MBTI Test.

[Fool]

I'm sure this has been posted/discussed before but...umm..well whatever.

How has knowing about the MBTI test affected you? Negatively and/or positively?

Basically what I want to know is if you had the option to NOT learn about the MBTI and NOT figure out what type you are, would you take it or no? Why?

 

[Fukyo]

I would prefer to have been exposed to the right kind of information first, instead of stumbling upon a online MBTI test, it would have saved me from being mistyped twice.

 

[Oblivious]

I would say it has allowed me to identify a lot of holes in my personality for me to overcome and become a more rounded individual.

It also allowed me to find this forum.

 

[Trebuchet]

I'm glad I took the MBTI. I never took it as seriously as many people here. INTP was a good description of how I operate, but I never felt that it was something to live up to, or be defensive about, or that it constrained me. It was neat to find out that there were other people who valued and enjoyed - and disliked - the same things as me. It was also very useful to gain some insight into other people's world views. Once I realized that there were people who saw the world in terms of tradition or something that wasn't my approach, I was much better able to interact with them.

As an INTP, I do enjoy learning, creating, and playing with models of reality, such as the MBTI. So, no, I don't wish I never heard of it. It has been a fun, useful, and harmless experience for me. Some people here have experienced great trauma because of it, though.

 

[Fool]

Some people here have experienced great trauma because of it, though.

And this is what I want to hear about, lol.

 

[KazeCraven]

Negative: I obsessed over it too much at first, being one of those guys who thought I should try to improve myself by being other types for a while, etc. Then I just thought about it too much, with no real benefit from it.

Positive: Uh, I realized that personality theories can distinguish between different people, but they rarely give any definitive reason for why we are different. And even when they do, it's all pseudoscience anyway.

The test itself is junk, but it lead me to other theories which have been quite interesting. So yeah, I'd say I'm glad I found it. In general, I find it hard to pinpoint anything that is something I wish I never experienced. Either it's good/useful or I learn something from it.

 

[Trebuchet]

And [great trauma] is what I want to hear about, lol.

Understood. I can't help you there. What is weird to me is that most INTPs, upon being told that there is some set of rules about how to behave, would barely give it lip-service, but the MBTI somehow has this power. I suppose because it is a compelling model of something hard to understand, simple enough to be comprehend but complex enough to be useful.

 

[Ermine]

Pros:It's been beneficial in that I now have a language with which to describe my basic personality traits to others. I also have a better grasp on interpersonal dynamics.

Cons: It seems to be a very transient tool. I used to be really interested in the MBTI and it did have its uses. But now I'm much better served by disregarding the MBTI "rules" and just doing my best. I've noticed that many people on this forum have assumed that they can and can't do things because of the MBTI norms. It's really stupid. Some people stroke their egos and are almost proud of procrastinating everything or not accomplishing much in a given day. It's a bad idea regardless of who you are. These kinds of examples go for all the possible MBTI traits out there. This life is all about growing and learning and progressing. Get a life!

Another con is that with any typing system, there is potential for type prejudice. Some people here seem to think that ESxJs make a living hell for us INTPs. A single one might, but in any case, this prejudice only closes potential doors.

 

[KazeCraven]

Understood. I can't help you there. What is weird to me is that most INTPs, upon being told that there is some set of rules about how to behave, would barely give it lip-service, but the MBTI somehow has this power. I suppose because it is a compelling model of something hard to understand, simple enough to be comprehend but complex enough to be useful.

That's because sets of rules have no objective basis. They are arbitrary.

For me, MBTI is basically God saying, "Here is how you are designed, now you can fulfill your function. What, you don't believe me? Test me--see if I'm wrong."

I've been testing Him, but have few points of leverage for argument. (Though I've since redefined God, so whatever.)

 

[Trebuchet]

For me, MBTI is basically God saying, "Here is how you are designed, now you can fulfill your function. What, you don't believe me? Test me--see if I'm wrong."

Okay, that is a pretty strong reaction. So what is your function as an INTP? I'm just curious, not arguing with you. Your experience is just so different from mine. My reaction was more like finding a map labeling the rough terrain, so I can get where I am going more easily.

@Ermine, I agree about the prejudice. It is not helpful. Sure, I am unlikely to become close friends with an ESxJ, but I don't hate or even avoid them. The MBTI has at least given me enough insight to communicate with them. I just say "thank you" a lot when they do something that drives me crazy, and they enjoy being appreciated for their efforts, and we all get along fine.

 

[KazeCraven]

Well, I suppose I take a more Aristotelian view of the world, in that I agree that we should capitalize on our virtues (translated from Aristotelian language, that might mean something more like "strengths" or "developed talents").

