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Is Anyone Here Interested in MBTI (Myers-Briggs Type Indicator)


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Thank you for offering me a different lens with which to view myself (or at least what, and how I described myself).

 

I am quite intrigued by your description of Se & Ne. You know, I tend to question certain things about the status quo — extremely deeply so — when said things may threaten my freedom, or that of others; things like organized religion anger the ever-living hell out of me. I question and challenge authority. When people feel like they have authority over me, I want nothing more than to give them the finger and show them who's the boss.

 

Another thing, I can't stand sitting around somewhere without something to do. I hate having to spend time trying to imagine this or that, doing a whole lot of stuff in my head. I can't do that very long. I need to be doing something. I love being alone, I am alone whenever I have the ability to do so. When I'm alone I'm either on the computer, practicing the piano, playing games, or sleeping. I can't sit around and daydream, or think about things I want to be done around the house. When I know something needs to be done (the wall needs repainting, the fan needs fixing, etc.), I need to get up immediately and do that right now, with passion. I've tried using Ne extensively; it doesn't work. How boring.

 

Most of the things you are describing have little to do with perceiving and a lot to do with judging.  I think you are hung up on your dominant function, and may not understand what a perceiving function does, especially in the second slot of your stack.

 

I also think you may have a pretty big misunderstanding of what intuition in general does.  It's worth looking into, as it may shed some light into how you think, whether you use extraverted intuition (INTP) or introverted intuition (ISTP).

 

And yes, ISTPs have intuition.  Remember that everybody senses and intuits, but how they do that is what makes us different.  For example, I'm an INFP, which means I rely most heavily on introverted feeling and extraverted intuition.  However, I also use introverted sensing and extraverted thinking, albeit in a supposedly diminished capacity.

 

That said, remember MBTI measures preference, not ability.  Even though that's what an INFP is supposed to be, that doesn't mean I'm especially good at being an INFP.  This the biggest reason understanding one's type is important to personal development - it helps us work with our weaknesses and focus our strengths.  I realize it's really hard for a person to acknowledge, much less focus on, their weaknesses, but it's very important for growth.  Understanding my own weaknesses has made me a better person, but I still have a long way to go.

 

I'm not sure if this is a sensor thing, or whatever, but I obsess over my appearance. I mix and match several different articles of clothing until I have an outfit I am confident in. I spend time on my hair, and make sure it's trimmed up regularly. I can't stand wearing anything that doesn't fit me. I need to look fantastic when I leave my room, let alone my house. I feel terrible when I don't look good for the day. I am also pretty big into (some) trends. Like right now, the trend is to roll up your pant legs, wear colorful socks, and wear slim (not skinny) pants. You need to have an undercut. That is the style.

That sounds like extraverted feeling (Fe). Both the INTP and ISTP have an inferior Fe, and it's something I've seen trip them up (I have both an INTP and ISTP friend, who are also friends with each other, so I get to observe the dynamic).  I have heard that people tend to over-identify with their inferior functions, so that's something you may want to watch out for.

 

 

I'm an INFJ. I guess I agree with this. I've always found Personality Psychology interesting although I don't necessarily put a lot of stock into it. It's just fun to me.

 

A female INFJ?  They do exist!

 

Seriously though, the more I learn about Jungian theory and the MBTI, the more stock I put into it.  There are tons of interesting studies and articles all over the internet.  I also find that most of the detractors have less than a cursory understanding of the underlying theory.

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We did a workshop thing about this when I was in high school. It was horrible... We filled out the forms before it and the guy running it deliberately placed us in groups that would not get along together. Then we had to perform a song.... I was 16 is don't remember my type but started with I

 

Wow, that sounds like a really mean-spirited thing to do.  If anything, putting people who would get along well together seems like the right way to use the metric.

 

If you are curious to take the test for yourself, there is a free one at 16personalities.com

 

It can be a lot of fun and eye opening, but keep in mind that the test is only a gateway, and not the end-all, be-all of your personality.

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I just took the test again for a but fun and got ISFP T it seems similar to the one from over 10 years ago but not quite the same. I haven't yet read the detailed report yet to see how it really matches me

 

Oh, cool!  Provided it's an accurate assessment, you and I may have some similar interests and feelings.  Of course, given the extremely individualistic nature of Introverted Feeling, we might not get along at all!

 

I haven't had the pleasure of knowing many ISFPs, so I'm pretty curious as to how you and I would mesh.

Edited by Dynamic (see edit history)
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I've taken this test for the third time now, over a few years in which I've changed a lot and gotten a lot more in touch with who I really am under the things that were repressed due to circumstances in my youth. It's pretty interesting to see; the I, N, P and the turbulent part have stayed exactly the same. The only thing that changed was the T; the first time, it was a clear one, the second time, it was around the 0% (I don't know in which direction) and now there is a clear F of 62%. This directly relates to how I feel I have changed over the past years. 

