Myers-Briggs Personality Type Indicator

[Cookiesandough]

What is your MBTI type and what’s your thoughts on this? I think it’s largely a bunch of crap, but that’s because my type always came out different throughout my life, and also depending on my mood or mode I’m in when I’ve taken it. 

Edited December 19, 2020 by Shortskirtslonglashes

[Foxhall]

I came up as an adventurer when I filled it in about 18 months ago,

in fairness I thought it described my characteristics  and quirks very well in each category,

hmmn perhaps I will fill it out again soon to see if any changes.

[Emilie Jolie]

INFJ-A - fairly consistently now.

I just do it for fun; I don't particularly care what it means or how true it is to my personality, I've not looked into it in that much detail, but I like the test.

[central]

My type has remained consistent for 30 years (INTJ), although I've become less *I* and a little more *E* instead.  It accurately describes me, and it accurately predicted my best romantic match's types, which is ENFJ.  My wife is ENFJ - as were all of my best dates back then.  When she read her description, it was a revelation and explained many things for her.  So, while it is not the best system for describing personality as it does NOT deal with dysfunctional traits, it does seem to work extremely well for helping understand interpersonal communication styles and ease of such interaction.

[Ellener]

INFJ, though I try to play down the J - it's not much fun for others when I keep tidying up 😄

 

 

[Mrin]

ENTJ. Pretty spot on. 

[5x5]

I've consistently tested as ENTJ, when I was tested at work in 2002. Plus when I have occasionally done the test outside of that  through many years. While my wife has tested a few times as INTJ.

[ThereSheGoes]

I am INFJ-T. Which is the Advocate (turbulent). I have tried this test SO many times, and I keep coming up with the Advocate, so....I guess I'm a true Advocate. Though, I have issue with the T. I think I'm more of an Assertive, because I don't really sit around and think about my issues too often. Why should I? Resting on them all the time isn't going to make them go away. But each time I take the test, I get the T hooked on to the INFJ. 

[robaday]

INFP which is pretty accurate. I am naturally sensitive for a male, awkward, introverted and very empathetic. I have had to work on being more stoic and more confident around others.

[salparadise]

The 16-personalities website adds A or T. This is their gimmick, it's not part of the MBTI. The MBTI is based on Jung's four-axis theory of personalities, and Myers/Briggs were faithful to his work in developing their assessment. @Shortskirtslonglashes - the test is not accurate for adolescents, so if you're now in your 20s your type should be stable now. Of course it is dependent upon you answering the questions accurately and consistently.

I sometimes hear people say they don't believe in it for various reasons. It's not a matter of believing... it exists. It merely categorizes personalities based on how one intakes and processes data... like grouping marbles by size or color. Jung was a genius, and Myers/Briggs were no slouches either... but all of these websites that have popped up to capitalize on it, well, we should be skeptical. 

I prefer the humanmentrics (dot com) site to the ones that try to add additional axes. 

I am INTJ. The first time I took the test it was administered by a certified Myers-Briggs practitioner (around 1995). Subsequently, my results have been the same every time I've taken it. I have no doubt whatsoever that this system provides great insight for those who take the time to become familiar with it, their own type, and how various types interact and get along.

There is quite a bit of theory on type matching for dating and relationships. There are charts you can download that show the [probable] quality of any given pairing. There are also a lot of articles on the best matched types. My best match, theoretically, is ENFP, although I've never had the pleasure of dating one. The fundamental thing to know is that the perceiving function should match, that is N's should date N's, and S's should date S's. The other axes can be opposite without it being an issue. But N's and S's view the world quite differently. That's not to say it cannot work, just that its less likely. Ideal matches are when the two have the same dominant function, but one is extroverted and the other introverted (the function, not the firs axis).

[Ellener]

Myers and Briggs were a mother daughter team of early social scientists https://www.npr.org/2018/09/22/650019038/how-the-myers-briggs-personality-test-began-in-a-mothers-living-room-lab

[Happy Lemming]

17 hours ago, Shortskirtslonglashes said:

 I think it’s largely a bunch of crap...

