Idealists, as a temperament, are passionately concerned with personal growth and development. Idealists strive to discover who they are and how they can become their best possible self -- always this quest for self-knowledge and self-improvement drives their imagination. And they want to help others make the journey. Idealists are naturally drawn to working with people, and whether in education or counseling, in social services or personnel work, in journalism or the ministry, they are gifted at helping others find their way in life, often inspiring them to grow as individuals and to fulfill their potentials.
Idealists are sure that friendly cooperation is the best way for people to achieve their goals. Conflict and confrontation upset them because they seem to put up angry barriers between people. Idealists dream of creating harmonious, even caring personal relations, and they have a unique talent for helping people get along with each other and work together for the good of all. Such interpersonal harmony might be a romantic ideal, but then Idealists are incurable romantics who prefer to focus on what might be, rather than what is. The real, practical world is only a starting place for Idealists; they believe that life is filled with possibilities waiting to be realized, rich with meanings calling out to be understood. This idea of a mystical or spiritual dimension to life, the "not visible" or the "not yet" that can only be known through intuition or by a leap of faith, is far more important to Idealists than the world of material things.
Highly ethical in their actions, Idealists hold themselves to a strict standard of personal integrity. They must be true to themselves and to others, and they can be quite hard on themselves when they are dishonest, or when they are false or insincere. More often, however, Idealists are the very soul of kindness. Particularly in their personal relationships, Idealists are without question filled with love and good will. They believe in giving of themselves to help others; they cherish a few warm, sensitive friendships; they strive for a special rapport with their children; and in marriage they wish to find a "soulmate," someone with whom they can bond emotionally and spiritually, sharing their deepest feelings and their complex inner worlds.
Idealists are rare, making up between 25 and 30 percent of the population. But their ability to inspire people with their enthusiasm and their idealism has given them influence far beyond their numbers.
all i can say is... horseshit...
well, okay, maybe it isn't that far off... but most people label me a cynic and a realist, not a hopeless dreamer out to make the whole world a better place... most people call that the "real" me... i guess i couldn't say yay or nay either way (oh god, that rhymed) but really i think the jury is still out on this one... i've been told that i put up a front and just play along with what people already expect from me... and that may not be too far off base when i'm dealing with the general public... but i'd like to think that i don't subject my close friends to that kind of bullshit... so therein lies the conflict... they are the ones who think i'm a cynic, while some random personality quiz that grades me on how i would react to certain situations says i am an idealist... maybe i really am schizo... sounds like i'm two different people...
i think i'm going to write up a short survey and see who wants to be acquainted with which part of megan, that way i can keep it straight and make everyone happy...