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A female INFJ?  They do exist!

 

Seriously though, the more I learn about Jungian theory and the MBTI, the more stock I put into it.  There are tons of interesting studies and articles all over the internet.  I also find that most of the detractors have less than a cursory understanding of the underlying theory.

 

I know INFJs are rare (only 1% of the population) but are females more rare than males?

 

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I know INFJs are rare (only 1% of the population) but are females more rare than males?

 

Actually, by most sources female INFJs are a little more common than male INFJs.  I misspoke, but it was just a joke anyway.

 

In any case INFJs are rare, and I have a pretty big interest in them because I don't think I've known any.  Supposedly they can be very insightful, and even prophetic in some cases.

 

Heh, though as an INFP I just have a big interest in people in general ^^

 

 

I've taken this test for the third time now, over a few years in which I've changed a lot and gotten a lot more in touch with who I really am under the things that were repressed due to circumstances in my youth. It's pretty interesting to see; the I, N, P and the turbulent part have stayed exactly the same. The only thing that changed was the T; the first time, it was a clear one, the second time, it was around the 0% (I don't know in which direction) and now there is a clear F of 62%. This directly relates to how I feel I have changed over the past years. 

 

According to the theory a person's personality doesn't change, even with experience.  People grow and change, but their core personality remains the same, and is something that cannot be changed.

 

However, age is a big deal.  Taking the MBTI before the age of 30 you will likely get different results.  It's also possible to take the test wrong.  This is why it's important to learn about the theory to really find out which type one identifies with.  Like I said before, the test isn't the end all, be all.  It's just a gateway.  For me, it was a gateway drug into personality psychology, heh.

 

I originally tested as INFJ myself, but I was younger.  I'm pretty comfortable with the INFP assessment I get now, and that's after a lot of soul searching in addition to taking various tests.

 

 

I agree with most of it except the inability to think long term. I think I can make long term plans quite happily most of the time

 

Don't put too much stock in the descriptions.  There is some variance between individual instances of types (two ISFPs may be quite different from one another).  Once you start to learn about the functions behind the MBTI you can get more of the nuances of how they work, and how they interact with one another.

 

There are many things to consider.  For example, people can learn to repress their natural tendencies.  This most likely will lead to unhappiness and dysfunction, though.

 

I have personally found that I actually do a lot of things I never realized until I started to take a really hard look at my own type.  It's really difficult to look at one's weaknesses, but often those are what end up defining us.  That's why it's so important to learn to recognize them, lest they continue to define us our whole lives.

Edited by Dynamic (see edit history)
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I used to, actually, but came to the realization that it lacks any sort of evidential predictability, self-reported or not. MBTI is, from what I've learnt, widely if not completely rejected by psychologists worldwide due to its lack of ability to in any meaningful way predict a persons success in aspects of life such as work & career, relationships, etc. Not to rain on your parade, but that's basically the gist of it. A heads up, if you will.

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I used to, actually, but came to the realization that it lacks any sort of evidential predictability, self-reported or not. MBTI is, from what I've learnt, widely if not completely rejected by psychologists worldwide due to its lack of ability to in any meaningful way predict a persons success in aspects of life such as work & career, relationships, etc. Not to rain on your parade, but that's basically the gist of it. A heads up, if you will.

Perhaps because a lot of people use MBTI in a way that is incorrect (eg. stereotypes). MBTI refers the way your brain works — perceives the world around you and the inner world.

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I used to, actually, but came to the realization that it lacks any sort of evidential predictability, self-reported or not. MBTI is, from what I've learnt, widely if not completely rejected by psychologists worldwide due to its lack of ability to in any meaningful way predict a persons success in aspects of life such as work & career, relationships, etc. Not to rain on your parade, but that's basically the gist of it. A heads up, if you will.

 

I think predicting your success is not the main thing most people want to get out of this. For me, it's understanding myself, and learning about others by reading the other types (which I plan on doing more, to be able to interpret the actions of people better). And as said before, there still is a variance within personality types, and it doesn't predict your skills or something, it just gets close to your core personality when taken right. Understanding yourself is a big part of growing up (in the most broad term, the kind of growing up you can still do later in life) and achieving success in life by your own standards and finding out what those standards exactly are, which are not necessarily material or career-related. This test can help a bit in that regard. 

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  • 2 weeks later...

I took a course in college that centered on this test. That was the first time I encountered it. Every time I've taken it since, I have come up with a different profile. Keep in mind, that I have taken it several times, just for fun, with the purpose of seeing how I've changed since the last time I took it. Too bad I've had so many different results that I can no longer remember what I got....

