The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) personality test is trending among young North Koreans in their 20s and 30s. Unmarried women are using the test to find marriage partners with compatible personalities.
A source in South Hwanghae province told Daily NK recently that young North Koreans are installing MBTI test programs from flash drives onto their Chinese-made smartphones or sharing simplified surveys based on translations of foreign materials with friends.
The source said taking the MBTI has become as trendy in North Korea as it is in the South. Among young people in the city of Haeju, for example, not knowing your MBTI would make you the subject of mockery.
Young women in their 20s and 30s are driving the trend.
“Single women in their 20s check whether somebody’s personality is a good fit before dating them—60–70% compatibility is considered the cutoff. Some women who are set up with a man will keep a record of his verbal style and emotional responses and ask their friends to assess his personality,” the source said.
Single women in their 20s have come to value personality compatibility in potential marriage partners. A good personality match has become a critical requirement for deciding whom to marry.
A shift in marriage priorities
In the past, party membership, military career, academic background, and family finances were the deciding factors in choosing a spouse. But for the younger generation, the crucial question is whether the partners’ personalities align.
“Unlike the previous generation, young people tend to candidly express their emotional and mental state, which has become a key value. Given women’s increasing participation in the economy and the widespread view that the family budget is sustained by the woman’s income, there’s a growing tendency to regard a well-matched personality as more important than talent in a man,” the source said.
“This represents a shift in perspective on marriage among young people here, especially among unmarried women,” the source added.
Married women in their 20s and 30s are also having fun with the trend. “No wonder we don’t get along,” joked one woman who checked her compatibility with her husband using the personality test.
“Young people nowadays say that ‘personality tests are based on science,’ which is baffling for older people who are more accustomed to hearing that ‘socialism is based on science.’ As usual, older people struggle to understand youth culture,” the source said.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: dailynk.com