As an INTP, my function is to make sense of the underlying patterns in the world. Sure, before I got really intimate with MBTI, I thought I was pretty analytical and interested in science, but that landed me in chemical engineering, not the more abstract stuff. Furthermore, looking around me I couldn't make sense of whether other people had it wrong, I had it wrong, or what.

Ironically, when I was in my first chemical engineering class the professor gave us all 'the test' so he could help teach us. Ironically, I was the only N-type in there (though everyone was a T-type, understandably). Not surprisingly, I soon felt a little out of place once I mastered what the professor needed to teach in that given course. It was annoying, because all it was about was proficiency in a few things already very well known.

I should clarify that my summation only makes sense in retrospect (though this is quite normal for me), as I didn't get clear on my philosophy until long after I had switched schools and studied MBTI more extensively. (I typed strongly F for a while having rebelled to what I thought was the overly analytical and dry nature of ChemE.) Now I know that maybe science isn't even the right answer, as an INTP is (well, at least in my case) rather "right-brained" in the sense that both our logic and our way of seeing the world is very amorphous and free-form, which isn't too interested in something as meticulous as collecting data.

 

[cheese]

I would prefer to have been exposed to the right kind of information first, instead of stumbling upon a online MBTI test, it would have saved me from being mistyped twice.

I've been wondering where you're up to with that. What do you now consider the best fit (ignoring the possibility that the whole system is bunkum and so on)?

And what was the second one? I only remember INFP.


OP, I'd take it, because this has opened up a lot of doors to a lot of areas I'm interested in. Also provided some validation and explanation of my life experiences, gave me support in numbers, helped me relate better to others, and introduced me to a bunch of interesting people and conversations.

 

[Fukyo]

I've been wondering where you're up to with that. What do you now consider the best fit (ignoring the possibility that the whole system is bunkum and so on)?

And what was the second one? I only remember INFP.

Sigh, that's a long story...

About 3 years ago, in my first exposure to a MBTI test I tested as an ISFP and INFP.

I read a few descriptions and thought, okay this sounds good enough, so I'll go with it. Note I didn't know anything about typology then and I didn't even bother with reading about any other types in detail. By the time I reached INTPf and registered on a whim, I settled for INFP as my type.

But then the more I got into this and other forums, I started noticing something was off. I found it unable to relate to any INFPs I observed, and the INTPs positively seemed like my kin.

I started to look into it more. At that time I was heavily depressed and just generally out of it, experiencing a lot of heavy emotions lead to assume I was a feeler. I also thought I was just too stupid and illogical to be an INTP. I got my hands on the the cognitive functions test and my Ti and Fi scored perfectly equal, adding to my confusion. I was still hanging on to the idea of being too emotional and not logical enough to be an INTP, and the only solution was that I was projecting something, that I just wanted to score high on Ti because I was some kind of malformed F.

The more I read about Ti, the more I thought "This is soo me, it's not even funny", but then there was still this voice questioning my capability to make an accurate assessment on this endlessly. In the end I couldn't make myself settle for anything, because I could literally ponder it endlessly, Ti-Fi seemed like different sides of the coin, and I couldn't settle for something if I wasn't 100% sure it was correct.

I also kinda rejected the idea of having Fe because I couldn't stand it, and I thought that just can't be me. But in the end it was all Fe that was messing with my head.

Then I read about Quenk's inferior Fe grip, and it was like a fucking slap in the face. It all fell in it's place, the excessive emotionality, the depression, the circumstances that led to it, it all fit to a T. (cue lame pun )

By that point several people I discussed with started debunking my INFP typing with arguments that I couldn't ignore, I was getting into typology extensively, everything seemed to confirm it, and INTP seemed more and more like THE ONE.

Recently, I learned of the falsification of type, and that too was ridiculously accurate. I guess I am malformed after all, just differently than I previously thought.

 

[Jaico]

Pros:It's been beneficial in that I now have a language with which to describe my basic personality traits to others. I also have a better grasp on interpersonal dynamics.

Cons: It seems to be a very transient tool. I used to be really interested in the MBTI and it did have its uses. But now I'm much better served by disregarding the MBTI "rules" and just doing my best. I've noticed that many people on this forum have assumed that they can and can't do things because of the MBTI norms. It's really stupid. Some people stroke their egos and are almost proud of procrastinating everything or not accomplishing much in a given day. It's a bad idea regardless of who you are. These kinds of examples go for all the possible MBTI traits out there. This life is all about growing and learning and progressing. Get a life!

Another con is that with any typing system, there is potential for type prejudice. Some people here seem to think that ESxJs make a living hell for us INTPs. A single one might, but in any case, this prejudice only closes potential doors.

