# Anyone ever take the Myers-Briggs personality test? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 29, 2004, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-take-the-myers-briggs-personality-test/252671 "2004-06-29T05:12:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2004, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-take-the-myers-briggs-personality-test/252671/21 "2004-06-29T14:14:15Z")
Intj 89 67 1 78 ---
**Author:** ![Sunshine\_and\_Smiles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@Sunshine\_and\_Smiles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunshine_and_Smiles)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2004, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-take-the-myers-briggs-personality-test/252671/22 "2004-06-29T14:14:24Z")
Your Type is ENFP Extroverted Intuitive Feeling Perceiving Strength of the preferences % 22 67 44 44 ENFP type description by D.Keirsey ENFP type description by J. Butt and M.M. Heiss Qualitative analysis of your type formula You are: slightly expressed extrovert distinctively expressed intuitive personality moderately expressed feeling personality moderately expressed perceiving personality ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2004, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-take-the-myers-briggs-personality-test/252671/23 "2004-06-29T14:40:59Z")
Sorry, folks, but this site is about fighting ignorance and Myers-Briggs is junk science at best. It was based on Jung’s work but designed by two people (a mother and a daughter) with zero background in psychology. Like astrology and tarot cards, it makes a fun parlor game but the thought of employers using this to determine hiring and promotion is frightening. They may as well use tea leaves. [More information](http://skepdic.com/myersb.html). Haj ---
**Author:** ![drm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e57/32.png) [@drm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drm)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2004, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-take-the-myers-briggs-personality-test/252671/24 "2004-06-29T14:41:02Z")
INFJ very expressed introvert slightly expressed intuitive personality slightly expressed feeling personality moderately expressed judging personality ---
**Author:** ![mrklutz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ebca7d/32.png) [@mrklutz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mrklutz)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2004, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-take-the-myers-briggs-personality-test/252671/25 "2004-06-29T14:56:23Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > Sorry, folks, but this site is about fighting ignorance and Myers-Briggs is junk science at best. It was based on Jung’s work but designed by two people (a mother and a daughter) with zero background in psychology. Like astrology and tarot cards, it makes a fun parlor game but the thought of employers using this to determine hiring and promotion is frightening. They may as well use tea leaves. I agree that it is not an appropriate tool for hiring and promotion. I don’t offhand know of any employers who use it this way, and if they do, that’s a very scary though indeed. It may well be junk science, and I don’t place any credence in the profile descriptions. However, the 4 scales are useful for measuring someone’s self-professed preferences and tendencies. Knowing someone’s preferences for how to approach a situation makes it easier to work with them. It is far from exact, but it makes a decent starting point for people to gain perspective on each other’s differing styles. ---
**Author:** ![swampbear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampbear/32/467_2.png) [@swampbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampbear)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2004, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-take-the-myers-briggs-personality-test/252671/26 "2004-06-29T15:00:26Z")
> [@drm](#): > > INFJ > > very expressed introvert > slightly expressed intuitive personality > slightly expressed feeling personality > moderately expressed judging personality INFJ. :Waves at **drm** : Geez, who woulda guessed somebody with a degree in counseling would have a counselor’s personality. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2004, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-take-the-myers-briggs-personality-test/252671/27 "2004-06-29T15:16:44Z")
During one of our Myers-Briggs sessions, we divided our class into the J group and the P group, roughly, the orderly, linear types vs. the free-form creative types. The facilitator asked the strongest P (me) to describe the strongest J. I recalled a movie I had seen a trailer for a couple of weeks previoiusly, where a high-powered agent type had lost his DayTimer (this was before PalmPilots!). His cry was something on the order of “my LIFE was in there!”. The J group agreed that this was pretty much how they operated. They then asked the strongest J to describe us P-ers. They described how our desks and computer monitors were covered with yellow sticky-notes. Our reply: Yep, that’s pretty much it! ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2004, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-take-the-myers-briggs-personality-test/252671/28 "2004-06-29T16:01:15Z")
> [@mrklutz](#): > > I agree that it is not an appropriate tool for hiring and promotion. I don’t offhand know of any employers who use it this way, and if they do, that’s a very scary though indeed. It may well be junk science, and I don’t place any credence in the profile descriptions. About five years ago, I took an M-B test as part of a job interview. I didn’t know what the hell it was at the time. They made me an offer so I guess I can’t complain. Anyway, I just took the test again and they said that I’m an INTJ. Supposedly less than 1% of the population fits that group but 4 out of 25 in this thread so far are INTJs not to mention Isaac Newton and Ayn Rand who are two of my heros. Maybe I need to rethink my objections to this test. 😉 Haj ---
