Are You a Control Freak?
By answering the following multiple-choice questions, you can diagnose your own controlling symptoms. Choose the response that best represents your reaction. Take as much time as you like, and answer each question honestly.
Some of the items on my lengthy to-do list could be delegated to a family member or a coworker, but
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I don't ask anyone because I don't want to impose.
I feel kind of awkward about it, but I eventually let people know I need help.
I don't hesitate to ask people for help.
I don't see the point of asking, because hardly anyone can do the job as well as I can do it myself.
My family members, friends, and coworkers tell me I am sometimes critical and hard to please.
Never
Sometimes
Frequently
All the time
When I've taken the time to make plans for an evening with friends and then they want to change what I have arranged,
I don't say a word about it and am happy to go along with out making a fuss.
I let them know my feelings, but I eventually change my attitude and go along with it.
I make it clear how hard I worked to pull everything together and try to convince them to see why my way is better.
I make my stance known and don't budge.
When I'm having a disagreement with a sales clerk,
I swallow my words and give in just to avoid the conflict.
I work to resolve it as quickly as I can.
I fight for my point even if it takes some time.
I often go to the mat to win and show why I'm right.
When I'm in a hurry and the driver in front of me is driving especially slowly, causing me to miss green lights,
I take that time to slow down and enjoy the ride.
I hope he turns off the road so I can get going.
I get very frustrated and do whatever I can to pass him.
I ride his bumper, flash my lights or honk, and give him a dirty look when I get around him.
I'm taking a long-overdue vacation with a few friends. When it comes to making travel arrangements and planning our days, my style is to
Let my friends do the planning and go with the flow.
Offer a couple of suggestions but remain spontaneous.
Think through things, like where we will want to eat on that day, and plan accordingly.
Read up on where we are going, schedule each day ahead of time, and purchase tickets well in advance to avoid potential hassles.
In thinking about how people succeed in life,
I go with the flow and see what happens.
I think it's good to have goals, but everyone has his or her own style.
I don't understand people who don't have vision for what they can do.
I have little patience for those who simply drift without direction.
I just spent twenty minutes at the office doing absolutely nothing. I feel
Justified. I deserve some slack-off time.
Energized. It felt good to veg out.
Grumpy. I could have finished a project and not felt so bad.
Guilty. I wasted precious time in which I could have gotten more done.
When someone borrows a video from my neatly organized collection and doesn't put the video back in the right order,
It doesn't bother me.
I'm just happy the person returned it.
I put the video back the way I want it and make a mental note to tell the person where I like it to go.
I show the person how to do it right and say that the next time he or she borrows a video, I want it returned to the exact place I have it.
When an important project I've been working on is not going the way I want it to,
I shrug it off because nothing is really that important.
I do something else and come back to the situation with a clear mind.
I mull over the problem but do my best to leave my worries at work.
I can't let it go. I worry to the point that it keeps me up at night.
When it comes to paying the bills in our home,
I don't have anything to do with it.
It doesn't matter who does it as long as it gets done.
I do it myself if time allows or review the job if it was done by someone else to be sure I know what's going on.
I always do it myself because I want to know exactly where our money is going, and I want to be sure the bills are paid on time.
I'm reading a book on being a Control Freak because
Someone gave it to me. I'm not sure why.
I am primarily concerned with finding ways to cope with the overcontrolling people around me. But if reading the book keeps me from being controlling, that's great too.
I know that I have controlling tendencies and hope the book might help me improve.
I read through a few parts I think are best-just to be in the know and don't give much weight to ideas I disagree with.
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