I couldn't have said it better myself. I really think that the MBTI should be used to create new paths and possibilities, not destroy old ones; like it's been said (countless times) before on this forum, people don't have their personalities because they're a certain type - they're that type because of their personalities.

That being said, I took the MBTI pretty seriously at first, probably because it managed to pinpoint my personality pretty well (or it appeared to, anyhow). Over time, though, I've become less enthuthiastic towards it - I mean, it's still a handy starting/reference point, but the MBTI/cognitive functions/typing people schtick isn't the be all, end all thing it used to be. Overall, learning about the MBTI was a good thing in two ways: one, because I delved a bit more into my own personality; and (more importantly) two, because I realized that there's no real set categories/easy way of putting people into bins where they belong.

 

[KazeCraven]

...

Fukyo, I must say that I bet I've developed in a similar fashion, though my experience with the test was completely different.

I've been overly emotional (and sensitive) for... I guess my entire life. And I've always been very logically gifted, though I hesitate when thinking that I make everyday decisions based on logic. In fact, when I make a decision, it's almost always "because I thought I'd like it." Though I suppose it could be a form of logic.

In short, replace "too illogical" with "too sensitive" and you might as well have been talking for me (at least for the first half; the last half ends with but then I decided none of the descriptions fit me that well, so I just decided to play with it rather than define myself within it).

Err, scratch that. You'd also need to replace ISFP with INFJ. Hmm, oh well, I'm seeing other issues with the congruence, so nevermind.

 

[bloozie]

The MBTI just made everything confusing for me.

 

[The Lurker]

It helped me greatly a few years ago when I was undergoing an 'identity crisis' of sorts in the crushing and sudden realization that I really didn't know what I wanted in life or who I was, and viewed myself as damaged merchandise and an outsider, to put it briefly and simply. Of course I don't see the MBTI as an absolute but it assisted me in understanding many of my own mannerisms which I previously viewed as faults, and perhaps made me feel a little better knowing that there were many others such as myself and that I wasn't nearly as alone as I thought I was.

 

[cheese]

Sigh, that's a long story...

About 3 years ago, in my first exposure to a MBTI test I tested as an ISFP and INFP.

I read a few descriptions and thought, okay this sounds good enough, so I'll go with it. Note I didn't know anything about typology then and I didn't even bother with reading about any other types in detail. By the time I reached INTPf and registered on a whim, I settled for INFP as my type.

But then the more I got into this and other forums, I started noticing something was off. I found it unable to relate to any INFPs I observed, and the INTPs positively seemed like my kin.

I started to look into it more. At that time I was heavily depressed and just generally out of it, experiencing a lot of heavy emotions lead to assume I was a feeler. I also thought I was just too stupid and illogical to be an INTP. I got my hands on the the cognitive functions test and my Ti and Fi scored perfectly equal, adding to my confusion. I was still hanging on to the idea of being too emotional and not logical enough to be an INTP, and the only solution was that I was projecting something, that I just wanted to score high on Ti because I was some kind of malformed F.

The more I read about Ti, the more I thought "This is soo me, it's not even funny", but then there was still this voice questioning my capability to make an accurate assessment on this endlessly. In the end I couldn't make myself settle for anything, because I could literally ponder it endlessly, Ti-Fi seemed like different sides of the coin, and I couldn't settle for something if I wasn't 100% sure it was correct.

I also kinda rejected the idea of having Fe because I couldn't stand it, and I thought that just can't be me. But in the end it was all Fe that was messing with my head.

Then I read about Quenk's inferior Fe grip, and it was like a fucking slap in the face. It all fell in it's place, the excessive emotionality, the depression, the circumstances that led to it, it all fit to a T. (cue lame pun )

By that point several people I discussed with started debunking my INFP typing with arguments that I couldn't ignore, I was getting into typology extensively, everything seemed to confirm it, and INTP seemed more and more like THE ONE.

Recently, I learned of the falsification of type, and that too was ridiculously accurate. I guess I am malformed after all, just differently than I previously thought.

Ha, not surprising! The more you posted (especially recently) the more there didn't seem to be anything separating you from everyone else here. The attention to logical consistency, the precision, concision, the enthusiasm for accuracy and above all the apparent lack of interest in communicating anything that didn't involve those elements.

Didn't you sort of go on for a while about your dom Fe mother (aunt?)? It's no wonder you hate it so much. She's your mum, she presses all your buttons the wrong way and they're already primed to be mistreated (if function theory actually holds water).

 

[Fallenman]

I simply used it as a guideline. I remember telling people about it and them being afraid of being categorized as if it eliminated their uniqueness. I merely saw it as an explanation for why i was so different, and then I used it in order to improve my flaws. Granted, I may not be unique, but I still intend to take over the world .