Me. My. Mine. I. For Generation Y, self-definition has changed from a contemplative personal journey to a sort of game most clearly visible in social networking utilities like Facebook and MySpace. Questions of which profile picture to choose or which quotations best express our current moods have taken on major importance. Hobbies, interests, music and even favorite books have become little ways in which we believe we must express our uniqueness.

While such categories in online profiles are most likely intended to help users portray their personalities, they have become a way to separate ourselves from our peers. The idea that online profiles can be accurate representations of who we are as individuals is inherently contradictory. By reducing our personalities to a series of likes and dislikes, we have decidedly cast aside the complexity of who we are for a far less becoming image of ourselves. “I like what I like. You like what you like. If our interests happen to coincide, then so be it. Otherwise, don’t expect me to show any interest in your endeavors, as I surely don’t expect you to show any interest in mine.”

Our superficial attempts at defining ourselves are not limited to the Web. We have become so disconnected from who we really are that we rely on personality tests and the opinions of others to explain how and why we behave the way we do.

I recently took a Myers-Briggs Type Indicator personality test and found that I am an ENFJ, a personality type sometimes known as “the Teacher.”

I was shocked by the accuracy of the majority of the test’s descriptions, though some analyses were quite off the mark. I don’t necessarily doubt that the results of certain tests can be alarmingly clairvoyant – they offer precise accounts of the manner in which we behave in a number of given situations – but they should not be viewed more seriously than as fleeting images of ourselves at particular moments in time. Such tests are only useful when they help us understand our personal strengths and weaknesses, so that we can continue to develop as human beings.

Furthermore, these “realities” of our personalities are expressed as absolutes, whether they reflect positive or negative characteristics. Instead of exploring our lives to find out how to improve our individual characters, whether it is in regard to the way we treat ourselves or others, we believe these states of existence to be facts of life. “That’s the way I am, so you better get used to it.” Not only do we believe that change is impossible, we see no reason to change.

I am not condemning my peers for such behaviors as I am admittedly one of the many who has spent far too much time contemplating the contents of my Facebook profile. I have learned that respecting the nature of individual human beings necessitates the excuse of their faults, just as others undoubtedly excuse my own shortcomings. But if we truly hope to accomplish more than professional success after leaving Georgetown, we cannot neglect the way we view ourselves; it is a vital indication of what we value and how we choose to interact with the world.

Perhaps the vast majority of individuals do not take Facebook, personality tests and the opinions of others very seriously when it comes to conceptualizing themselves. Yet I have little doubt that egotism and self-pity arise from the constant attempts to define ourselves in absolute terms, successfully stymying any attempts to understand who we truly are. If this view seems amusing in its alarmist conclusions about popular culture and its implications for our existence, then I am glad. If, however, you find yourself relying a little too much on such utilities to define yourself, stop. Human beings are far too complex to be reduced to a series of letters representing a personality type or a flattering profile picture.

Aakib Khaled is a junior in the School of Foreign Service. He can be reached at khaledthehoya.com. Cura Personalis appears every other Friday.

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