feelings of self-worth and happiness are rarely dependent on whether I can help someone, or if I have confidence that they were helped by me. It is not as if I am immune to 'caring' as much as I am avoiding placing much stock in their emotions, or even those I feel as a result of such activities.

I will often give a 'kind' word of advice if it is asked for but I don't seek out opportunities to do so.

I believe I am like that because I have trouble understanding and expressing emotion (classic INTP archetype). I also reject altruism as a focal point, because of the lack of limits on the amount of self-sacrifice demanded by society.

In all honesty, I go about my business and am not one to network, look for friends, or spend my time looking to serve others.

The pros of such a lifestyle are that I do not attract a lot of drama and complications. Similarly, I have a lot of time to myself because I do not have a lot of emotional investment in the majority of people I know. The few that I do love and support are much more autonomous and unemotional than most, traits I appreciate.

The cons are that as an introverted and non-othercentric personality, I come across as a cold, aloof, removed, uninterested, and rude. In reality, I am not of a negative opinion of society as much as I am simply uninterested in devoting myself to their pursuits and desires. I have my own. I find it easy to compartmentalize my emotions and the problem at hand. I have had backlash from people because I do not seem to 'care about their feelings', but I don't see the point in trying to accommodate for something that I can't actively fix, is in many ways largely independent on my actions, and muddles the clarity of how to address the primary issue at hand. M-72 O-66 T-94 I-27 V-27

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I simply don't care. M-66 O-77 T-94 I-27 V-66

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I scored very low on Othercentricism probably because I don't like doing something out of which I get nothing. Truthfully, I think most people think they are helpful to others, but really aren't. I sincerely doubt anyone around me would go out of their way to do something helpful for me. M-66 O-77 T-100 I-5 V-33

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I don't like being selfless/helpful because i do not see why i have to help others when they do not help themselves or when they got into trouble because they chose to in the first place. The worst thing is that sometimes my help is not appreciated or i get implicated into issues which was not my concern initially. This is extremely irritating and a complete waste of time and my efforts. Not extending help is good sometimes, i don't get into trouble especially implicated by those with ill intentions. And i don't have to keep up to the promises which i will make when helping someone. And i will help people who really need help, people like my friends who try to help themselves but in vain, or people whom i don't know. People who don't put in the efforts really don't deserve my help and i don't see why i will be selfless to help them. This is especially so when people like them take it for granted that they will receive help and do not feel grateful for it. One bad thing about me not liking to be selfless or helpful is that people who don't understand me will think that i am aloof and cold. They will tend to think that i am arrogant or plain rude and insensitive. I can't really understand that because they don't even care for themselves and i had got some nasty rumors spreading around. M-72 O-77 T-88 I-11 V-38

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Most of the time people don't need help and I don't want to seem like I excessively care about them or that I pay attention to them. I think it's due to my fear of rejection. Also, some people need to learn to be more independent, they can't rely on others forever. M-66 O-77 T-50 I-0 V-33

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The single biggest reason for this is probably the fact that having been physically and emotionally abused as a child, I learned early on that trying to please other people was pointless - I got beaten up no matter what I did. I also came to the conclusion that I had to take care of myself, because no one else would. M-66 O-72 T-94 I-16 V-44

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Regarding scoring low on Othercentricity, how I see it is that I love being helpful, but not selfless, this might be attributed to two factors from my opinion:

1) Mother and grandmother having been extremely selfless and self-sacrificing, and it has taken its huge toll on their health, well being and quality of life and I can't see how this could've been rewarding for them. I got that reasoning by watching their lives that ignoring and sacrificing oneself for the benefit of others can't really pay off 'cos u get exhausted, and usually the 'others' are just very selfish and take that kind of giving for granted. Mum tries to 'convince' me how rewarding she finds being a mother and doing all that much for her kids, but I really can't see her point of view. In the meantime, I find my dad pretty detached and somewhat focusing on himself more than others and he seems to be doing fine, so I might've decided to follow his example not Mum's. Consciously I want to change and become less selfish, but I think this is probably rooted too deep into my subconscious

2) I'm introverted according to Jung test (INFP), so my interests are already inwardly focused and I get my emotional energy from being alone. Sometimes when I'd done enoguh 'recharging' I can reach out to others and help, but even that is harder not. Over the previous 5 yrs I was struck with a mobility issue, so I can do very little walking, just barely enough to maintain a career, even with lots of constraints, but cannot do much more than that one the side, so my 'physical' ability to offer a 'physical' kind of help is diminished. Also, being an INFP and already needing my alone time, and now that I have this problem I spend waaay too much time within the self, wondering how to fix my problem, reading about it, trying to get out of my depression, so I have no eneregy to do any 'othercentric' work. I can help a friend or give consultancy if it is something I know about or something I'm good at, but nothing involving getting out of my comfort zone or doing any physical effort.

3) I know I said 2 points, but maybe there's a 3rd one in a rebellion against culture and the stereotype it assumes I should play. I find that the culture assumes being a female I had to grow up and be a giving wife and mother. I might've decided to break the rule and not be giving in the expected selfless way. M-33 O-88 T-50 I-22 V-27

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In relation to the low othercentric drive I would agree with it's results. The reason I have tested low is people as a whole are generally unworthy of overt kindness. Those who have been recipients of it when they are down on there luck tend to squander the gifts of kindness they are given and try to leech away more from people and society. I don't like that mentality and as such would rather turn my back on the larger whole to cut out the cancer. M-27 O-66 T-94 I-27 V-61

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I believe that my Othercentric drive score was low because, in the past, I've tried too hard to help some friends, but I think I was too under appreciated; they didn't really recognized all the efforts I had put in helping them.

Or maybe I was just trying to be accepted when I halped them, and in the end, I was kind of frustrated with the results. M-66 O-72 T-66 I-33 V-16

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I am 87 and unable to help others very much. M-27 O-88 T-100 I-16 V-38

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That's not completely true. I like creating beautiful things for people to see though. M-66 O-83 T-77 I-16 V-33

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Helping others to make yourself happy is selfish. you should do it for no other reason than its the right thing to do. M-50 O-94 T-94 I-16 V-61


*for a low score assume the opposite of the above. the descriptions listed here are made up of personality items. people who scored high on this type scored higher on the above items compared to the average. (more info on construction)
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