**Author:** ![Thinks2Much](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/73ab20/32.png) [@Thinks2Much](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thinks2Much)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2004, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-take-the-myers-briggs-personality-test/252671/29 "2004-06-29T16:45:02Z")
I have taken Meiers Briggs personality tests because various companies I have worked for believed in it. I think it has some value as well, at least as far as how to better understand communication patterns in collegues and speak so they understand it best. People who are more extroverted have a tendency to do their thinking out loud, whereas people who are more introverted tend to think things through before they speak up. People who are S are more detail oriented, people who are N are more big picture oriented. People who are Js don’t mind documentation - people who are more P find it annoying and tend to avoid it. I am an INTJ. We have discussed personality typing here before and there is a large portion of Dopers who are NTs because we seek out knowledge, as opposed to some types who prefer to stubble upon knowledge. Everyone values it - the question is to what degree. I actually find DISC more useful than MB, because it looks at people from natural versus adapted behavior. MB doesn’t try to make that distinction and so accounts for the issues where some parts apply and others don’t. [About DISC](http://www.discusonline.com/UDISC/) ---
**Author:** ![leenmi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f1d935/32.png) [@leenmi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leenmi)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2004, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-take-the-myers-briggs-personality-test/252671/30 "2004-06-29T16:53:59Z")
I just took this last week. I was ENTP, but the N was borderline, so ESTP might fit, as well. I prefer the ENTP description, but I can see where ESTP might apply. I don’t think MBTI should be used for important decisions, but I think it is a wonderful illustration of the personality differences that can be found in a group and the value of diversity to ensure all bases are covered. Don’t give me a project plan to maintain. I can’t make myself do it. But don’t give the guy or gal that can maintain a project plan the task to jump into a complex, ill-defined problem and work it until it submits. MBTI illustrates that the strengths and weaknesses of the different personality types compliment each other. Where I have a weakness, another type is strong. And your type shouldn’t be a source of pride or bragging. I look at my type description and see that I get things done. Someone else looks at the same description and sees that I’m an unorganized and have no respect for rules and regulations. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2004, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-take-the-myers-briggs-personality-test/252671/31 "2004-06-29T17:36:47Z")
[Previous](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=196007&highlight=meyers-briggs) [threads](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=13045&highlight=meyers-briggs) on the subject. ---
**Author:** ![AbbySthrnAccent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eb9ed0/32.png) [@AbbySthrnAccent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AbbySthrnAccent)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2004, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-take-the-myers-briggs-personality-test/252671/32 "2004-06-29T18:44:47Z")
Your Type is INFJ Introverted Intuitive Feeling Judging You are: moderately expressed introvert slightly expressed intuitive personality moderately expressed feeling personality moderately expressed judging personality > [@](#): > > The Counselor Idealists are abstract thought and speech, cooperative in reaching their goals, and directive and introverted in their interpersonal roles. Counselors focus on human potentials, think in terms of ethical values, and come easily to decisions. The small number of this type (little more than 2 percent) is regrettable, since Counselors have an unusually strong desire to contribute to the welfare of others and genuinely enjoy helping their companions. Although Counsleors tend to be private, sensitive people, and are not generally visible leaders, they nevertheless work quite intensely with those close to them, quietly exerting their influence behind the scenes with their families, friends, and colleagues. This type has great depth of personality; they are themselves complicated, and can understand and deal with complex issues and people. > > Counselors can be hard to get to know. They have an unusually rich inner life, but they are reserved and tend not to share their reactions except with those they trust. With their loved ones, certainly, Counselors are not reluctant to express their feelings, their face lighting up with the positive emotions, but darkening like a thunderhead with the negative. Indeed, because of their strong ability to take into themselves the feelings of others, Counselors can be hurt rather easily by those around them, which, perhaps, is one reason why they tend to be private people, mutely withdrawing from human contact. At the same time, friends who have known an Counselor for years may find sides emerging which come as a surprise. Not that they are inconsistent; Counselors value their integrity a great deal, but they have intricately woven, mysterious personalities which sometimes puzzle even them. > > Counselors have strong empathic abilities and can become aware of another’s emotions or intentions – good or evil – even before that person is conscious of them. This “mind-reading” can take the form of feeling the hidden distress or illnesses of others to an extent which is difficult for other types to comprehend. Even Counselors can seldom tell how they came to penetrate others’ feelings so keenly. Furthermore, the Counselor is most likely of all the types to demonstrate an ability to understand psychic phenomena and to have visions of human events, past, present, or future. What is known as ESP may well be exceptional intuitive ability-in both its forms, projection and introjection. Such supernormal intuition is found frequently in the Counselor, and can extend to people, things, and often events, taking the form of visions, episodes of foreknowledge, premonitions, auditory and visual images of things to come, as well as uncanny communications with certain individuals at a distance. This is a fairly accurate assessement of me, so I’m curious, are these written so that no matter what you would see yourself in them? ---
**Author:** ![Banger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8491ac/32.png) [@Banger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banger)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2004, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-take-the-myers-briggs-personality-test/252671/33 "2004-06-29T19:56:38Z")
I had to take the MBTI and read _Please Understand Me_ for a management class in my MBA program, and scored as an ENTP on the test. I think that the ENTP description was fairly accurate. However, the authors of _Please Understand Me_ hurt their credibility when they mention that one of the personality types is more likely to show signs of ESP. Also, the professor of the class was a flake 😛 ---
