Anyone ever take the Myers-Briggs personality test?

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
41

I’ve taken it various times over the past 15 years, always through work. And FWIW it’s always been used as a plea toward at least toward considering differences in others, never as an absolute predictor.
That said, I’ve consistently punched in as an INTP. With the introversion level slightly below huddling in a closet with a security blankey over my head, the Uzi muzzle just peeking out from under the folds. Actually no portion has modified more than a point or so in any direction.
Do I believe this actually measures anything useful?
Not really.
At best it’s gotten to me to slow down–a tad–when people drive me absolutely bat shit, even if the categories are totally spurious.

Veb

Anything that fends off indictments is GOOD, right?

42

I’m an ISTJ.
I didn’t have a chance to read the whole thread (yet) but I thought I’d mention a book I have. It’s titled Type Talk written by Otto Kroeger and Janet M. Thuesen. It’s informative and interesting.

43

I have to admit, I didn’t quite understand a number of the questions. Of course, that’s pretty much standard for me when it comes to any test or such. I get the strong impression that I tend not to think about things from the same direction as most others. Anyhoo, here are my results from the Myers-Briggs test, this time around. (I have taken it before on a couple of occasions.)

INFJ

Introverted - 67 - distinctively expressed introvert
Intuitive - 56 - moderately expressed intuitive personality
Feeling - 11 - slightly expressed feeling personality
Judging - 22 - slightly expressed judging personality
Hmmm…

I’m definitely not an extrovert. That much is true. Let’s see…

From the INFJ type description by D. Keirsey…

"come easily to decisions" - Sometimes, yes. But I don’t consider many everyday decisions that important. And, if I can, I’ll let someone else make some of those decisions for me. Others often disagree about the importance of such decisions, which can lead to them being annoyed with me. Anyhoo…

"tend not to share their reactions except with those they trust" - For most of my life, yes. Now, however, I have little reservations about sharing my point of view or feelings with anyone. Something which can easily annoy my family - particularly my mother and sister…

"strong empathic abilities" - I wouldn’t say strong. There have been some terrible instances where women have left me totally confused. Conniving bitches! :wink: I’ve come to connect those situations to my previously mentioned unusual thinking. (Though I sometimes feel that I think more like a woman than a man.)

As for the “psychic phenomena” stuff, aside from those weird times when a certain moment (usually always pedestrian and forgettable) seems like it’s already happened (that sense of déjà vu), I’ve never experienced anything in my life which has seemed “supernatural” to me.

(Actually, when I was a kid I would sometimes think I saw an animal out of the corner of my eye, but there would be nothing there when I looked. I thought I saw my late dog Shep one time, which was neat. I candidly called these images “ghost animals”.)

From the INFJ type description by J. Butt and M.M. Heiss…

I like the description by Joe Butt ( :giggle: ) a lot more than D. Keirsey’s.

"INFJs, like many other FJ types, find themselves caught between the desire to express their wealth of feelings and moral conclusions about the actions and attitudes of others, and the awareness of the consequences of unbridled candor." - This is pretty much spot on. Like I said, I have little reservations about speaking my mind to anyone, but I do know when it truly would be inappropriate. (And sometimes abstain if I know it’ll really bother my mother or sister. But I’ll often tease them before assuring them I won’t speak out. :smiley: )

From Marina Margaret Heiss’ description…

"generally “doers” as well as dreamers. This rare combination of vision and practicality often results in INFJs taking a disproportionate amount of responsibility in the various causes to which so many of them seem to be drawn." - Unfortunately, I have a lot of trouble actually “doing” things. I’ve always been a “dreamer”, but seem to have little initiative these days. It one of the things that most depresses me.

As for taking responsibility, I prefer that people don’t depend on me. (But, if I do commit to something where others are depending on me, I usually always do my best to please.) And I’ve never been a leader. Keirsey’s description is much more accurate for me when he says "…not generally visible leaders, they nevertheless work quite intensely with those close to them, quietly exerting their influence behind the scenes…"

Back to Heiss…

"They are, in fact, sometimes mistaken for extroverts because they appear so outgoing and are so genuinely interested in people – a product of the Feeling function they most readily show to the world. On the contrary, INFJs are true introverts, who can only be emotionally intimate and fulfilled with a chosen few from among their long-term friends, family, or obvious "soul mates."

Wow! That’s right on for me. I can be very talkative and open in smaller groups of people at times. People who have seen me in such a situation, then see me being quiet and introverted another time, often think there’s something wrong with me - that I’m feeling ill, or something. And I do only have about three close friends, and only one in which I truly feel I can talk about anything.