 

Anyway, even when I'm just having fun, I try to be as honest as possible with my answers. But I have noticed something else. Many times, when I've taken the test, it is because I found a site that listed the types of fictional characters from a show or movie I was obsessed with at the time. Now, I know all about scientific accuracy practices and such, so I don't look at the types listed for the characters until after I've taken the fastest free version of the MBTI available at the time. I then look at the types for the characters, and almost invariably find that the type I got matches the type assigned by a psychologist to my favorite character at the moment. This doesn't necessarily indicate anything about the test; rather, it indicates that I either involuntarily flex my personality and behavior to match that of my favorite fictional character at any given moment (a possibility, since my acquaintances will often then comment on some resemblance I bear to that character)  OR  my perception of myself changes as I relate to my favorite character (probably more likely). Or possibly, there is some combination of both at play.

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I took a course in college that centered on this test. That was the first time I encountered it. Every time I've taken it since, I have come up with a different profile. Keep in mind, that I have taken it several times, just for fun, with the purpose of seeing how I've changed since the last time I took it. Too bad I've had so many different results that I can no longer remember what I got....

 

Anyway, even when I'm just having fun, I try to be as honest as possible with my answers. But I have noticed something else. Many times, when I've taken the test, it is because I found a site that listed the types of fictional characters from a show or movie I was obsessed with at the time. Now, I know all about scientific accuracy practices and such, so I don't look at the types listed for the characters until after I've taken the fastest free version of the MBTI available at the time. I then look at the types for the characters, and almost invariably find that the type I got matches the type assigned by a psychologist to my favorite character at the moment. This doesn't necessarily indicate anything about the test; rather, it indicates that I either involuntarily flex my personality and behavior to match that of my favorite fictional character at any given moment (a possibility, since my acquaintances will often then comment on some resemblance I bear to that character)  OR  my perception of myself changes as I relate to my favorite character (probably more likely). Or possibly, there is some combination of both at play.

 

This is a standard criticism of the MBTI test. Test results change over time - even as much as two or three times a week. It really depends how a person is feeling.

 

Which is basically going to be a criticism of almost every self-report test. Human emotions and self-identifications change.

 

Numbers may be not 100% scientifically accurate, but here's the percentage prevalence of the scores split between male/female: http://www.mypersonality.info/personality-types/population-gender/

 

I'm over in INTJ land.

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  • 3 weeks later...

I took a course in college that centered on this test. That was the first time I encountered it. Every time I've taken it since, I have come up with a different profile. Keep in mind, that I have taken it several times, just for fun, with the purpose of seeing how I've changed since the last time I took it. Too bad I've had so many different results that I can no longer remember what I got....

 

Anyway, even when I'm just having fun, I try to be as honest as possible with my answers. But I have noticed something else. Many times, when I've taken the test, it is because I found a site that listed the types of fictional characters from a show or movie I was obsessed with at the time. Now, I know all about scientific accuracy practices and such, so I don't look at the types listed for the characters until after I've taken the fastest free version of the MBTI available at the time. I then look at the types for the characters, and almost invariably find that the type I got matches the type assigned by a psychologist to my favorite character at the moment. This doesn't necessarily indicate anything about the test; rather, it indicates that I either involuntarily flex my personality and behavior to match that of my favorite fictional character at any given moment (a possibility, since my acquaintances will often then comment on some resemblance I bear to that character)  OR  my perception of myself changes as I relate to my favorite character (probably more likely). Or possibly, there is some combination of both at play.

 

 

Hope this isn't considered a necropost.  I don't post too often, and end up playing catch-up when I do, so...

 

It sounds like you could benefit a lot from reading up on the theory behind the test.  The test itself is only as good as a person's ability to take it, which is why you get so many weird results.  Read up on cognitive functions and how they manifest in different types.  There is a lot to learn, but I think it a pretty good use of anyone's time.

 

One of my passions has been typing fictional characters based on the things they do and say.  Unfortunately, real people are a lot more difficult as you have to get past all their defenses to see how they really think.  For example, I'm sure many people I've worked with would type me as ESTJ, when I'm actually a soft and sensitive INFP underneath layers upon layers of armor.

 

 

This is a standard criticism of the MBTI test. Test results change over time - even as much as two or three times a week. It really depends how a person is feeling.

 

Which is basically going to be a criticism of almost every self-report test. Human emotions and self-identifications change.

 

Numbers may be not 100% scientifically accurate, but here's the percentage prevalence of the scores split between male/female: http://www.mypersonality.info/personality-types/population-gender/

 

I'm over in INTJ land.

 

It's hard to quantify something as nebulous as cognitivism, but that's the nature of the beast.  The MBTI test isn't perfect, but the principles behind it are sound.  This is why I encourage anybody interested in this stuff to go a step further and read about how the test works.  It's been extremely beneficial to me, and I know it could help others as well.

