Myers-Briggs Type?

firehorse · Mar 19, 2005

How do you experience the world?

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator is a personality test based on Jungian psychology. It measures four axes: introversion vs. extroversion; intuitive vs. sensing; thinking vs. feeling and perceiving vs. judging. The definitions of these traits are not the same as the common usage of these words.

If you know your type, please share! I'm an INFP, which puts me in the same category as Calvin of Calvin and Hobbes - or Walter Mitty. I like my dreaminess, but it can drive some of my more earth-bound friends crazy. Other INFPs are/were: Princess Diana, Mia Farrow, A.A. Milne, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Annie Dillard, James Herriot and supposedly, Shakespeare (though I've seen him listed under several types).

If you don't know your type, there's a test on Tickle.com (yes, I excel in the art of procrastination) called the Career Personality Test, which is a good approximation: http://web.tickle.com/tests/classiccareer/?test=classiccareerogt

If you can't decide on an answer, think back to before you were 12, and how you would have responded then.

I'm not plugging anything; I'm just curious. I've also found these type descriptions to be very useful in building characters and figuring out how characters interact. You can read more about types at http://keirsey.com/.

-Sarah

KellyS. · Mar 19, 2005

According to the test, I'm an ISTJ.

That means that based on the standard measure of personality traits, you have a quiet determination and sharp mind — you're very focused and buckle down when it comes to work. You are the type of person one looks to in a crisis. While others may provide emotional support in a situation, your clear and logical thinking allows you to solve the problem at hand.

You are adaptable and can work independently or on a team. You are a careful thinker and get all the details before making any decisions. You don't jump to conclusions and stick with the facts provided. In other words, you're the go-to person for the real story, not the spin or gossip. While others may view you as a bit stubborn at times, they begrudgingly respect your ethics and straightforward approach.

The reason employers and recruiters might be on the lookout for you is that only about 7% of the U.S. population shares the unique characteristics of your personality type. Research shows that businesses succeed when employers create a good balance of personality types in the office. And since only 7% of the U.S. population shares your type, that means employers are looking for you.

Not sure I would agree with all of this. Thanks for the link.

sthrnwriter · Mar 19, 2005

I'm an ENFJ. Meaning I'm the go-to person to get people motivated. I guess thats me. I try to motivate others if they need it or want it.

Anatole Ghio · Mar 19, 2005

I am INTP. This means my type is interested in structure and theories... making writing one of the oddest interests I should have, as this is more of a scientific type than a creative one!

- Anatole

rhymegirl · Mar 19, 2005

Thanks for this interesting thread! I'll have to go do the test and see how it comes out. (Although I already have a pretty good idea.)

Kate

firehorse · Mar 19, 2005

Better Descriptions

The summaries on Tickle are more corporation-oriented; they probably won't really work for any writers. The Keirsey links (below) have more accurate descriptions with regard how each type experiences the world:

Artisans (SP)
ISFP (Composers)
ESFP (Performers)
ISTP (Crafters)
ESTP (Promoters)

Idealists (NF)
INFP (Healers)
ENFP (Champions)
INFJ (Counselors)
ENFJ (Teachers)

Guardians (SJ)
ISTJ (Inspectors)
ISFJ (Protectors)
ESFJ (Providers)
ESTJ (Supervisors)

Rationals (NT)
INTP (Architects)
ENTP (Inventors)
INTJ (Masterminds)
ENTJ (Fieldmarshals)

allion · Mar 19, 2005

I'm INFP, and proud of it, although I do tend to have my head somewhere other than the present most of the time. My husband is ESTJ, which means he gets to be the logical, rational voice when I have my head in the clouds.

- Karen

KellyS. · Mar 19, 2005

Ack! According to the links above, I'm suited to be a tax attorney. I demand a retake. I guess I could do that, huh? lol

Never trusted these tests to give me what I want. lol

maestrowork · Mar 19, 2005

I fluctuate between INFP (Healer) and INTP (Architect). I'm skilled as an IT Architect but I write novels... interesting...

Moondancer · Mar 19, 2005

Depends on what mood I'm in when I take it. Sometimes, I'm a INTJ. Sometimes I'm a ISTP. Sometimes I'm an ESTJ.Other times it tells me I have multiple personalities.

Oh, wait! That's the MMPI that tells me that.

Seriously, I have yet to figure out why they continue to use those personality tests, the reliability and validity results are abysmal.

firehorse · Mar 19, 2005

maestrowork said:
I fluctuate between INFP (Healer) and INTP (Architect). I'm skilled as an IT Architect but I write novels... interesting...

All of the axes are continuums (is that redundant?), so if you've developed the various functions (and, in archetypal terms, their 'shadow' functions), you might get a different result.

Except, apparently, for Moondancer, who either has MPD or is the most-balanced person on the planet

.

NFs whose jobs require them to analyze a great deal can be mistaken for NTs. It's not as much about how well you think; it's about how you make decisions and perceive the world.

I haven't put this into practice with characters, but if you read the full descriptions (I haven't found them online yet, only in Keirsey's book), the conflicts are obvious. I get into fights with my best friend when I say, "I just know it; I feel it," and she'll say, "But where's the evidence?"

This is why I could never be a CSI.

reph · Mar 19, 2005

We had a thread about this on the old board. I score as an INTJ (1% of the population), but not strongly so except for the J component.