**Author:** ![AbbySthrnAccent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eb9ed0/32.png) [@AbbySthrnAccent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AbbySthrnAccent)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2004, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-take-the-myers-briggs-personality-test/252671/34 "2004-06-29T20:10:05Z")
> [@Banger](#): > > I had to take the MBTI and read _Please Understand Me_ for a management class in my MBA program, and scored as an ENTP on the test. I think that the ENTP description was fairly accurate. However, the authors of _Please Understand Me_ hurt their credibility when they mention that one of the personality types is more likely to show signs of ESP. > > Also, the professor of the class was a flake 😛 Yeah, that’s the part of that I felt mildly squirmy about. > [@](#): > > Counselors have strong empathic abilities and can become aware of another’s emotions or intentions – good or evil – even before that person is conscious of them. This “mind-reading” can take the form of feeling the hidden distress or illnesses of others to an extent which is difficult for other types to comprehend. Even Counselors can seldom tell how they came to penetrate others’ feelings so keenly. Furthermore, the Counselor is most likely of all the types to demonstrate an ability to understand psychic phenomena and to have visions of human events, past, present, or future. What is known as ESP may well be exceptional intuitive ability-in both its forms, projection and introjection. Such supernormal intuition is found frequently in the Counselor, and can extend to people, things, and often events, taking the form of visions, episodes of foreknowledge, premonitions, auditory and visual images of things to come, as well as uncanny communications with certain individuals at a distance. I can agree that at times I can be intuitive and hyperaware and “know” that something is right or wrong or someone is upset, but I feel it’s more being aware of physical and verbal clues than “ESP”. I’m comfortable admiting I have vivid dreams, but I wouldn’t describe them as visions. ---
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2004, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-take-the-myers-briggs-personality-test/252671/35 "2004-06-29T20:23:10Z")
I’ve taken this several times. The first was in high school, where they gave it as part of the school system’s career/job counseling for all students. The idea behind it was to give you an assessment of what your general personality was like and what job/career fields might suit you. The second time I took it was as part of one of those dreaded ‘team-building’ exercises at a school I worked for. I guess they thought it would help us understand each other better or something. The last time I took it was as part of the pre-marriage counseling provided by the pastor of the church I was a member of at the time. I guess that was kind of a team-building exercise too 🙂 I am an INTJ, as are many other Dopers, though I could lapse over into an ISTJ pretty easily, as my ‘N’ is right on the borderline. ---
**Author:** ![Trigonal\_Planar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/0ea827/32.png) [@Trigonal\_Planar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trigonal_Planar)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2004, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-take-the-myers-briggs-personality-test/252671/36 "2004-06-29T20:35:51Z")
Everytime I do one of these I flip-flop between INTP and INTJ. I’d say the descriptions are fairly accurate. ---
**Author:** ![TitoBenito](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2acd7d/32.png) [@TitoBenito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TitoBenito)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2004, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-take-the-myers-briggs-personality-test/252671/37 "2004-06-29T21:39:16Z")
INTP slightly expressed introvert very expressed intuitive personality moderately expressed thinking personality slightly expressed perceiving personality ---
**Author:** ![PastAllReason](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f07891/32.png) [@PastAllReason](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastAllReason)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2004, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-take-the-myers-briggs-personality-test/252671/38 "2004-06-30T02:53:49Z")
ENTP. I’ve taken the test before, and on both occasions answered every single questions that determines the S v. N factor with an N response. And in real life, I am VERY “big picture” oriented. Nice to know I’m not developing Alzheimer’s because I forget details. I’ve done the DISC profile in the past as well. I thought it was interesting, more so for element of the results that says how you react under stress. By the way, I certainly wouldn’t hire/promote anyone based on these tests, but I agree with others who have said that they can be valuable in group settings in affirming that not everyone thinks/responds the same way, and that a balance of personality and thinking styles can be productive. ---
**Author:** ![1010011010](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/1/ea666f/32.png) [@1010011010](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/1010011010)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2004, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-take-the-myers-briggs-personality-test/252671/39 "2004-06-30T02:57:37Z")
> [@Trigonal Planar](#): > > Everytime I do one of these I flip-flop between INTP and INTJ. Not exactly flip-flop- I usually get INTP- but I’ve had the random INTJ. ---
**Author:** ![Thinks2Much](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/73ab20/32.png) [@Thinks2Much](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thinks2Much)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2004, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-take-the-myers-briggs-personality-test/252671/40 "2004-06-30T04:11:42Z")
> [@AbbySthrnAccent](#): > > Your Type is > INFJ > > This is a fairly accurate assessement of me, so I’m curious, are these written so that no matter what you would see yourself in them? Well, the best way to check is to read your opposite and see if you get the same percentage of things to apply to you in it as you did in your own description. Your opposite is ESTP. Here is a link to a description. [ESTP](http://www.personalitypage.com/ESTP.html) (My ex-husband is an ESTP and it describes HIM to a T… Opposites may attract, but they make for lousy life partners. He was my opposite in all but one category. Sorry to be snarky… it’s been a long day, as you probably know from my funeral thread you posted in. ) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-take-the-myers-briggs-personality-test/252671.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-take-the-myers-briggs-personality-test/252671.md?page=3)