Heiss used the word “enigmatic” in her description of an INFJ profile. That’s a good word for me. Actually, her description is very good when it comes to pointing out the contradictions apparent in my personality, and the problems they can cause for me…

"As a pattern of behavior, it is perhaps the most confusing aspect of the enigmatic INFJ character to outsiders, and hence the most often misunderstood…"

"This empathy can serve as a classic example of the two-edged nature of certain INFJ talents, as it can be strong enough to cause discomfort or pain in negative or stressful situations. More explicit inner conflicts are also not uncommon in INFJs; it is possible to speculate that the causes for some of these may lie in the specific combinations of preferences which define this complex type."

And finally…

"Usually self-expression comes more easily to INFJs on paper, as they tend to have strong writing skills." - Right on! “Writer” is the only area of work which I really see myself being happy and successful. (If it wasn’t for that damn initiative problem.) I rarely if ever use Windows Messenger, and do not like chat rooms. Only newsgroups and the SDMB for me. And I’m very meticulous with my posts. Even the smallest post can take me a long time to finish. And I preview a lot. (At least a dozen times for this post. Which is actual low for a post this length.)

Anyhoo…

44

I used to work for a company that was becoming a Learning Organization (which is an interesting concept in itself), one of the requirements is that lines of communication be developed. So, department by department we went through a whole battery of tests. I tested as INTP, my boss tested as ESFJ. Understanding how the other functioned allowed us to relate better.

There is a danger in this test as in all personality tests in that once a label has been applied to a person, others might use that label to stereotype them. Moreover, while we may fit into one of the categories, there are far to many variations with the category to make any judgement possible. They should not be used in the hiring decision at all, they are too subjective and prone to being manipulated.

45

Your Type is
INTJ
Introverted Intuitive Thinking Judging
Strength of the preferences %
11 11 56 33
Hmm. Make that one more INTJ.

46

Interesting that there are so many INTP and INTJ folks here.

I am a consistently strong INTx. I am also consistently on the border between an xxxP and an xxxJ.

Although, in the words of AbbySthrnAccent, this all makes me mildly squirmy, I’ve found it to describe my own tendencies and those of others I know pretty accurately.

47

I just thought of something else about my type. I assume the INFJ type is identified as “Counselor” due to a propensity to want to help others, which in turn identifies a career in counseling as a good possibility for an INFJ type.

With this in mind, I thought of myself. I personally don’t think I’d be able to work as a counselor, either professionally or voluntarily. I’d be too uncomfortable with the responsibility (which I’d take very seriously), which would compromise my effectiveness. Also, I tend to be a perfectionist and completist. All combined, should I have any significant difficulty in helping someone, the shadow of depression and anxiety would likely threaten me.

However, the “counselor” mentally is truly evident in my life when it comes to my family. I often serve as interpreter, negotiator and peacemaker whenever members of my family come into conflict with each other. When I was younger, I tended to avoid these conflicts totally. But now (if I’m paying attention) I can easily understand, for example, what my sister is actually saying in an argument with my mother; and, conversely, what my mother is actually saying.

Then, I just have to translate what they are each saying in a way that they can both understand. It’s really frustrating when I can see that they’re actually both in agreement about something, but can’t understand each other. Also, some conflicts come up again and again, no matter what sage advice I’d previously given. When those conflicts rear their tiresome head, I know it’s usually best just to retreat into solitude, and let the storm pass.

Anyhoo…

48

ISTP

ISTP
Introverted Sensing Thinking Perceiving
Strength of the preferences %
44 1 78 44
The “Top Gun,” Chuck Yeager’s personality… Seemingly the most adapted personality for pilots… And that’s what I am, so it fits oddly well for me…

49

So funny.

#1 – I’ve never had a day planner in my life. Or a palm pilot or anything.

#2 – Starting at the left side of my desk, I see,

a) Yellow Sticky with my fantasy NASCAR team for saturday on it
b) Yellow Sticky pad
c) Yellow Sticky with mathematical scribblings on it.
d) Yellow Sticky with my fantasy NASCAR team and my friend’s fantasy NASCAR team from LAST WEEK with the point totals scribbled on it.
e) Yellow Sticky rolled into a ring (can’t remember why)
f) Yellow Sticky on monitor with 5 phone numbers on it. 4 colleagues and the place I get my hair cut.
g) Yellow Sticky on other side of monitor with a note that says “write N. July 13th”. THAT’S my version of a day planner.
h) folded Yellow Sticky doing nothing.
i) Yellow Sticky with an unlabelled 1-800 number on it half-way under the phone. Can’t remember what the number goes to.
j) another Yellow Sticky pad

and that’s just the ones I can see.

50

INFP. All the way, every time. The only thing I’m even close to borderline on is the I/E thing. You wouldn’t expect so many *NFP types to be in IT services, but there are an astounding number of us.

