personalities

Personalities

90 ESL discussion questions about personalities for all levels, focusing on types, traits, psychology, change, judging, and self-knowledge.
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A1 Level – Elementary

1. Are you a quiet person?

2. What is a happy mood?

3. Do you like people who talk a lot?

4. What is a good friend?

5. Do you like to be alone?

6. What is a nervous feeling?

7. Do you change your clothes often?

8. What is a surprise?

9. Do you think people can change?

10. What is a brave person?

11. Do you judge quickly?

12. What is a fun party?

13. Do you know your personality?

14. What are three personality traits?

15. Do you think personality is important?

A2 Level – Pre-Intermediate

1. What is the difference between personality and mood?

2. Why are some people very outgoing (extroverted)?

3. What are the good things and bad things about being shy?

4. How does a person’s personality affect their choice of job?

5. Should all children be encouraged to be more confident?

6. Why is it important to understand other people’s personalities?

7. Do you think personality tests are accurate?

8. What is the purpose of self-reflection?

9. How does a person’s culture affect their communication style?

10. What is the difference between a pessimist and an optimist?

11. Do you think personality is set from birth?

12. What are the problems when two very different personalities live together?

13. When is the best time to try to change a bad habit?

14. What are two differences between a Type A and a Type B personality?

15. How does personality affect success in school?

B1 Level – Intermediate

1. What are the rules for politely asking a person about their personality type?

2. How does the environment (city vs. countryside) affect a person’s personality development?

3. Should the government provide more services for people with difficult personalities?

4. What is the difference between a person’s public personality and their private personality?

5. Do you believe that people can change their basic personality traits?

6. What are the challenges of working with someone who has a very dominant personality?

7. How does the focus on a single personality type affect workplace diversity?

8. What is the idea of “introversion” and its value?

9. Is it fair or unfair when jobs require a specific personality type?

10. How does a lack of self-awareness affect a person’s relationships?

11. What are the steps for properly giving constructive feedback about someone’s behavior?

12. What is the value of spending time with people whose personalities are very different from yours?

13. Should public media feature a wide range of different personalities?

14. What are the reasons why some people prefer to be alone?

15. How does a person’s early childhood affect their adult personality?

B2 Level – Upper-Intermediate

1. What are the social pressures to adopt a certain personality type to fit in?

2. What are the moral problems when companies use personality tests to discriminate in hiring?

3. How does constant online interaction affect the development of deep social skills?

4. Should teachers be legally required to design lessons that suit all personality types?

5. Analyze the psychological effect of trying to suppress (hide) your true personality.

6. Who is responsible for helping people understand their own personality limitations?

7. What is your view on the practice of using personality stereotypes in comedy?

8. Evaluate the role of genetic factors versus environmental factors in shaping personality.

9. How does the concept of “the shadow self” (hidden parts) apply to daily life?

10. Discuss the concept of “emotional intelligence” and its link to leadership.

11. What are the problems with having very different expectations for personality based on gender?

12. What are the legal differences between a personal preference and a personality disorder?

13. Do you agree that the purpose of personality is mainly to help a person adapt to their environment?

14. What steps should be taken to ensure that people are not penalized for being highly introverted?

15. How does the belief that “personality is fixed” stop people from personal growth?

C1 Level – Advanced

1. Is it fair that certain personality traits (like boldness) are rewarded more in the workplace?

2. What is the right way to think about a government’s moral duty to support people with severe personality disorders?

3. How do the platform’s algorithms influence the type of personalities that become famous online?

4. When should a person’s personality be considered a factor in legal decision-making (e.g., child custody)?

5. What are the moral questions when we talk about using drugs or therapy to fundamentally change a person’s personality?

6. How does the focus on quick testing affect the long-term, deep understanding of personality development?

7. Discuss the impact of major world events (war, pandemic) on changing the collective personality of a generation.

8. How should leaders use knowledge about team personalities to create a more efficient workplace?

9. What is the idea of “the Big Five” personality traits and its use in modern psychology?

10. What are the long-term effects on society when the public loses tolerance for eccentric or unique personalities?

11. What are the difficulties when courts try to decide if a person’s character traits contributed to a crime?

12. How does the search for a perfect, adaptable personality conflict with the human need for authenticity?

13. Do you agree that the most important thing is a person’s honesty about their flaws, not their apparent perfection?

14. What are the simple moral rules a person should follow when judging someone’s character based on limited information?

15. Should the government set a legal minimum for the amount of mandatory self-reflection and personal growth support?

C2 Level – Proficiency

1. What is the real difference between a person’s internal self-perception and the external manifestation of their personality?

2. Debate the idea: Should we completely eliminate all personality testing in hiring and education?

3. How does the concept of “identity” change when personality can be modified by technology or therapy?

4. What laws or rules are needed to control how technology platforms use personality profiling to target users?

5. How do historical views of temperament (humors) affect modern understanding of human behavior?

6. How can communities maintain social trust when people use advanced skills to mask their true personality?

7. Argue the point that humans should stop all attempts to categorize personality and focus on individual actions.

8. What protection should laws give to employees who are penalized for having a non-conforming personality type?

9. How can we stop the problem of using personality types to excuse bad behavior?

10. What did old thinkers say about character, virtue, and the self that is still important today?

11. What will happen to the need for human therapists if AI can perfectly diagnose and recommend personality changes?

12. How do people use the idea of “that’s just my personality” to avoid discussing their responsibility?

13. How does the experience of a major life crisis change a person’s fundamental personality traits?

14. What is the power of a collective movement to demand that workplaces value all personality types?

15. If scientists could perfectly measure and categorize all human personalities, how would that fundamentally change human relationships?

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