In 1955, the psychologist N. D. Sundburg gave the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory, a commonly used personality test, to forty-four students. Next he had two highly experienced psychologists draw up personality sketches for each student based on the results of the test. He then presented the individualized personality sketch to each student, together with a universal faked sketch-one provided for all the men and another for all the women. Fifty-nine percent of the students picked the faked sketch as describing their true personality. What do these findings imply about self-knowledge and the accuracy of personal validation? Are people prone to accept descriptions of themselves that are flattering? Do people tend to find some specific feature in their makeup that fits any generalization?

Specifically, Sundburg found that the following sketch was acceptable as describing the majority of college men:

You are a person who is very normal in his attitudes, behavior and relationships with people. You get along well without effort. People naturally like you, and you are not overly critical of them or yourself. You are neither overly conventional nor overly individualistic. Your prevailing mood is one of optimism and constructive effort, and you are not troubled by periods of depression, psychosomatic illness, or nervous symptoms.

The following sketch was found to be acceptable as describing the majority of college women:

You appear to be a cheerful, well-balanced person. You may have some alternation of happy and unhappy moods, but they are not extreme now. You have few or no problems with your health. You are sociable and mix well with others. You are adaptable to social situations. You tend to be adventurous. Your interests are wide. You are fairly confident and usually think clearly.

Do you find that either of these descriptions fits you fairly well? If so, what implications does this have for the astrologer, the tarot-card reader, or the fortune teller?