MY SABOTEUR
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MY SABOTEUR CHECK

Notice a pattern. Start a conversation.

Take eight questions, see transparent scores and explore patterns in your answers. Free, private and for reflection, not diagnosis.

EIGHT QUESTIONS · YOUR OWN PACE

A little curiosity goes a long way.

Choose what is closest to your usual response. Skip anything that does not fit. Your answers stay in this browser tab.

A reflection tool, not a verdict

Self-sabotage is an informal way to describe actions that get in the way of a goal you care about. The action may offer immediate relief while creating a later cost: postponing a reply avoids an awkward moment but leaves a conversation unresolved; accepting too much work keeps a meeting calm but makes the week harder. Not every delay, refusal, or change of plan belongs in this category. Rest, safety, health, limited resources, and unrealistic demands matter. Our guides help you look at specific examples rather than assume that a label explains your life.

What the eight patterns describe

The Performer focuses on proving value through output; the Pleaser puts approval ahead of an honest capacity check; the Controller tries to manage uncertainty through more oversight. The Ghost steps away from participation, while the Restless switches toward a new possibility before a valued commitment is complete. The Judge turns evaluation into a personal verdict; the Worrier repeats predictions after useful planning is done; the Victim describes feeling constrained enough that available choices become hard to see. These are editorial descriptions, not clinical categories. The last label never means that someone caused abuse or is responsible for injustice.

How the score is calculated

There are eight questions, each with eight possible responses, one for every pattern. Choose the response closest to what you usually do, not the response you think sounds best. You can skip a question if none fits. Each chosen response contributes exactly one point to its category, with no hidden weights. The highest count determines which guide is suggested first. Ties are displayed as ties, all counts remain visible, and unanswered questions contribute nothing. If you answer no questions, the site does not assign a result. A count is not a percentage of your personality or a comparison with other people.

Time, privacy and what to expect

Allow about two to five minutes, or longer if you want to reflect. There is no countdown, payment, account, or email requirement. You can move back to review an answer before submitting. The calculation happens in your browser, and your answers are not sent to our database or an advertising service. Refreshing resets the activity. Your result links to a substantial guide with examples from daily life, work, and relationships, strengths worth keeping, and optional practical exercises. You can also read every possible result without taking the quiz.

The limits are part of the result

This quiz is not scientifically validated. It has no population norms, diagnostic thresholds, or established reliability estimates. A brief set of self-reported choices cannot identify unconscious causes, explain your childhood, or tell you whether you have a mental-health condition. Recent events, mood, the wording of an option, and the setting you imagine can all affect your answers. Treat a close score difference cautiously. The site makes no promise of improved health, relationships, or performance. Its purpose is self-reflection and education, not therapy, diagnosis, or treatment.

A useful next step is small and specific

After reading, choose one example that matches a real situation and write what happened, what you did, and what it cost or helped. If appropriate, try one low-risk alternative and compare your prediction with the actual outcome. You do not need to accept the label or finish every exercise. If distress persists, is severe, or affects everyday functioning, consult a qualified healthcare or mental-health professional. In immediate danger or at risk of self-harm, use local emergency or crisis services. This website and its contact form are not urgent-support services.

Read every question

These are the exact prompts and response options used in the activity. Each position corresponds to the same archetype across all questions. Every option and guide is available without interactive scoring.