100% Agree... Many years ago, I was interviewing for a job and taking that test was a requirement for the next round of interviews.  I almost said "No, I don't need this job that bad."; but the headhunter that sent me to the place asked me to go ahead and take the test, so I did (as a favor to her). 

I thought it was crap then and still think its crap.  I did take the test, but didn't make it into the next round of interviews.  Should have listened to my gut and refused to take it.

I forgot what my "letters" were, but at that time I didn't think it was an accurate description of me.

[salparadise]

10 minutes ago, Happy Lemming said:

100% Agree... Many years ago, I was interviewing for a job and taking that test was a requirement for the next round of interviews.  I almost said "No, I don't need this job that bad."; but the headhunter that sent me to the place asked me to go ahead and take the test, so I did (as a favor to her). 

I thought it was crap then and still think its crap.  I did take the test, but didn't make it into the next round of interviews.  Should have listened to my gut and refused to take it.

I forgot what my "letters" were, but at that time I didn't think it was an accurate description of me.

I love how inquisitive and open-minded everyone is here... brings a tear to my eye. So you're afraid of being labeled incorrectly, eh? I think that if you answer the questions honestly and to the best of your ability, and you then feel that it just doesn't fit... you may have a bit work to do. The fact that you did not get that job has exactly zero impact on the validity of the MBTI assessment.

[Ellener]

Oh there's definitely something in MBTI, but I'm guessing it's got to be a well-designed test. I've tested consistently over 30 years, 4 times. At one point I was part of a group discussing INFJ, which was interesting. 

The article I reference above says this:

What makes the MBTI so compelling and so seductive is that it offers us a really easy and non-judgemental language of the self. It offers us a vocabulary to talk about who we are and what our desires are and it doesn't make us feel like we have to apologize for those desires. I think there is just a real hunger for self-knowledge, particularly at times of great transition. I don't think it's an accident that many of the people who encounter the indicator encounter it for the first time in couples counseling, when they're starting a job, when they're trying to decide if they want to leave a job or not, when they're going off to college. ...

Katharine Briggs thought about it as a parenting tool, you know? These are times where our lives take on a kind of messiness and we just want something to anchor us in these moments of complexity or confusion. I think the language of type can be immensely clarifying. Even though I'm skeptical of its validity, and I'm skeptical of its social uses, and even of the language that it uses, I am not skeptical of people's individual experiences with the indicator which I think can be tremendously liberatory.

All any of these social scientists offer us are models of behaviour or of the world to use as tools.

 

[Happy Lemming]

30 minutes ago, salparadise said:

I love how inquisitive and open-minded everyone is here... brings a tear to my eye. So you're afraid of being labeled incorrectly, eh? I think that if you answer the questions honestly and to the best of your ability, and you then feel that it just doesn't fit... you may have a bit work to do. The fact that you did not get that job has exactly zero impact on the validity of the MBTI assessment.

You have your opinion... I have mine.

No need to bash my opinion just because it doesn't agree with yours

Talk about being "open minded"...

[FMW]

52 minutes ago, Happy Lemming said:

I almost said "No, I don't need this job that bad."; 

I agree with you on this.  For mainstream jobs I don't think it's appropriate to require these kind of tests.  If it's a job in the field of psychology or something related, maybe, but not mainstream jobs.  I once had an interviewer (for a traditional conservative type of position) as me if I was an animal what animal I would be.  I didn't get an offer, so I guess he didn't like my animal choice.  

I think the MBTI has validity and usefulness, but it needs to be applied in a judicious manner.  

[Wiseman2]

1 hour ago, Happy Lemming said:

100% Agree... Many years ago, I was interviewing for a job and taking that test was a requirement for the next round of interviews. 

It seems they're always coming up with  zanier interview techniques

 

[Happy Lemming]

14 minutes ago, FMW said:

I agree with you on this.  For mainstream jobs I don't think it's appropriate to require these kind of tests.  If it's a job in the field of psychology or something related, maybe, but not mainstream jobs.  I once had an interviewer (for a traditional conservative type of position) as me if I was an animal what animal I would be.  I didn't get an offer, so I guess he didn't like my animal choice. 

