The Four Tendencies Quiz

This quiz was created by Gretchen Rubin. Details and the original, static quiz can be found here.

Check the box if it applies to you:

• I love crossing items off my to-do list.
• I feel uncomfortable if I’m with someone who’s breaking a rule—whispering to me during someone’s giving a work presentation, or using a cell phone when a sign reads “No cell phones.”
• Usually, I’m punctual and meet deadlines. In fact, I really dislike being late or missing a deadline, even if it’s somewhat arbitrary.
• I’ve made New Year’s resolutions in the past, and I usually have good success in keeping them.
• If something is on my calendar, it gets done.
• I hate making mistakes or letting people down.
• It’s just as important to keep my promises to myself as it is to keep my promises to other people.
• I want to know what’s expected of me.
• Sometimes other people feel annoyed by my level of discipline. I’ve been accused of being rigid.
• I embrace habits.
• It’s painful for me not to do something I’ve agreed to do, even if it doesn’t really matter, so I’m very careful about making commitments—to other people or to myself.
• It’s very important for me to make well-reasoned decisions.
• If I want to make a change in my life, I’ll make it right away. I won’t make a New Year’s resolution, because January 1 is an arbitrary date.
• Even when a decision isn’t particularly important, I sometimes have trouble deciding, because I want more information.
• I get very agitated if I have to wait in line.
• If I’m asked to do something that doesn’t make sense, I won’t do it—which sometimes causes conflicts with other people.
• Other people sometimes become frustrated by my demand for information and sound reasons.
• It really bothers me when things are unfair or arbitrary.
• I like to hear from experts, but I always decide for myself what course to follow.
• I can start a new habit without much effort, if it’s something that makes sense for my aims.
• Occasionally, I arrive at conclusions that violate conventional wisdom or common practice (which can cause problems with other people); I want to act on the basis of my own reasoning.
• I question the validity of the Rubin Tendencies.
• I never make New Year’s resolutions. Why would I commit myself to do something in advance?
• If someone asks or tells me to do something, I often have the impulse to refuse—or to do just the opposite.
• I resist habits.
• I enjoy flouting rules and expectations.
• Other people sometimes become frustrated because I won’t do what they want me to do.
• If someone tells me I can’t do something, I think, “I’ll show you,” and I do it.
• People sometimes accuse me of being irresponsible or unnecessarily contrarian.
• I’m not particularly persuaded by arguments such as, “People are counting on you,” “You’ve already paid for it,” “You said you’d do it,” “Someone will be upset if you don’t,” “It’s against the rules,” “This is the deadline,” or “It’s rude.”
• Sometimes I find myself attracted to institutions with lots of rules—the military, the police, the clergy.
• If I’m expected to do something—even something fun, like a wood-working class—I have the urge to resist; the expectation takes the fun out of an activity that I enjoy.
• My significant other is an Obliger.
• I sometimes describe myself as a “people-pleaser.”
• People often turn to me for help—to edit a report, to take over a carpool run, to speak at a conference at the last minute.
• I’ve given up making New Year’s resolutions, because I never keep them.
• I get frustrated by the fact that I make time for other people’s priorities, but struggle to make time for my own.
• Every once in a while, I snap, and in a sudden moment of rebellion, I refuse to do what other people expect of me.
• Promises to other people can’t be broken, but promises to myself can be broken.
• Unless someone is enforcing a deadline, it’s hard for me to get work done.
• I sometimes feel burned out, and it’s hard for me to take the time and effort for myself, to recharge my battery.
• I’ll do something to be a good role model, even if it’s not something that I’d do for myself. Practice piano, eat vegetables, quit smoking.
• It’s hard for me to tell people “no.”
• I’ve made some good habits, but I often struggle without success to form others.

Results

Upholder 

Questioner 

Rebel 

Obliger