Publicizing your Personality Type?

[7even]

So, I was wondering whether anyone told friends/family that they are INTP or perhaps asked them to do a personality test, and share their personality type openly in one way or the other? ...

I feel sort of exposed, and would feel weird telling a friend that I'm INTP, because I'm aware how much information there is about personality types on the internet, especially INTP. Not to mention them understanding your Feelings side better, which is just so weird. I rarely share my feelings and I hate doing so, I try sometimes.

Obviously, it's easy saying you're an INTP on the internet, especially on an INTP forum... But allowing someone to read about it would be odd to me. However, it would make people understand each other better, wouldn't it.. But it's a lot of information being given away you know... I'm not sure what to think.

 

[Mello]

People will talk shit behind your back either way. So, might as well explain yourself. <3

Walking away works too.

 

[7even]

People will talk shit behind your back either way. So, might as well explain yourself. <3

Walking away works too.

Haha it's not that at all, you misunderstood what I'm trying to say... I mean the reason I'm saying this MBTI system is exposing is because it subjects people to labelling. But then again, who cares? Or that people can get access your perspective more or less by just googling it. Just weird. I can't decide what my thoughts are on this though... But this isn't about people judging you or anything like that.

 

[Mello]

Haha it's not that at all, you misunderstood what I'm trying to say... I mean the reason I'm saying this MBTI system is exposing is because it subjects people to labelling. But then again, who cares? Or that people can get access your perspective more or less by just googling it. Just weird. I can't decide what my thoughts are on this though... But this isn't about people judging you or anything like that.

You're supposed to label things though. So, might as well put accurate labels on people.

 

[7even]

You're supposed to label things though. So, might as well put accurate labels on people.

Hm you're brief but to the point.. touché. Guess I have nothing to say to that.

 

[EyeSeeCold]

I thought about it back when I was first getting into personality types between late '09 and early '10. I took a ton of facebook quizzes and cautiously put one of the results on my wall that said INTP and described the traits and everything. No one noticed or cared it seems though. I did find out that one of my cousins took one of the same tests and got ISTP(I didn't ask him about it , but really don't need to, we know we're both kind of introverted and antisocial), which is what I already thought for him so that was pretty cool to see that when typology was still new to me. Other people on my school network took the tests too.


I would like to just say it as a sort of experiment, but I wouldn't want them taking my type and treating me like I have some kind of identified disorder or whatever. I tried to get another cousin to take it by disguising it as a career assessment test but he knew something was fishy lol.

 

[7even]

I would like to just say it as a sort of experiment, but I wouldn't want them taking my type and treating me like I have some kind of identified disorder or whatever. I tried to get another cousin to take it by disguising it as a career assessment test but he knew something was fishy lol.

Yeah, I'd assume people would perhaps treat you differently if they read a personality profile, can't really explain...

Haha that's funny. I've let 3 good friends do the test so far... Just gave them a link and told them to try it cause it's crazyyyy.

 

[Mello]

You don't need to take a test to know someone's personality type. You can tell just by the way they behave.

How can a test define who you are? Everyone is an individual.

The only people who would treat you differently are judgmental people.

Haven't you ever noticed that dramatic people attract dramatic people?

Anger causes anger.

Calmness causes calmness.

Ugly personalities attract ugly personalities.

Attractive personalities attract attractive personalities.

 

[Crazythinker1]

Most of my friends and family use some sort of personalty test anyway, so to me it's not really all that odd or uncomfortable to share

 

[Pizzabeak]

Generally not a good idea & may seem kind of silly in hindsight, but what's done is done.. I think people that have "J' type qualities will think differently of you than most, but you'll just have to live it..