 

INTJ, huh?  I'll bet you have some interesting ideas  :happy:

 

I used to, actually, but came to the realization that it lacks any sort of evidential predictability, self-reported or not. MBTI is, from what I've learnt, widely if not completely rejected by psychologists worldwide due to its lack of ability to in any meaningful way predict a persons success in aspects of life such as work & career, relationships, etc. Not to rain on your parade, but that's basically the gist of it. A heads up, if you will.

 

MBTI is cognitive, not behavioral.  A lot of 'usable' psychology is going to focus on behaviors, so there are many who dismiss the usefulness of cognitivism outright.  The way I see it, the MBTI is a tool with its own place.  It's useful for understanding what motivates people from a deeper level, and gives some idea as to 'why' somebody does what they do.

 

The important thing to remember is that the MBTI measures preference, not ability.  It can't predict how good somebody will be at something, but it can give an idea as to what will make a person feel the most fulfilled.  Just because an artist is naturally gifted at engineering doesn't mean that person will be happy building bridges.

 

It's also incredibly useful for understanding how to deal with people who are different types from one's own.  Studying the MBTI has given me the ability to understand where somebody is coming from and respond accordingly in order to reduce conflict and streamline social interaction.  It's shown me what to venture, what to hide, and what is appropriate in different circumstances.

 

The irony is a lot of the detractors are actually confirming Jung's work by denying it.  A lot of people are overly focused on logical processes based on objective data (called Extraverted Thinking in Jung speak), to the point where they will dismiss everything else.  However, just because you can't list something on a graph doesn't mean it isn't real.  That would be like handing somebody an instruction book on dancing (full of figures and graphs), having them read it, and then expecting them to perform like a professional dancer.  There is more to living than rational principles.  The irrational needs to be addressed as well.  Even if we can understand the underlying logical processes of something, the things that emerge from the many combinations need to be understood on their own.

 

Cognitive psychology attempts to do that, and the MBTI is a result of that movement.

 

It should be noted that the MBTI doesn't really focus on relationships outright.  If you're interested in that you can look into Socionics.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hope this isn't considered a necropost.  I don't post too often, and end up playing catch-up when I do, so...

 

It sounds like you could benefit a lot from reading up on the theory behind the test.  The test itself is only as good as a person's ability to take it, which is why you get so many weird results.  Read up on cognitive functions and how they manifest in different types.  There is a lot to learn, but I think it a pretty good use of anyone's time.

 

One of my passions has been typing fictional characters based on the things they do and say.  Unfortunately, real people are a lot more difficult as you have to get past all their defenses to see how they really think.  For example, I'm sure many people I've worked with would type me as ESTJ, when I'm actually a soft and sensitive INFP underneath layers upon layers of armor.

 

 

 

It's hard to quantify something as nebulous as cognitivism, but that's the nature of the beast.  The MBTI test isn't perfect, but the principles behind it are sound.  This is why I encourage anybody interested in this stuff to go a step further and read about how the test works.  It's been extremely beneficial to me, and I know it could help others as well.

 

INTJ, huh?  I'll bet you have some interesting ideas  :happy:

 

 

MBTI is cognitive, not behavioral.  A lot of 'usable' psychology is going to focus on behaviors, so there are many who dismiss the usefulness of cognitivism outright.  The way I see it, the MBTI is a tool with its own place.  It's useful for understanding what motivates people from a deeper level, and gives some idea as to 'why' somebody does what they do.

 

The important thing to remember is that the MBTI measures preference, not ability.  It can't predict how good somebody will be at something, but it can give an idea as to what will make a person feel the most fulfilled.  Just because an artist is naturally gifted at engineering doesn't mean that person will be happy building bridges.

Yes.

 

This is exactly what I concluded about MBTI. It's not about predicting skill levels, or even behaviors; MBTI is purely a tool to be used to describe and map out (from a very general standpoint) how a person thinks, interprets information, and what makes them feel fulfilled.

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  • 2 months later...

Another necropost :) !

I am apparently an Analyst:

https://www.16personalities.com/intj-personality

I am quite impressed by this test - it is actually a bit frightening how much they can derive from just a few questions o.o .

 

EDIT: It get´s even better: at the bottom of the first page they suggest famous characters with your traits (real as well as fictional ones). In my case Gandalf the Grey form the Lord of the Rings appeared XD! There are even characters from Game of Thrones and such.

Edited by Hummingbird (see edit history)
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  • 10 months later...

I'm a psychology major so I find MBTI really interesting. I want to become a clinician and not a researcher, but I just took a Research in Personality class on my campus and I find the research behind trying to type personalities absolutely fascinating.

I'm an INFJ, I've taken the test multiple times at different points in my life and have always gotten that as a response. I think it's fitting, personally.

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