Most psychological tests have all the charm of paperwork we fill out at the DMV. You answer whether something is "very much like" or "not at all like me," somebody adds up the numbers, and eventually you discover that you are a moderately conscientious forest creature with leadership potential.
So, let's do something more interesting.
Imagine that somewhere between the ordinary world there is a kingdom that belongs entirely to you. It has roads, villages, kooky weather patterns, eccentric citizens, loosely defined borders, abandoned castles, unexplored forests and as one might suspect, at least one dragon who has been causing problems for generations.
You, my friend, are responsible for governing it.
This game is loosly based on research into psychological balance, a model developed by Anastasia Besika, Andrea Horn and Mike Martin. Their work describes psychological balance as involving two distinct capacities:
- Consistency: connects values with goals and behavior,
- Flexibility: allows meaningful goals to change when circumstances change.
Our little adventure is inspired by those ideas. However, it is not the validated Psychological Balance Scale nor is it a diagnostic test. Think of this game as a way of looking at how you might navigate your own imaginary kingdom.
HOW TO PLAY
For every question, choose the answer that feels most like you.
1 = Not at all like me
2 = Mostly unlike me
3 = A little unlike me
4 = Depends on the day
5 = Somewhat like me
6 = Very much like me
7 = Extremely like me
Try not to think too hard about your answers. There's no prize for becoming Supreme Chancellor of Psychological Balance.
Realm One: The Kingdom of the Compass
You inherit a magnificent kingdom. Unfortunately, the previous ruler left behind several thousand laws, seventeen totally conflicting maps and a royal council that can't agree on where anything is.
Fortunately, you have a compass.
The compass represents Consistency: the extent to which the things you believe are important actually find their way into your goals and behavior. The original research describes Consistency in terms of values functioning as an organized pattern that influences personal goals and daily action.
1. The Royal Mission
You may choose only three great projects for your kingdom. Are the projects you choose likely to reflect things you genuinely care about?
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
2. Tuesday in the Village
Royal speeches are easy. Tuesday afternoon is harder. If someone secretly followed you around during an ordinary day, would your actual behavior generally resemble the values you claim to have?
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
3. The Council Demands an Answer
Two advisers offer equally attractive plans. Nobody can tell you which one is correct. Can you usually find an internal reason for choosing one course over the other?
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
4. The Mirror in the Castle
Deep beneath the palace is a mirror that shows who you are through your actions rather than through your description of yourself. Would you recognize the person in the mirror?
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Your Compass Score
Add Questions 1–4.
24–28: The North Star
Your internal map and external behavior tend to know each other quite well. You usually have a strong sense of what guides you.
19–23: The Reliable Compass
Your general direction is clear, although everyday life occasionally sends you through the swamp.
14–18: The Cartographer
Some regions of the map are well established while others are still being surveyed. Context probably plays a substantial role in which values appear in practice.
4–13: The Explorer
Your kingdom may contain several competing maps. The interesting question is which values actually take command when choices become difficult.
A high score does not necessarily mean that your beliefs are correct. It means that you perceive relatively strong continuity among what you value, what you pursue and what you do.
Realm Two: The Islands of Impossible Roads
Your expedition leaves the kingdom and sails east.
You have spent years preparing to reach the legendary City of Aurelia. Unfortunately, when your ship arrives, you discover that the bridge is gone, the mountain pass has collapsed, and the ferryman has become a poet and refuses to operate the ferry until further notice.
The destination, at least by the route you planned, is unavailable.
Now we are testing Flexibility.
The researchers define this capacity around the ability to readjust meaningful and important goals when circumstances prevent their original pursuit. During development of the scale, candidate items included adapting goals to new circumstances, considering other goals, seeking meaningful alternatives and redefining goals.
5. The Bridge Is Gone
Can you redefine what success looks like rather than remaining permanently attached to the original plan?
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
6. The Unmarked Island
If Aurelia cannot be reached, can you become genuinely interested in another destination that also has meaning for you?
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
7. The Shipwreck
Suppose the setback is serious rather than inconvenient. After losing an important expedition, can you eventually begin building another?