 

[nanook]

i no longer communicate a 4 letter code, because i am no longer capable of holding the naive belief that anyone understands it to mean what i take it to mean. statistically 9 out of 10 people will understand it to mean something different. but in communicating it, i provoke a false sense (in them) of being right about their (mis)understanding. i would rather not be co-responsible for their (potentially) false image of me, nor for setting it into stone.

i sometimes communicate aspects of my type in abstract language, so that people will either have no clue of what i am talking about, or be able to guess a specific meaning based on my wording. so i explain my cognitive traits/function, without naming a type or even without referring to typology, in order to not evoke their own (mis)understanding of typology.

if you don't communicate your type to "J types", because you think that only J types will treat you differently from how they would have treated you otherwise [based on their wrong ideas about your type], then you have just treated a class of people differently, based on your belief about a) what their type is and b) what people of this type are like in regard to their ability to see other people (you) as they are. and you have most likely been wrong about a and b.

 

[EditorOne]

Well, there was one fellow who had "INTP spoken here" engraved on an extended nameplate that he kept on his desk. People either got it or they didn't; if they did, they knew what his context was for communicating. If not, well, it either went over their head and they revealed themselves to be oblivious, or they'd ask and he'd say "Look it up, goddam it! Do I have to do everything around here?" :-)

 

[Exolution]

New to the forum. New to personality types. So far from reading around the threads I get a general negative vibe about being intp. (an intp?) From taking a mess of drugs to "control" it to telling folks outright so they can deal with you better... I'm just confused a bit. Is this a perceived disorder?

A few days ago I took a few personality tests which said this was my type. I was floored to see so much of who I am presented in the intp description. I felt not-so-frustrated with myself for the first time in a long time. Almost validated in a sense. A sense of belonging perhaps. Prior, I was really close to seeking some psychiatric attention, maybe going on some kind of medicine to help me play ball with society a bit more. I hated that idea though. The idea of sterilizing my... Essence, for lack of a better term. I felt after my type discovery, that I could rest a little easier. Like I could continue not playing ball because, well, thats how I roll and theres a bunch of others who roll that way as well. Not just me. Not one weirdo, a big ol mob of weirdos.

Anyhow. It seems the mob is not as unified as I had hoped.

Long story short... I was about to cram myself into a hole society made for me, then I was hopeful I wouldnt have to due to the presence of other non conformists and now im not sure
where I am at. Literally. I have no idea if this rambled mess is coherent. Lot of typing on a smart phone and my eyes hurt.

Thanks...

 

[IdeasNotTheProblem]

Exolution: That's funny, I had the exact same reaction when reading about INTPs. We are one of the rarest personality types, we also have similarities with several disorders. i.e. AD(H)D, social phobia, schizoid/schizotypal, avoidant and maybe others as well. The similarities, i think, are on the less detrimental aspects of each. By understanding we can work to ensure our strenghs outweigh our weaknesses. Stay outta "the hole" society needs ya brah! You're just unique not a weirdo.

OP: Sometimes I think publicizing would be beneficial. I'd first make sure whoever I told would understand what I'm talking about. haha Most of my friends would say "You're a what in the who know?" Maybe a bit paranoid but I too wouldn't want to reveal my weak points. to anyone. What if they used it against me? Perhaps, for an INTP it may seem easier to to just say I'm INTP rather then trying to explain how they themselves see think feel about something.

 

[Vrecknidj]

So, I was wondering whether anyone told friends/family that they are INTP or perhaps asked them to do a personality test, and share their personality type openly in one way or the other? ...

I first learned about this stuff about 20 years ago. At the time, I was young and excitable and I tested everyone who would let me test them. It helped me considerably in my understanding of the various types. I found, interestingly, that something like 90% of the people I knew were N types of one sort or another. Given how infrequent N types are in the population, I took this as empirical evidence that people of certain persuasions tend to find comfort in similarities.

I feel sort of exposed, and would feel weird telling a friend that I'm INTP, because I'm aware how much information there is about personality types on the internet, especially INTP. Not to mention them understanding your Feelings side better, which is just so weird. I rarely share my feelings and I hate doing so, I try sometimes.

If you're telling a friend then things ought to turn out all right. I do understand how this can come very close to feeling like a violation though (depending especially on how strongly you're I rather than E).

