Poll

What is your Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)?  (DON'T vote unless you know!)

ISTJ
67 (8.7%)
ISFJ
20 (2.6%)
INFJ
77 (10%)
INTJ
266 (34.7%)
ISTP
15 (2%)
ISFP
6 (0.8%)
INFP
46 (6%)
INTP
107 (14%)
ESTP
9 (1.2%)
ESFP
2 (0.3%)
ENFP
20 (2.6%)
ENTP
38 (5%)
ESTJ
19 (2.5%)
ESFJ
4 (0.5%)
ENFJ
13 (1.7%)
ENTJ
58 (7.6%)

Total Members Voted: 743

Author Topic: Myers-Briggs Type Indicator  (Read 43885 times)

FIRE 20/20

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Re: Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
« Reply #100 on: November 11, 2018, 12:46:26 PM »
My intent really is not to dump on anyone who finds Meyers-Briggs interesting, but for those who are interested in personality traits and want to learn what science has to say about them you may want to look at the Big 5 personality traits.  M-B has long been discredited because of a complete lack of supporting evidence, but the Big 5 are actually supported and the subject of ongoing research.  More here:
https://www.livescience.com/41313-personality-traits.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Five_personality_traits

Again - if you have fun thinking about M-B, have a blast.  But if you are interested in it then you might also enjoy learning about the Big 5. 

goalphish2002

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Re: Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
« Reply #101 on: November 13, 2018, 06:46:53 AM »
INTP for the win.

clifp

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Re: Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
« Reply #102 on: November 23, 2018, 04:22:45 AM »
My intent really is not to dump on anyone who finds Meyers-Briggs interesting, but for those who are interested in personality traits and want to learn what science has to say about them you may want to look at the Big 5 personality traits.  M-B has long been discredited because of a complete lack of supporting evidence, but the Big 5 are actually supported and the subject of ongoing research.  More here:
https://www.livescience.com/41313-personality-traits.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Five_personality_traits

Again - if you have fun thinking about M-B, have a blast.  But if you are interested in it then you might also enjoy learning about the Big 5.

The Big 5 looks interesting, but I didn't see much data to show that it is any more predictive than M-B for job performance,

Frankly, I don't really care how good M-B is at predicting job performance.  The reason my company used it was to help, the largely INxx group of engineers communicate with everybody else and vice versa.  But the whole point of FIRE is not to be working.  The Big 5 very well maybe better for this role.

Obviously, this survey suggests that all personality type can be part of FIRE movement.  It would be interesting to see the difference folks who have actually done it vs those are aspiring to become FIRE. The fact that INTJ and INTP are ~5% of the population and yet 50% of the FIRE movement too huge a discrepancy to be mere chance.  I am sure there is some ESFP who has retired earlier, I just have yet to meet the person. We have 3 people say they are ESFJ (.5%) vs 12% of the population again a massive difference.  It is entirely possible that only M-B is good at predicting at being able to retire early.. 

As a practical matter, I think it is moderately important. If somebody who is a ESFJ, is expressing doubts that will be happy in early retirement, I'm not going to encourage them, an INTJ, expresses doubts I will share stories about how I as INTJ really enjoyed not working.

Cassie

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Re: Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
« Reply #103 on: November 23, 2018, 12:35:29 PM »
I have used the MB professionally to help people communicate better in the workplace and in marriage. I have also used it as one tool among many for career counseling.

Goldielocks

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Re: Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
« Reply #104 on: November 24, 2018, 12:37:56 AM »

As a practical matter, I think it is moderately important. If somebody who is a ESFJ, is expressing doubts that will be happy in early retirement, I'm not going to encourage them, an INTJ, expresses doubts I will share stories about how I as INTJ really enjoyed not working.

Really? All you need to do with an ESFJ is remind them of all the volunteer work and event planning (fund raising perhaps?) that they can do in FIRE.

Roots&Wings

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Re: Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
« Reply #105 on: December 06, 2018, 06:24:57 AM »
My intent really is not to dump on anyone who finds Meyers-Briggs interesting, but for those who are interested in personality traits and want to learn what science has to say about them you may want to look at the Big 5 personality traits.  M-B has long been discredited because of a complete lack of supporting evidence, but the Big 5 are actually supported and the subject of ongoing research.  More here:
https://www.livescience.com/41313-personality-traits.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Five_personality_traits

Again - if you have fun thinking about M-B, have a blast.  But if you are interested in it then you might also enjoy learning about the Big 5.