51

I flip-flop between ENTJ and INTJ, depending on my mood. I guess it’s about as accurate as a horoscope, chicken bones or any other “standardized” test.

Interestingly, they gave the test to us at a company I worked at and then gave us some logic problems so we could see how the various personality types go about solving it in a group dynamic. I forget who was which type, but our manager starts trying to build some kind of touchy feely consensus and blah blah blah. I look at the problem and am like “the answers 12, stupid. Now I’m off to take a shit…” Thirty minutes later they reached the same conclusion with a little coaching from the facitator.

There’s a Dilbert strip where they basically do the same thing. Dilbert learns he solves problems by “applying logic and reason” while Marvin solves them by applying “his feelings and intuition”. Dilbert asks "isn’t that a polite way of saying Marvin’s an idiot?

52

Just to add, when I first took this test in school, I came out as an ENTP (I’m now an ENFP.)

Funny enough, I passed myself off as an INTP in order to be in a group with all my friends. This prompted my teacher to ask, no lie “How the hell are you an introvert?” Hehe!

-S & S

53

I’m also INFP, all the way–but I have absolutley no interest working in IT .

54

I used to be an ISTJ, but now I’m an INTP. But I’m feeling much better now.

55

INFP. Very, very strong I, N, and F. Slightly-to-moderately expressed P. Reading the descriptions, though. . .I’m definately an INFP. Which, incidentally, probably screws me out of any job that gives this test, since I’m pretty sure there aren’t a whole lot of people looking to hire us. Ah, well.

56

I’ve been an ENFP every time I’ve tested for the past 20 years. Only once for work, though, and then my boss was just curious because she had people doing two widely varying types of tasks and wanted to get some idea of whether different personality types were attracted to the different tasks. It turned out that the folks in the two tasks tested pretty much the opposite, so it proved her theory, not that it helped her find qualified people, which was her real goal.

But if anyone based hiring or firing decisions on it, I probably wouldn’t want to work there. Either I can do the job or I can’t; pop psychology doesn’t really show that I know how to put together and file a complicated pleading, for example.

57

My closest friend when I was in college had the same birthday as I did. She was an ISTJ and it was her to a “T” (ha ha) and I was an ENFP, and we both agreed that the test inventoried us pretty well.

Now I re took it and come out as an INFP. Im wondering if spending the last 4 years having my estranged husband treat my head as his own personal gameroom may have toyed with the introvert/extrovert part.
Interestingly enough, now I fit the profile of “healer” which is interesting, since I am a nurse.

(Also I have used this profile as part of my arguements that “Astrology is a bunch of hooey”–although I think this is pretty flawed too)

58

Every time I’ve taken this I’ve gotten INTJ. Supposedly it’s a rare label, only 1-3% of people are it. So how come so many doppers are? We’re all Masterminds!

Even though this is fairly useless this does describe me much better than my horoscope (Aries) " Natural leaders, Masterminds are not at all eager to take command of projects or groups, preferring to stay in the background until others demonstrate their inability to lead. Once in charge, however, Masterminds are the supreme pragmatists, seeing reality as a crucible for refining their strategies for goal-directed action." Like I mentioned in the horoscope thread , I don’t lead unless there’s no one else competent to.

59

I took it again and came out as an INTJ, like I did years ago. I think that describes me much better than ISTJ, but I’m sure changing one or two answers makes all the difference.

60

It is unethical to use the MBTI to make hiring decisions and if you take someone to court for doing this you will win. As far as your other comments, you might be interested to know that Jung was primarily interested in Astrology and later developed his theory of Psychological Types because he found Astrology unfounded and baseless. You may also be interested to know that Jung was in contact with Myers on two occasions, and later in his life congratulated her for her accomplishments.

Here is a quote from Jung:

And that is the reason that the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, depending on the form, is a Class B and C psychological instrument, which means there are strict educational requirements that must be met before one can be qualified, including courses in psychometrics.

My closing point is that none of the people here who took the test on the Internet took the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. They took pop-psych tests created by people in their living rooms. If you are as passionate about fighting ignorance as you say you are I strongly recommend reading "Statistics and Measurements - An Introduction for MBTI Users by Ray M. Zeisset. (ISBN 0935652558) and also the "MBTI Manual - A Guide to the Development and Use of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (ISBN 0891061304). You will have to take a qualifying course for the latter, though, which will cost you around 900 bucks

It should also be noted that the author of the Skeptic’s Dictionary is not qualified to purchase the materials or the Indicator and therefore is not an authority qualified to speak on the subject.

For a little more information see the the Wikipedia article on the subject, which I wrote.