Obviously, it's easy saying you're an INTP on the internet, especially on an INTP forum... But allowing someone to read about it would be odd to me. However, it would make people understand each other better, wouldn't it.. But it's a lot of information being given away you know... I'm not sure what to think.

It won't necessarily make people understand one another any more than they already do. Remember, a huge number of people will see this as no more useful than a horoscope and shrug it off and move on.

Dave

 

[Vrecknidj]

New to the forum. New to personality types. So far from reading around the threads I get a general negative vibe about being intp. (an intp?) From taking a mess of drugs to "control" it to telling folks outright so they can deal with you better... I'm just confused a bit. Is this a perceived disorder?

No more a disorder than being left-handed, or red-haired, or green-eyed. We're just statistically underrepresented is all.

A few days ago I took a few personality tests which said this was my type. I was floored to see so much of who I am presented in the intp description. I felt not-so-frustrated with myself for the first time in a long time. Almost validated in a sense. A sense of belonging perhaps. Prior, I was really close to seeking some psychiatric attention, maybe going on some kind of medicine to help me play ball with society a bit more. I hated that idea though. The idea of sterilizing my... Essence, for lack of a better term. I felt after my type discovery, that I could rest a little easier. Like I could continue not playing ball because, well, thats how I roll and theres a bunch of others who roll that way as well. Not just me. Not one weirdo, a big ol mob of weirdos.

Whatever you do, don't sterilize your essence. But seriously, welcome to the group.

Long story short... I was about to cram myself into a hole society made for me, then I was hopeful I wouldnt have to due to the presence of other non conformists and now im not sure
where I am at. Literally. I have no idea if this rambled mess is coherent. Lot of typing on a smart phone and my eyes hurt.

Feel free to cram yourself into that hole if that's what you ultimately decide you want to do. The external world doesn't see me as I am because I've managed, after nearly 45 years, to figure out how to function in the extroverted world of SPs and SJs without going crazy. It takes some practice and a fair bit of effort, but, the payoffs are worth it.

Dave

 

[Words]

Similar to Editor's anecdote, I had a t-shirt with "INTP" written on it. The point was the same. I'd rather people have better context when I'm engaging them. I don't fear giving information, especially to friends and family. I don't have any enemies so, why would i feel negatively about it? [actually i do have enemies, but i don't expect them to be informed]

 

[Peripheral Visionary]

Taking the test and advertising my personality type didn't change the way people treated me, per se. But it eventually resulted in me changing the way I treat everyone else.

When I first began studying MBTI, I found it fascinating and would try to talk about it all the time, and get people to take the test. I naively thought it would be a facilitator to better understanding and communication. I got this sudden hope that I could help my family and peers understand me better, after a lifetime of feeling like an alien. In some few cases, where people already had heard of Myers-Briggs, I had some interesting conversations. But overwhelmingly, I got a sea of blank stares, confused looks, or hostile reactions.

This was followed by a six month period of dejection and reflection. I became more withdrawn than usual for me, and barely opened my mouth except to express sarcasm.

One morning I woke up and had an epiphany. I decided to embrace the Dark Side. It isn't about getting others to understand and accept ME, or trying to achieve more genuine or real relationships. It is about using what I know about other people to tailor my behavior toward others to A) get them to do what I want or B) get them to leave me alone.

And so I became a social machiavelli, a grey jedi, an unrepentant duplicitous sonofabitch.

Not all the time, mind you. It takes work. You've gotta relax with your INTP peeps once in a while.

 

[Ex-User (5841)]

Not one weirdo, a big ol mob of weirdos.

Anyhow. It seems the mob is not as unified as I had hoped.

Long story short... I was about to cram myself into a hole society made for me, then I was hopeful I wouldnt have to due to the presence of other non conformists and now im not sure
where I am at. Literally. I have no idea if this rambled mess is coherent. Lot of typing on a smart phone and my eyes hurt.

Thanks...

A few things to point out:

1. Every positive has its downsides.

2. Not everyone here is an INTP. There are quite a few INTJs, INFJs, ENFPs, etc floating around, and when you add them all up actual INTPs are probably less than half of the forum. The good aspect is that there are multiple perspectives on any given issue.