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
8. The Secret Passage
A guide shows you a completely different route. Can you change direction without feeling that changing the route means betraying who you are?
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Your Flexibility Score
Add Questions 5–8.
24–28: The Portal Walker
When one route closes, your mind tends to generate others. Meaning can survive a change in form.
19–23: The Navigator
You generally adjust well, although major changes may require time before the new route feels genuinely yours.
14–18: The Bridge Builder
You can adapt, but some destinations retain a powerful gravitational pull. The process of letting go may be as significant as discovering the alternative.
4–13: The Keeper of the Road
Once something becomes meaningful, you tend to remain strongly attached to its original form. Your interesting question is whether persistence is serving the goal or preserving the route.
Flexibility is easy to confuse with simply changing your mind a lot. They are not the same thing. In this model, flexibility concerns the ability to reorganize meaningful goals in response to reality. The final research model retained separate Consistency and Flexibility factors rather than treating them as a single characteristic.
Realm Three: The Two Kingdoms
At last you arrive at a border.
On one side lies Your Kingdom. On the other lies Everyone Else.
Both kingdoms have legitimate claims on your attention.
The researchers called this dimension the Self/Others Ratio. They were interested in the relative motivation to serve personal interests and the interests of other people, rather than treating either orientation as inherently superior.
Now imagine yourself as ambassador between the two kingdoms.
9. The Treasury
When making an important decision, can you seriously consider what is good for you?
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
10. The Neighboring Village
When making an important decision, can you seriously consider what your choice will mean for other people?
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
11. The Harvest
Can your kingdom prosper without automatically interpreting your own prosperity as taking something away from somebody else?
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
12. The Open Gate
Can you care deeply about another kingdom without handing them the keys to yours?
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Your Two-Kingdom Score
This section works a little differently.
Add Questions 9 + 11. That is your Self score.
Add Questions 10 + 12. That is your Others score.
Now subtract the smaller number from the larger number.
For example:
Self = 12
Others = 11
Difference = 1
The smaller the difference, the more evenly your answers distribute attention between the two kingdoms.
Difference of 0–2: The Twin Kingdoms
Your answers give roughly comparable weight to yourself and other people.
Difference of 3–5: The Gentle Tilt
Both kingdoms remain visible, although one tends to receive somewhat greater consideration.
Difference of 6–8: The Strong Current
Your attention tends to flow substantially toward one side. Which side it favors may tell you something useful about how you resolve competing interests.
Difference of 9–12: The Gravitational Pull
One kingdom strongly dominates the landscape. The interesting question is what happens when the needs of the two kingdoms genuinely collide.
This scoring method is only a playful adaptation for this exercise. The actual study operationalized Self/Others Ratio using specific scale items and examined ranges statistically; it should not be confused with this homemade scoring system. In the research, motivation toward self and others was examined as a ratio influencing the relationship between Psychological Balance and measures of well-being.
Now Look at the Map Again
Don't add all three scores together. Instead, look at the shape of your kingdom.
You might have a powerful compass but dislike changing course. You might be extraordinarily adaptable while still figuring out which values should guide the adaptation. You might care enormously about other people while having difficulty protecting your own territory. You might be fiercely self-directed while remaining remarkably attentive to the people around you.
The combinations tell a better story.
The original study found that Consistency and Flexibility were both associated with measures including meaning in life, life satisfaction and subjective happiness, although the strength of those relationships varied considerably. Together, for example, the two factors accounted for about 33 percent of the variance in existential meaning and about 22 percent of the variance in life satisfaction in one analysis.
That is another reason not to treat twelve questions as a verdict on anybody's psyche. The question the author is asking is simpler.
What kind of ruler are you when the compass works, the bridge collapses, and the neighboring kingdom knocks on the gate?
Exploring that little story may tell you more about yourself than whether you are a lion, an architect, an ENFP or, regrettably, a moderately conscientious forest creature.
Disclaimer: Artificial computation program used in the production of maps. The R46 Stick Figure artwork is the author's (human) production.
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