1. A new task arrives while your week is already full. What are you most likely to do?
  1. The Performer: Accept it so my contribution stays visible.
  2. The Pleaser: Agree before checking what I have time for.
  3. The Controller: Take over the plan so I can manage every step.
  4. The Ghost: Leave the request unanswered for a while.
  5. The Restless: Begin it because something new feels appealing.
  6. The Judge: Focus on how poorly the request was prepared.
  7. The Worrier: Review all the ways it might go wrong.
  8. The Victim: Assume my existing constraints make success unlikely.
2. Someone suggests a change to something you made. What response feels familiar?
  1. The Performer: Work harder to show I can deliver something impressive.
  2. The Pleaser: Accept the change mainly to avoid disagreement.
  3. The Controller: Explain why my original method should be followed.
  4. The Ghost: Step back and stop contributing to the discussion.
  5. The Restless: Become interested in an entirely different approach.
  6. The Judge: Treat the revision as evidence the work was not good enough.
  7. The Worrier: Wonder whether more problems will appear later.
  8. The Victim: Feel that the decision is out of my hands anyway.
3. You have an unscheduled afternoon. Which response is closest?
  1. The Performer: Find an achievement to give the time a purpose.
  2. The Pleaser: Use it for a favor even though I wanted time for myself.
  3. The Controller: Organize everyone’s plans so the afternoon runs predictably.
  4. The Ghost: Avoid invitations and messages I meant to answer.
  5. The Restless: Move between activities before settling into any one.
  6. The Judge: Review what I should have accomplished already.
  7. The Worrier: Spend time considering tomorrow’s possible difficulties.
  8. The Victim: Think about the options I cannot access rather than those I can.
4. A conversation becomes uncomfortable. What do you tend to do?
  1. The Performer: Try to prove that I have handled my part well.
  2. The Pleaser: Smooth things over before expressing my own view.
  3. The Controller: Direct the discussion toward the solution I prefer.
  4. The Ghost: Go quiet or postpone replying without explaining.
  5. The Restless: Change the subject toward something more interesting.
  6. The Judge: Point out flaws in what I or the other person said.
  7. The Worrier: Imagine how the disagreement might grow worse.
  8. The Victim: Feel that speaking up will not change anything.
5. You are halfway through a worthwhile but demanding project. What is most familiar?
  1. The Performer: Raise the target so the finished result stands out.
  2. The Pleaser: Add requests from others even when the scope is already large.
  3. The Controller: Check other people’s work more often than agreed.
  4. The Ghost: Avoid updates because the next conversation feels difficult.
  5. The Restless: Start exploring a new project before finishing this stage.
  6. The Judge: Keep judging the incomplete work against an ideal result.
  7. The Worrier: Revisit risks even when the practical plan has not changed.
  8. The Victim: Focus on barriers until the next available step is hard to see.
6. You make a small, correctable mistake. What happens next?
  1. The Performer: Feel a need to demonstrate my value with extra output.
  2. The Pleaser: Apologize repeatedly to make sure nobody is displeased.
  3. The Controller: Decide I should personally oversee more details next time.
  4. The Ghost: Pull away from the people involved.
  5. The Restless: Move to a new activity instead of finishing the correction.
  6. The Judge: Turn the error into a broad judgment about competence.
  7. The Worrier: Keep predicting further consequences after the repair.
  8. The Victim: Read it as another sign that circumstances are against me.
7. A shared plan changes unexpectedly. Which reaction do you recognize?
  1. The Performer: Try to make my response look especially capable.
  2. The Pleaser: Accept the change without mentioning the cost to me.
  3. The Controller: Rebuild the plan and assign the next steps myself.
  4. The Ghost: Stop participating rather than clarify what I need.
  5. The Restless: Welcome another change before the current one is settled.
  6. The Judge: Criticize how the planning was handled.
  7. The Worrier: Think through several potential new problems.
  8. The Victim: Assume I have little useful influence over what happens.
8. When you review a busy week, which question are you most likely to ask?
  1. The Performer: Did I do enough to show that I matter?
  2. The Pleaser: Did I keep everyone satisfied with me?
  3. The Controller: Did I manage the details closely enough?
  4. The Ghost: Can I avoid the conversations I have left unfinished?
  5. The Restless: What could I start next to make things feel fresh?
  6. The Judge: Why did I not do everything to a better standard?
  7. The Worrier: What future problem have I forgotten to prepare for?
  8. The Victim: Why do my available choices feel so limited?

Sources & further reading

These references discuss the broader topic. They do not endorse this site or validate its quiz. Research publisher pages may require access or block automated requests.

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