 

[Ex-User (5841)]

I had publicized it on my Facebook page for about a year and a half, and then just got bored with it, recognized that as awesome as the MBTI is there are still additional latent constructs out there that need to be incorporated into the system, and then actually joined the forum.

 

[Pizzabeak]

I actually thought this was one of my friends that happened to find his way here (who is a "J type"), so that's what that was for.

 

[IdeasNotTheProblem]

Was talking with my Brother who's a business consultant. He said before they start a new project with different people they all go around and tell each other their mbti types. He said it helps them know who there working with and how best to designate roles. It's a big firm so I would assume it's proved to be effective. Maybe a bit off topic here but I thought it was cool. sort of...

 

[7even]

New to the forum. New to personality types. So far from reading around the threads I get a general negative vibe about being intp. (an intp?) From taking a mess of drugs to "control" it to telling folks outright so they can deal with you better... I'm just confused a bit. Is this a perceived disorder?

A few days ago I took a few personality tests which said this was my type. I was floored to see so much of who I am presented in the intp description. I felt not-so-frustrated with myself for the first time in a long time. Almost validated in a sense. A sense of belonging perhaps. Prior, I was really close to seeking some psychiatric attention, maybe going on some kind of medicine to help me play ball with society a bit more. I hated that idea though. The idea of sterilizing my... Essence, for lack of a better term. I felt after my type discovery, that I could rest a little easier. Like I could continue not playing ball because, well, thats how I roll and theres a bunch of others who roll that way as well. Not just me. Not one weirdo, a big ol mob of weirdos.

Anyhow. It seems the mob is not as unified as I had hoped.

Long story short... I was about to cram myself into a hole society made for me, then I was hopeful I wouldnt have to due to the presence of other non conformists and now im not sure
where I am at. Literally. I have no idea if this rambled mess is coherent. Lot of typing on a smart phone and my eyes hurt.

Thanks...

Ha, I think it could be but at the same time I think the nature of the trait is fascinating, (obviously biased as fuck). But what I think the general negative vibe of INTPs is just due to today's society not nurturing our ways. So it could be seen as some sort of disorder, but only relative to society. The world isn't the way we want it to be, or atleast I think if I had it my way nothing would be like this. Clearly the law has been set by extroverts with greater leadership qualities than INTPs have. Ah, just too many things to think about man.

I completely get where you're coming from with society creating and choosing our paths. You realize we can't control that shit and we've got to think of a way around it eventually, cause sometimes everything just fucking sucks. But I reckon you could play ball with society as a sort of experiment and to understand things more clearly, you know, be at peace with shit. Non-conformists are unfortunately not in greater and 'louder' numbers I guess..
Just really try as hard as you can to slowly and gradually get the negativity away man, cause that shit is just really not fucking worth it...

 

[7even]

New to the forum. New to personality types. So far from reading around the threads I get a general negative vibe about being intp. (an intp?) From taking a mess of drugs to "control" it to telling folks outright so they can deal with you better... I'm just confused a bit. Is this a perceived disorder?

A few days ago I took a few personality tests which said this was my type. I was floored to see so much of who I am presented in the intp description. I felt not-so-frustrated with myself for the first time in a long time. Almost validated in a sense. A sense of belonging perhaps. Prior, I was really close to seeking some psychiatric attention, maybe going on some kind of medicine to help me play ball with society a bit more. I hated that idea though. The idea of sterilizing my... Essence, for lack of a better term. I felt after my type discovery, that I could rest a little easier. Like I could continue not playing ball because, well, thats how I roll and theres a bunch of others who roll that way as well. Not just me. Not one weirdo, a big ol mob of weirdos.

Anyhow. It seems the mob is not as unified as I had hoped.

Long story short... I was about to cram myself into a hole society made for me, then I was hopeful I wouldnt have to due to the presence of other non conformists and now im not sure
where I am at. Literally. I have no idea if this rambled mess is coherent. Lot of typing on a smart phone and my eyes hurt.