Another one is Signature Strengths, which assess 24 universal character traits. One practical application being workplace satisfaction and ideally doing work that engages at least 4 of your top 7 "signature strengths". I found this interesting and helpful too (http://www.actionforhappiness.org/media/52486/340_ways_to_use_character_strengths.pdf)
« Last Edit: December 06, 2018, 06:53:28 AM by Roots&Wings »

Missy B

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Re: Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
« Reply #106 on: July 26, 2022, 02:17:30 PM »
I was watching  a SpaceX doc on Netflix and thought, "Elon Musk is *such* an INTJ. Googled it, found a debate on whether he's an INTP instead. (no one knows since Elon hasn't volunteered any info publicly)

Now, I guess he could be INTP. What was interesting to me though was the silliness of the arguments, including some INTP chick insisting that Musk must be INTP because he has a sense of humor and INTJ do not.

Going back to the survey and the disproportionate MMM presence of some of the rarest M-B types, I think its not so much to do with optimization focus, (though I think that's an important tool) but with ability to follow your own drummer, even when that means going against the greater cultural flow.

Certainly the having the fortitude and self-belief to tell everyone else that you've thought about it, and you think what they are doing is stupid and you aren't going along with it is not unique to INTJ, but it's probably the class where that trait is most strongly represented.

And this just made me laugh.

https://introvertdear.com/news/intj-personality-signs/#:~:text=The%20INTJ%20is%20logic%2Ddriven,an%20astonishing%20level%20of%20accuracy.

the_hobbitish

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Re: Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
« Reply #107 on: July 28, 2022, 07:37:05 AM »
To add to what @FIRE 20/20 mentioned here's a site where you can take a real BIG 5 test and choose whether to allow the results to be part of ongoing research. I found it to have a lot less fluff than Myers-Briggs. https://hexaco.org/hexaco-online

For a example from my own life... The Big 5 spelled out in a really clear way the primary problem between me and my ex. Myers-Briggs called me a T and him an F, which might be a great balance until you look at what the more rigorous results were in the Big 5. The Emotionality index showed that we were actually outliers on this scale in opposite directions. He had a really high emotion with really strong scores in the anxiety and dependence factors. For him, emotions = anxiety and his emotions should be dealt with and fixed by other people and it's distressing and causes anger and anxiety when they don't. I was really low on the same two factors so emotions aren't a problem and even with support in the end they're mine to accept and deal with. What I see as over involvement by other people in trying to make me feel things without my say so ie manipulation he saw as how everyone is supposed to act all the time. You're not going to get that level of insight from Myers-Briggs.


StarBright

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Re: Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
« Reply #108 on: July 28, 2022, 08:29:08 AM »
thanks for the big 5 link - I enjoyed it and am going to have my husband fill it out now.

Rusted Rose

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Re: Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
« Reply #109 on: July 28, 2022, 08:33:15 AM »
You're not going to get that level of insight from Myers-Briggs.

A few things: I might guess that those who carp about the relative scientific quality of these frameworks in favor of things other than M-B could be INTJs. ;)

I'm an INTP for the record.

But getting the same "level" of emotional insight that it seems the Big 5 gave isn't maybe what M-B is even for. Not all hammers are meant for all nails.

Even further into the question, though, having learned what I have about emotional abilities and how they can improve hugely with the right approach, I view the emotional characterizations given in your description not as fixed qualities ("I'm like this; he's like that") but as points in the trajectory of emotional awareness. His emotional awareness has been very low, and it's possible for people to level up from that, but they of course have to be aware that it's possible and to want to take steps toward that.

I'm not saying that you're not correct about the insight you felt the Big 5 gave, but it seems then to not be able to capture (or even recognize that there is) a delta of a person's development and so I could say it too is fairly limited in its usefulness. :)

I've heard that the Big 5s don't change over the course of a life. Really? Do we actually know that, or has this system been given a pass because it's "scientific?" (PS, I haven't looked into any current ways of deploying the Big 5 so it itself could have updated its attitude, and I could just be wrong about what I think I remember about it.)

Last, I note that sometimes I feel like people are ready to pile on M-B because it was developed by women, which seems to allow people to question it more. This may not even be a conscious thing, but the precedent of the tear-downs of its legitimacy over the years primes people's skepticism going forward. Also, psychology has had a real inferiority complex about how scientific it has to prove itself to be to be considered a real thing, which itself is umm, interesting.

Western culture has some issues surrounding epistemology and what's considered legit knowledge and wisdom, and not everything that can be observed about people is as quantifiable as in other subjects of study.

lifeisshort123

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Re: Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
« Reply #110 on: July 28, 2022, 07:03:12 PM »
Find it fascinating how much this group skews on the I side.  I guess that’s not surprising for people who hate going into the office LOL

Metalcat

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Re: Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
« Reply #111 on: July 29, 2022, 07:06:42 AM »
Find it fascinating how much this group skews on the I side.  I guess that’s not surprising for people who hate going into the office LOL

A lot of us assertive extroverts can't handle the office either.

