You are about to take the Epstein-Dumas Infantilization Inventory (EDII), a test that will help you determine the extent to which you are being infantilized by significant people in your life. The lower your score, the better. Mainstream adults in the U.S. generally score quite low - under 5 percent. Zero percent is a perfect score, suggesting that the people around you treat you with dignity and respect.
“Your brand is not a logo or a name, it is about expressing meaning. Your brand is about how you choose to take your ‘why’ to the world.” Butler says a personal brand is important because it forces you to define what drives you, your mission and purpose - which can be wildly empowering. Disdain and contempt are not good foundations on which to try and establish a loving, long-term relationship. Read John Gottman’s, The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work, for a good analysis of what being treated like shit does to a marriag. Dec 14, 2015 If Your Brand Was a Person, Who Would it Be? Think about your favorite three brands. Just close your eyes, and allow your top three brands to pop into your head. There are, undoubtedly, a host of reasons you’re attracted to these brands. “How does this person treat people?” But no, we prefer to pretend that we can have a reputation without putting in the work. “Just edit your profile pic and you’ll have an awesome personal brand.” That belief is true for people who are just starting out and people who are experienced. And I get it — we like the idea of control. Impress recruiters with your disruptive cover letter! Download your FREE cover letter samples now! If you are unclear about your personal brand, just pay attention to what your co-workers seek you out for. That is a good place to start. To further develop your understanding, study these examples, even if none of them are exactly what you do.
Active-duty U.S. Marines score about 24 percent on this test. Incarcerated felons score even higher - about 35 percent. Populations needing a great deal of care and protection, such as young children or the severely mentally ill, score considerably higher. A highly restricted child (assisted in taking the test) will score about 70 percent on the EDII, and so will many American teens, even though they are no longer children.
When competent people are treated like children, they often react with depression or anger. Knowing how much you are infantilized can be an important first step toward improving your life.
Designed by Dr. Robert Epstein (follow on Twitter at @DrREpstein), one of America's most distinguished psychologists, this test will give you a quick measure of just how infantilized you are. The test is based on collaborative research originally conducted by Dr. Epstein and his colleague, Dr. Diane Dumas.
If you are conducting research and would like to collect raw data for a group that is taking this test - for a business, research study, classroom activity, or other purpose - please see our Group Testing Instructions
If you are a parent of teens or preteens, you might want to take Dr. Epstein's newest test, the Epstein Teen Parenting Inventory, accessible at TeenParentingSkills.com.
To get a quick measure of your adult competence, you might also want to take the Epstein-Dumas Test of Adultness, accessible at HowAdultAreYou.com.
If you know a young person who is depressed, angry, or defiant, he or she might be suffering from Extended Childhood Disorder. Find out at ExtendedChildhoodDisorder.com.
The infantilization test takes about 10 minutes to complete. Before we get to the inventory itself, we'll ask you a few basic questions about yourself. Demographic information is being collected for research purposes only and will be kept strictly confidential.
*Required responseJune 28 | Diane Burgess-Faber
I recently had a conversation with a good friend of mine that ended up surprising us both.
He was unhappy because he’d been passed over to lead a team on a project that was, as he put it, “right up my alley.”
Caught off guard by his reaction, I said, “I’m surprised you wanted it in the first place. I mean, I’ve never really thought of you as someone who’d want to be a project leader.”
“Why?' he said. 'Don’t you think I could do it?”
“Yes, actually, I think you’d make a great project lead—it just never crossed my mind that you’d want to do that.”
Whether we know it or not, we all have a personal brand or reputation.
It’s the way that others see us.
How do people express their brand? By everything they do and say. The more consistent their words and actions, the stronger their brand.
Most people, like my friend, have little idea how others really see them.
Yet every time you're in a meeting or you send an email or appear at an event, people are observing you and forming their own perception—not necessarily in a judgmental way.
They're just forming an impression: Who are you? What do you do well? Are you someone they want to work with? Someone they can work with? Are you a leader, team player, and/or someone they can trust?
Building a brand means taking a good, hard look at yourself.
To discover your brand, take a good, hard look at how you fulfill four essential components of a personal brand:
- Your values: What is most important to you?
- Your skills: What do you do very well that sets you apart from others?
- Your dependability: Do you have a track record of doing what you say you will?
- Your empathy: How do you understand, value, and trust others?
Take a few notes that reflect your own assessment.
Here’s a tip: Where your brand bubbles to the top is when you lead and contribute to teams. So think about how you worked with others on the last three teams you were on.
From these notes, write down three words you think describe your personal brand. Possibilities might include hard-working, easy-going, creative, inspiring, patient, detail-oriented, loyal.
Next, go to a few trusted friends or colleagues and ask them what three words they would use to describe you and your work style.
This simple exercise will give you valuable information and answers to questions, like:
- How do others see me?
- Is it the same as how I see myself?
- Is it how I want to be seen?
- Are there differences in perceptions that I can address, to become the person I want to be?
Treat Your Brand Like A Person Point Of View
Remember—your personal brand exists only in the eyes of others.
If they don’t see it as you do, ask yourself (and others) what you could do to build your skills and demonstrate your brand more clearly.
This process can be illuminating, inspiring, sometimes difficult, and oh-so-necessary if you truly want to realize your goals and potential both at work and at home.
Learn More
Building a strong personal brand is an element and priority in all Mandel Training. So much of your brand starts with what you say and how you say it, and that’s Mandel’s forte.
A person’s brand is especially critical when leading and contributing to successful teams. Things like; how well you inspire and earn the trust of fellow team members? Can create and deliver on a shared team vision? Keep others accountable, even when you don’t report to each other? Give effective feedback and recognition?
Build these crucial skills and more in Mandel’s Lead Without Authority Workshop.
Treat Your Brand Like A Person Like