Thanks...

What Vrick said is what I was trying to say ... statistically motherfucking underrepresented. Haha.

 

[7even]

Taking the test and advertising my personality type didn't change the way people treated me, per se. But it eventually resulted in me changing the way I treat everyone else.

When I first began studying MBTI, I found it fascinating and would try to talk about it all the time, and get people to take the test. I naively thought it would be a facilitator to better understanding and communication. I got this sudden hope that I could help my family and peers understand me better, after a lifetime of feeling like an alien. In some few cases, where people already had heard of Myers-Briggs, I had some interesting conversations. But overwhelmingly, I got a sea of blank stares, confused looks, or hostile reactions.

This was followed by a six month period of dejection and reflection. I became more withdrawn than usual for me, and barely opened my mouth except to express sarcasm.

One morning I woke up and had an epiphany. I decided to embrace the Dark Side. It isn't about getting others to understand and accept ME, or trying to achieve more genuine or real relationships. It is about using what I know about other people to tailor my behavior toward others to A) get them to do what I want or B) get them to leave me alone.

And so I became a social machiavelli, a grey jedi, an unrepentant duplicitous sonofabitch.

Not all the time, mind you. It takes work. You've gotta relax with your INTP peeps once in a while.

Hahah that's fucking great. Is it awkward if I steal your epiphany...? :P

 

[Rakshasa]

My family is aware. My mother is an INTJ, and my younger brother is an ESFJ. Shit's weird. We've turned it into a bit of a game. We throw out famous people of our types and argue superiority. It has helped me understand our relationships a little better, however. My mother and I get along swell until it comes to issues of organization and the like, and my little brother could not be any more different from me.
Yes, it is a pain in the ass living with two Js.

 

[Lobstrich]

I have absolutely no problem telling the people I know that I'm an INTP. They won't look it up anyway.

Can't believe some people are so uninspired. I mean, I get that we all have different interests, of course. But how can you just not get that urge to look something up when you haven't heard of it?? It's beyond me.
Either way, I have tried to get my sister and mother to do the test, but they can't be bothered.

 

[rattymat]

I dislike sharing too much of myself as well. Who I am is most important to me, and no one else. Everyone else I create axiomatic connections dependent upon their person. It isn't lying, it simply makes the connection relevant to us both. I am not going to put myself on a dish and serve it to people; I can't expect it to appeal to their appetite. And honestly, it seems immature to try accomplishing this. It is selfish. Connecting with other people is a process of sharing based on relevant information. Eventually the similarities and differences become known, in their way, and this method is superior to throwing your self onto someone else.

 

[MsAnthropy_Indefatigably]

I've done so with a level of zeal that probably just made people think i was even weirder. I realize that of all the 16 MBTI types, INTP probably enjoy the relief in knowing that this was the reason behind our being us..... For lack of a better blanket term. Anyhoo, I find that I'm the only one excited about it because for me, it means more exploration and more learning and more analyzing. My friends (none of which are INTP) are totally bored with me and it already. I have to be careful when and why I mention it because they look at me like i'm a cult member trying to pull them into my teachings.

 

[MissQuote]

Nearly everyone I have talked into taking a test, over the course of the past couple of years, has been far more interested in their own type than mine. The only interest shown in my type has been pretty perfunctory- just a polite afterthought to ask me mine.

These are the reactions I have had from people:

Husband typed ISTJ, was annoyed to even bother taking the test, only did it because I pestered him. Was pleased/amused with his results sounding so much like him, and, after more pestering to read about mine, did so with mild disinterest and acted skeptical.

Teenaged son typed ESTP, was amused with his results, could care less about mine, quickly forgot it all and went on to other things.

Friend #1 typed ESFJ wasn't particularly taken away with any interest over it all, showed interest in mine, because that is what she does, but forgot about it all quickly.