ENFJ folks like me tend to be charismatic leaders, so everyone in an office gloms onto me to represent them and advocate for their needs, which can be a little exhausting.

the_hobbitish

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Re: Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
« Reply #112 on: July 29, 2022, 09:41:33 AM »
@Rusted Rose totally hear you on myers-briggs serving a different purpose. I enjoy it and find it interesting particularly as an easy shorthand in a work setting to facilitate discussions on work styles and communication preferences. I do still think its a more blunt tool for things like personal or relationship development (which isn't it's purpose anyway). I think the Big 5 is better for that. My understanding is that the big 5 does have a more scientific basis according to psychologists, but I am not a member of that field so am not the right person to defend relative merit, which wasn't really my point anyway.

I felt my personal story was a good example of some of the more in depth things that the big 5 can provide a framework to talk about. I personally like the Big 5 more for a many reasons. In case it isn't obvious, my ex isn't my ex based solely on the test or any stance the test takes on whether people can change, but based on the results of months of individual and couples therapy. However, doing the big 5 did identify areas for discussion that I think myers-briggs generally will not. Of course everyone's mileage will vary.

Editing to add - long story short I wasn't intending to take a hard stance on myers-briggs and perhaps offered too personal a story for the lighthearted "what's my type" discussion. oops.
« Last Edit: July 29, 2022, 09:46:03 AM by the_hobbitish »

rothwem

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Re: Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
« Reply #113 on: July 29, 2022, 12:09:05 PM »
Hmm.  ENFP here, I guess that explains my discontent with my engineering career.  Maybe I should've been a comm major

partgypsy

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Re: Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
« Reply #114 on: July 29, 2022, 01:13:40 PM »
So, been tested 3 times (one at work, 2 online tests) each time scored intj. People at the lab I worked at were not surprised by my result. But, I feel, more intuitive, creative, feeling than that would indicate.if you met me as a child I would be seen as yes a bookworm but also spacey, artistic, But- graduate school and work I do rewards logic, efficiency, a bit of cold bloodedness? So, I'm fine with the way I am. I also will be fine, or more than fine (my desired state) in retirement baking bread, being barefoot, doing art, seeing friends. If I can ever get to that point. I don't know which came first, the chicken or the egg? re: working in academia. Still I think there can be a feedback loop with job professions or life experiences emphasizing or deemphasizing tendencies.
« Last Edit: July 29, 2022, 01:18:54 PM by partgypsy »

2Birds1Stone

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Re: Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
« Reply #115 on: July 29, 2022, 02:02:37 PM »
@Malcat, can your type change over time?

I tested as an ENTJ over the span of at least 5-6 years (tested maybe 3-4) from 2012-2018 and haven't taken a test since.

I've taken 3 different tests over the past month and get ESTP-a every time now.

Not sure if this is actual change in thinking due to experience, age, etc.....or maybe just answering the questions more honestly now?

Cassie

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Re: Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
« Reply #116 on: July 29, 2022, 10:32:02 PM »
Yes both are possible. I have used the MB as one of many psychometric tests during vocational evaluations since 1992. Sometimes people change over time for example I used to be a very strong J and now even though still a J I tend to be more towards the middle. The test is most accurate when you read the question and go with your first response versus agonizing over your answer. It normally should take about 20 minutes to complete the assessment.

Metalcat

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Re: Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
« Reply #117 on: July 30, 2022, 05:36:42 AM »

@Malcat, can your type change over time?

I tested as an ENTJ over the span of at least 5-6 years (tested maybe 3-4) from 2012-2018 and haven't taken a test since.

I've taken 3 different tests over the past month and get ESTP-a every time now.

Not sure if this is actual change in thinking due to experience, age, etc.....or maybe just answering the questions more honestly now?

*Shrug* no clue. Probably. Likely.

I've changed a lot in my life in terms of values and priorities, but the core social presence I have has never changed. I've always been extremely outgoing, assertive, emotionally generous, and someone who has always been pushed by those around me into leadership roles whether I want them or not.

I've been in the town I'm in for just a few months and I'm already being pushed to become the next mayor. People say it like it's a given. I have expressed exactly zero interest in becoming mayor. The current Council are just stating it to people as if it's fact.

So there's obviously something pretty fundamental in the way I interact with the world that makes people, very quickly, feel safe with me representing their needs. I doubt that will ever change, it's been like that since I was a kid.
« Last Edit: July 30, 2022, 05:42:17 AM by Malcat »

partgypsy

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Re: Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
« Reply #118 on: July 30, 2022, 02:56:22 PM »

@Malcat, can your type change over time?

