Leonhard accentuations · 24 questions · 5 minutes
Character Test
Twenty-four times you choose what feels more like you, and this test, built on the Leonhard-Schmieschek method, shows you your leading character trait - the very one that stands out most in you.
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How it is calculated
This test builds on the method of Karl Leonhard and Hans Schmieschek, one of the classics in the psychology of character. An accentuation is simply a sharpened, especially vivid character trait that still stays within the normal range. You choose what feels closer to you, the votes add up across seven types, and the one with the most is your leading type. The second strongest adds a shade of color.
Seven Character Types
Hyperthymic - energy and optimism, liveliness, sociability, easy to get going
You live on a high note: plenty of energy, a mood that's usually bright, and new ideas that spark in you one after another. People come easy to you, starting comes easy, and even after a setback you shake it off fast and keep going. Around you it feels warmer and more fun, because your optimism is contagious. Sometimes that spark pulls you into ten things at once, and not all of them reach the finish. Strengths: energy, optimism, sociability, an easy start, a lively mind, resilience to setbacks. What to watch for: take on fewer things at once and finish what you start, or your energy drains into the sand.
Demonstrative - charm and flair, expressiveness, a pull toward attention
You have flair and charm: you know how to present yourself, tell a story vividly, make an impression. It matters to you to be seen, and other people's attention gives you wings. You read a room and connect with everyone easily, so being liked comes to you on its own. Behind that shine lives a real need for warmth and recognition, and there's nothing to be ashamed of in that. Strengths: charm, flair, lively speech, ease with people, a knack for winning others over, making friends easily. What to watch for: the pull toward attention can get hungry. Learn to value yourself even without applause from others.
Pedantic - order and thoroughness, tidiness, precision, a love of order
You're a thorough person: you love order, precision, and a job done properly. Before you decide, you weigh and check everything, and once it's done you check it again so you can sleep easy. People can count on you - you rarely let anyone down and can't stand things done any old way. The flip side is that perfectionism sometimes slows you down, and small details grow into a whole mountain. Strengths: tidiness, reliability, an eye for detail, responsibility, thoroughness, conscientiousness. What to watch for: don't let the small stuff eat up what matters. Done well is often already better than perfect.
Excitable - impulse and directness, directness, acting on feeling
You live by feeling and act at once: once you've decided, you won't drag your feet. You speak plainly, honestly, without hedging, and people always know where they stand with you. Putting up with slowness and roundabout talk is hard for you, you're drawn to action and to movement. The force of the impulse is your strength, and that same force sometimes outruns reason, so an outburst is easier to head off than to repair afterward. Strengths: directness, decisiveness, honesty, energy for action, sincerity, the courage to call things by their names. What to watch for: catch the pause between the feeling and the word. A couple of seconds to cool off saves many relationships.
Anxious - sensitivity and responsibility, caution, conscientiousness
You're a sensitive, conscientious person: you work out in advance how things will go, and you worry about not letting anyone down. Caution keeps you from needless risks, and your attentiveness helps you spot difficulties before others do. You take any promise seriously, and people really can count on you. It's just that worry loves to exaggerate - a lot of what you fear never actually happens. Strengths: responsibility, sensitivity, caution, reliability, conscientiousness, an ability to foresee risks. What to watch for: learn to tell real danger from anxious noise. You cope better than you think.
Emotive - kindness and empathy, gentleness, deep compassion
You have a soft, responsive heart: you feel others deeply and take on their joy and their pain with ease. You're moved by what many people walk right past - a story, a film, someone else's misfortune. You treat people gently and try not to hurt anyone. Warmth and kindness you value above all else. Sensitivity is a gift, but it also leaves you more vulnerable, so it matters especially for you to guard your own strength. Strengths: kindness, empathy, warmth, sincerity, an ear for how others feel, loyalty to those close to you. What to watch for: you take other people's pain close to heart. Learn to set a gentle boundary so you don't burn out for others.
Stuck - principles and persistence, drive, loyalty, a long memory for kindness and hurt
You're a person of principle and purpose: once a goal is set, you go all the way and never quit halfway. You have a sharp sense of justice, and you stand up for the truth and for your own people. Your memory is long - you remember both kindness and hurt, and you value loyalty like few others do. Your strength is in your steadfastness, and that same steadfastness sometimes makes it hard to let an old grievance go, it holds on to you tighter than it should. Strengths: drive, persistence, integrity, loyalty, a sense of justice, reliability. What to watch for: learn to let old grievances go. Forgiveness frees you first of all.
Frequently asked
How do you find out your character from the test?
Take the test: twenty-four times you pick the option that feels closer to you out of two. Your answers add up across seven character types, and the one with the most votes is your leading type. The second strongest adds a shade to the portrait.
What is a character accentuation?
It's a sharpened, especially pronounced character trait that still stays within the normal range. The concept was introduced by the psychiatrist Karl Leonhard: most people have one or two such vivid traits, and they're exactly what make a character recognizable.
Is an accentuation a bad thing or a diagnosis?
No, it's neither bad nor a diagnosis. An accentuation is simply a strongly pronounced character trait within the normal range. It only starts to get in the way when it's very sharp. In most people it shows up mildly and only adds color to the character.
Can character be changed?
The core of your character is stable, and the leading type usually stays with us for life. But how it shows up is in your hands: knowing your strong and weak sides, you lean on the first and gently soften the second. Character changes slowly, but it changes for real.