It was an accounting job at a real estate company...  so "no" it was not in any field related to the psychology field or anything like that.

I've never been asked about "what animal I would be", but I think I would respond with some type of desert rat or javelina... probably not what an employer would be looking for.

Edited December 20, 2020 by Happy Lemming

[Fletch Lives]

This is a dating forum, so I'll speak to that. What's more important for a person to be a good romantic love catch is how nice they are, integrity, sanity, a minimum of life problems, and attraction.

[Wiseman2]

3 minutes ago, Fletch Lives said:

This is a dating forum, so I'll speak to that. What's more important for a person to be a good romantic love catch is how nice they are, integrity, sanity, a minimum of life problems, and attraction.

Well that's "The Big Five" personality theory 😂 

https://www.simplypsychology.org/big-five-personality.html

Edited December 20, 2020 by Wiseman2

[Ellener]

4 minutes ago, Fletch Lives said:

This is a dating forum, so I'll speak to that. What's more important for a person to be a good romantic love catch is how nice they are, integrity, sanity, a minimum of life problems, and attraction.

What do you mean by 'sanity'? Mental health problems are part of life. Just a matter of managing them.

As for life problems...good grief, how many people are totally unaffected by the pandemic/sickness/bereavement/unemployment/poverty this year?

If people wait for their life or their potential partner to be perfect a lot of alone years are going to go by...

[Mrin]

I have found it to be really useful for dating. Directionally, it seems pretty accurate. It certainly isn't going to be an operating manual for you or your relationship partner. But it does really help to give you a glimpse as to where the other person is coming from.

The interplay between the various types is also pretty interesting. There is a distinctly different qualia to dating an INFP than there is an ENTJ.

 

 

[Cookiesandough]

20 minutes ago, Mrin said:

I have found it to be really useful for dating. Directionally, it seems pretty accurate. It certainly isn't going to be an operating manual for you or your relationship partner. But it does really help to give you a glimpse as to where the other person is coming from.

The interplay between the various types is also pretty interesting. There is a distinctly different qualia to dating an INFP than there is an ENTJ.

 

 

Thanks all for sharing. That was kind of enlightening to see personality types of some after being familiar with your posts for awhile. Some made sense, but some I was surprised by.

 

So what I am reading is that I people are supposed to match up with E people. That’s interesting because I am not particularly into the people at all. Extroverts seem especially attracted to me ... but I prefer fellow I people. However, sometimes I test as an E. So maybe I am leaning towards an Extrovert a little bit and that would explain it

[Taramere]

I used to always get INFP, but as I've got older that's changed and I usually score ENFP now.  I still think I'm more INFP though.  I enjoy being around people and I feel energised at the time...but after they've left I tend to feel exhausted, and my Fitbit usually records me falling into a deep sleep pretty soon afterwards.

[Cookiesandough]

1 hour ago, FMW said:

I agree with you on this.  For mainstream jobs I don't think it's appropriate to require these kind of tests.  If it's a job in the field of psychology or something related, maybe, but not mainstream jobs.  I once had an interviewer (for a traditional conservative type of position) as me if I was an animal what animal I would be.  I didn't get an offer, so I guess he didn't like my animal choice.  

I think the MBTI has validity and usefulness, but it needs to be applied in a judicious manner.  

The questions are often double barreled or too broad to have meaning. I’ve been on just about all of the recommended testing sites. Not just the 16 personalities one or the first Google hits, but sources given to me by friends who swear by MbtI. Sorry, it is just a fact to me that sometimes I like to be at “vibrant parties with lots of people”and sometimes not. Sometimes I live for people and would be completely lonely without them. Some periods of time I can’t stand them. Some days, weeks, months, years I am more focused on details, some I think more broadly. The majority of my rational decision making is focused on my feeling emotion, so to separate those is a little shaky to me at best.
 I appreciate jung as a theorist but mbti has a long way to go before it’s more than a useful tool for people for certain people at a certain point of time(even a broken clock is right twice) or a cool thing to identify with/topic to discuss with someone.  

Edited December 20, 2020 by Shortskirtslonglashes