Friend #2 typed ENFP, super excited about the fun of taking the test, and highly interested in her results and how true and well they were, began telling lots of people how cool and accurate it was, asked about my results and was interested. When I asked her what she thought of my INTP result, if she thought is was accurate at all she just laughs about it, she already knew all that about me and would have told me that is how I am if she knew I was worried about it etc. Most interest in her own results.

Friend #3 (who is an internet friend, not real life friend) typed ENTP, highly excited about the whole thing, got really into the entire subject and has seemed to, a bit, use the knowledge of my INTP type to communicate with me better. Interested in my type and others types.

 

[Chimera]

When I mistyped myself as an intp (3-4 years ago?), I told a few people about it, tried to get them to take a test, all that. It was, predictably, as useful as asking them to look up their astral sign--they were interested in their own type, then promptly forgot about it.

Though I don't put much stock into mbti anymore (yes, I understand it's a broad classification based off functions and not meant to be a perfect map to yourself), I type myself as an infj with a strong logical influence.


My word of advice to people trying to give others insight into why you act the way you do? Explain yourself if the situation presents itself. Don't throw "intp" at them and expect them to take the initiative and look it up. You probably understand what it means better than they will anyway.

For example. I was recently called out by a relatively new friend for never wanting to "hang out" with her, despite many invitations to do so. She was upset and felt personally wounded, which she expressed with anger and some nasty assumptions about me. So, after she had calmed down, I explained to her that I don't enjoy just "hanging out" with people--that unless there's something specific she has in mind to do, I won't take up the invitation because I would rather have that time to myself. She understood to the point that I didn't have anything against her personally and didn't mean to offend her, and the next time she asked me if I wanted to go to an art festival with her. She's learning.


My point is (TL;DR): it seems more helpful to approach relationship conflicts with a "I did X because of Y" formula rather than a "Here's an overview of my personality that you probably won't pay attention to and won't remember when it applies to a situation between us."

Just my $0.02, as always.
​

 

[Cam]

I got drunk and told my flatmates about my INTP which in hindsight was a terrible idea. I now feel that they will see my flaws especially those used in arguements, and take advantage by pissing me off without me knowing.

 

[intpz]

Definitely wouldn't want my family to be aware of that. Nonetheless, nobody would understand that anyway, as they have their own beliefs. S and/or F types, so if your beliefs don't match theirs, you're a mental, abnormal and should change your beliefs to theirs or else. I hate those people.

 

[skip]

I think your MBTI type should be a standard piece of identifying information, the kind that goes on IDs, driver's licenses and passports.

 

[Hadoblado]

I shared it with all of my housemates and a couple of friends. The couple I live with are a strong INTJ and wishy-washy ISTP, I also live with a wishy washy ISTJ, who I find interaction with quite awkward as we have absolutely zero in common. A couple of my friends got weak INTP scores, but I believe these results to be confounded by me having used my type as an example for their understanding. They are almost certainly sensors, and one of of them is probably extroverted. My aunt is an ESTJ who works in HR. My father is an IXXP, and my mother is XSFJ.

A lot of people think it's silly as it has little empirical evidence to support it, I respond by telling them it's conceptually useful regardless.

 

[Vidi]

I think your MBTI type should be a standard piece of identifying information, the kind that goes on IDs, driver's licenses and passports.

Emphatic 'no'. Unique ability people possess to screw up things never should be underestimated.
It is all well until it's assumed this piece of information would help to improve an understanding and communication between types, people.
Although I think, it would create just additional set of stereotypes to fight with. People are quick enough to judge and generalize basing opinions on their limited experiences as it is. Their prior experience favourable or not about INTP, am quite sure, would dictate attitude towards me. Favourable opinions mean expectations to be met, and dislike means facing/ fighting prejudices and fixed mindset even before introductions.
To summarise it, such props like typology types can be useful later in relationships revealed of one's own volition. Mandatory order has a bad flavour to it.
Anyways, I value effort. Then I can judge their powers of perception and sharpness of mind based on this criteria

To answer OP's enquiry no, I haven't informed anyone I am INTP except one person and it was more of a footnote, a nod, for further research comparison purpose. Those who really want to know me, they know me without any typology.