According to The Storybranding Group's PVSI assessment, I am a Magician AND an Explorer, thanks to a tied score.
I'm nearing the end of this research project in which I've been reviewing the results of various personality, strengths and values assessments I've taken through the years as part of my effort to figure out how to more effectively tell my own story.
In my final sweep through computer files looking for any remaining data to consider, I ran across the results of the PVSI I took online in mid-October 2013.
The Personal Values Story Index “illuminates professional assets, values and gifts through a story-based lens.”
Based on the 12-archetype model created by Dr. Carol S. Pearson, the instrument provides a holistic way of looking at who you are professionally by measuring how much you identify with the attitudes and behaviors of 12 mythical or archetypal characters (called story types on this website).
My results revealed a tied score, placing me in two archetypes: Magician and Explorer. The Explorer label has come up before, in pretty much all of my assessments. The “Magician” label is new, but the underlying themes are not.
PVSI Story Type: Explorer
Stop me if you've heard this before:
Naturally independent, authentic and curious, they're able to follow unique paths and motivate others to explore unchartered territory. They're usually excited and challenged by the opportunity to blaze a new trail.”
Email of results from The Storybranding Group PVSI assessment
Subtypes of the Explorer archetype include:
- Trailblazer/pioneer: Sees or scouts for new opportunities/possibilities
- Adventurer: Emphasizes adventure and/or new experiences
- Seeker/wanderer: Searches for a unique path or solution
- Iconoclast: Places great value in being different and/or independent
- Individualist: Maintains personal integrity and authenticity in all endeavors
Email of results from The Storybranding Group PVSI assessment
Caveat for the Explorer: “Watch for an unwillingness to settle down or commit to a course of action; forgetting to coordinate their others; and overlooking the needs of others.”
PVSI Story Type: Magician
“Naturally intuitive, insightful and inspiring [Magicians] are able to see and appreciate multiple perspectives and motivate others to believe that anything is possible. They're usually excited and challenged in times of great transformation.”
Email of results from The Storybranding Group PVSI assessment
Subtypes of the Magician Archetype include:
- Catalyst/Change agent: Sees opportunities for change or provides impetus for innovative transformation.
- Envisioner: Sees possibilities and develops a clear vision of the future
- Healer: Effects individual or group healing
- Intuitive: Uses synchronicities/hunches/serendipity to set a course
- Wizard: Has a talent for unexpected, serendipitous results
Email of results from The Storybranding Group PVSI assessment
A caveat for the Magician type: Don't “lose patience with those who aren't as visionary as they are.”
The Magician archetype makes me think of all the reasons I love Harry Potter.
What's the Meaning?
I'll be pulling together all the common threads in the final post of the series. But clearly the most significant finding, I think, is the consistency of the results across the years and across the various assessment methodologies.