Moondancer · Mar 19, 2005

Now, if you are thinking to use it for character develop, I would not recommend it. One of the issues I have with the Myers-Brigg is the forced answers... that's why mine fluctuates with mood. Many of those questions can be considered situational and should be on a longer Lickert(sp?) scale. You'd be better off looking up the Jungian archtypes than using the Myers-Brigg. Give me a day or two and I'll see what I can dig up for you as far as archtypal descriptions ... it's been quite a few years. If I could remember the names of some of them...

maestrowork · Mar 19, 2005

Oh sometimes I am also an ENTP.... like, after a case of beer...

Maryn · Mar 19, 2005

A case? I'm still deeply envious of the 12% body fat...

Maryn, who drank a third of the bottle of wine at dinner and can't type worth a damn

reph · Mar 19, 2005

Moondancer said:
Many of those questions can be considered situational and should be on a longer Lickert(sp?) scale.

Likert.

There are other reasons to keep the salt shaker handy when you look at your Myers-Briggs profile. For instance, some questions are hard to interpret. I think the test has some value, but I wouldn't base any big life decisions on it.

tjwriter · Mar 19, 2005

According to Tickle, I am an INTP. I also found a Jung test on Human Metrics that said I am an ENFJ. I like the descriptions there better and more in-depth.

BlueTexas · Mar 19, 2005

I'm an ISTJ, same as the description for Kelly above. I pretty much agree with the general assesment.

I especially agree with this blurb about my 'type'. Interestingly, it says I would be a good Optometrist, and I work in the optical field

"Inspectors are not likely to take chances either with their own or others’ money, and the thought of a bankrupt nation, state, institution, or family gives them more than a little uneasiness. The idea of dishonoring a contract also bothers an Inspector —their word is their bond—and they naturally communicate a message of trustworthiness and stability, which can make them successful in business. With their eye for detail, Inspectors make good business men and women, librarians, dentists, optometrists, legal secretaries, and law researchers."

Dawno · Mar 19, 2005

I consistently test as ENTJ. Yep, bossy and hyper-organized.

For the Trek fans amongst us there's a fun version of Myers-Briggs here.

firehorse · Mar 19, 2005

MBTI for Windows

And for Windows geeks, there's this:

We are all familiar with Windows-NT. It is a little known fact that Windows versions exist that are based on the other three temperaments: Windows-SJ, Windows-NF and Windows-SP.

Windows NT: you have got to love, you have got to hate it. The concept is great. You can drag and drop files across the globe, you can exchange information easily between programs and you can do any number of tasks simultaneously. The concept is great, but the devil is in the details. Some tiny detail will halt the computer and eat your work. If you are lucky, you get an incomprehensible error message just before that. Typical error message: Error 023: Fatal exception $0023 at address $E023.9F3B.

No problems like that with good old, dependable Windows-SJ. This operating will not crash. Period. It is built to last the way it came out of the box. In theory it is possible to add new hardware, but the hardware has to comply with very strict standards. The tiniest deviation will confuse Windows-SJ. Typical error message: Error 001: This is not how we do things around here. End of explanation.

Windows-NT and Windows-SJ both give error messages that are not 'user-friendly'. None of that with Windows-NF. No other version is that user oriented. Its error messages display genuine concern for user. On the down side, you cannot get past the built-in content filter, and helpful suggestions for downloading astrology programs. Typical error messages: Error 176: I am sorry, but I can't find that file. I hope this does not inconvenience you too much. Error 299: I cannot work like this. You do not love me any more.

Finally, there is Windows-SP. I am sure there was a point to its development, but it did not work out. Windows-SP has a fatal flaw: it only works when it wants to. Typical error message: Error 001: What do I care? Do it yourself.

---------------------------------------------------------------
I love this, especially the NF: "I cannot work like this. You do not love me any more." :roll:

Sadly, it's so, so true...

-Sarah

firehorse · Mar 19, 2005

Maryn said:
I'm still deeply envious of the 12% body fat...

Who's 12% body fat? I'm envious, too! :Jaw:

(been waiting for an excuse to use that icon)

Inspired · Mar 19, 2005

I've taken this test a few times. This time I come up as an ISFJ. Parts of the description do describe me, but not completely. I don't fit into any of the completely, I guess.

I'm definitely different from when I took the test in early college!

Azure Skye · Mar 19, 2005

INFP baby! :hooray:

WVWriterGirl · Mar 19, 2005

INFP, too, and I consistently test this way. I've taken the test about four different times now, and always end up with INFP. The passage below was especially correct:

"Deeply committed to the positive and the good, yet taught to believe there is evil in them, Healers can come to develop a certain fascination with the problem of good and evil, sacred and profane. Healers are drawn toward purity, but can become engrossed with the profane, continuously on the lookout for the wickedness that lurks within them. Then, when Healers believe thay have yielded to an impure temptation, they may be given to acts of self-sacrifice in atonement. Others seldom detect this inner turmoil, however, for the struggle between good and evil is within the Healer, who does not feel compelled to make the issue public."

Yep, that's me, to a tee.

WVWG

jdkiggins · Mar 19, 2005

ISFJ, the really helpful, team playing motherly type protector. :roll:

Now, I'm going to a different thread and :Ssh:

Joanne

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