I tested as an ENTJ over the span of at least 5-6 years (tested maybe 3-4) from 2012-2018 and haven't taken a test since.

I've taken 3 different tests over the past month and get ESTP-a every time now.

Not sure if this is actual change in thinking due to experience, age, etc.....or maybe just answering the questions more honestly now?

*Shrug* no clue. Probably. Likely.

I've changed a lot in my life in terms of values and priorities, but the core social presence I have has never changed. I've always been extremely outgoing, assertive, emotionally generous, and someone who has always been pushed by those around me into leadership roles whether I want them or not.

I've been in the town I'm in for just a few months and I'm already being pushed to become the next mayor. People say it like it's a given. I have expressed exactly zero interest in becoming mayor. The current Council are just stating it to people as if it's fact.

So there's obviously something pretty fundamental in the way I interact with the world that makes people, very quickly, feel safe with me representing their needs. I doubt that will ever change, it's been like that since I was a kid.
wow I would take that as a high compliment. I am the opposite of outgoing. But for unclear reasons I have often be voted for small l leadership roles. In elementary school the kid who hung out in the office and delivered messages to teacher. In HS to be a peer counselor. In college to be a teaching assistant, etc at work various groups, in general the person chosen to demonstrate things.  I'm guessing bc I can get along with a range of people, but not sure?

RetiredAt63

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Re: Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
« Reply #119 on: July 31, 2022, 03:34:16 PM »
I guess people see INTJ's as responsible?  because I shudder remembering the number of executives I have been on, various roles including President.  Department chair at work for years, chair of other committees for years.  And always pushed into it.  That darn sense of responsibility.  Being a first-born may have contributed too.

Partgypsy, I think we INTJs do have an artistic side, but it isn't as obvious to others so they pay more attention to our other attributes.  Retirement has been great for that part of my life.  And how much of our artistic side comes out in more practical ways - i.e. gardening versus painting?

StarBright

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Re: Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
« Reply #120 on: August 01, 2022, 07:12:46 AM »
I thought one of the things with Meyers Briggs is that you should change a bit over time as you mature and work on your "weak" areas (at that was how it was explained to me in the high school psych class where I first took it).

I was a strong INFP as a kid and a fairly balanced INFJ when I did the assessment for work a few years ago.

But I expect it has more to do with circumstances and context than anything. As a kid I was around people ALL OF THE TIME so I probably scored higher on introversion because I craved alone time. As an adult, I am alone most of the time, and I miss human interaction so I don't score as introverted anymore.

J.R. Ewing

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Re: Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
« Reply #121 on: August 01, 2022, 07:31:40 AM »
I'm pretty firmly on the introverted spectrum, but after Covid lockdown, and working from home, I retook it and was revealed to be a raging extrovert.  Hmm.

I think it would be interesting to see a breakdown between the last letter Js and Ps when it comes to the assumptions of Fire.  Are the Js more like to have a steadfast, rock-solid belief in the 4% rule and the long-term ~8% real return in the SP 500.  Are the Ps more likely to be constantly reevaluating those assumptions for macro changes in the economy?  Food for thought.

Metalcat

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Re: Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
« Reply #122 on: August 01, 2022, 07:34:55 AM »
I thought one of the things with Meyers Briggs is that you should change a bit over time as you mature and work on your "weak" areas (at that was how it was explained to me in the high school psych class where I first took it).

I was a strong INFP as a kid and a fairly balanced INFJ when I did the assessment for work a few years ago.

But I expect it has more to do with circumstances and context than anything. As a kid I was around people ALL OF THE TIME so I probably scored higher on introversion because I craved alone time. As an adult, I am alone most of the time, and I miss human interaction so I don't score as introverted anymore.

That kind of assumes that some personalities are superior to others though, doesn't it? Personality traits aren't weaknesses. Some will change with growth but some will just depend and change in the way they're manifested.

Also, a lot of people change over time for the better or for the worse. But I'm not sure this would track directly with a personality type change. It might for some people, but not for others.

For example, insecure extroverts can be extremely socially awkward. If that person becomes more secure in themselves, they may stay just as extroverted, but more socially successful. Or perhaps they become more introverted because what was driving their extroversion was a desperate need for attention and approval.

If anything, for me I've just gotten to be a more intense version of my type as I've aged.

DH is the same personality type, but he's a much, much milder version, and we incidentally have very different weaknesses.
« Last Edit: August 01, 2022, 07:36:35 AM by Malcat »

StarBright

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Re: Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
« Reply #123 on: August 01, 2022, 08:16:23 AM »
I thought one of the things with Meyers Briggs is that you should change a bit over time as you mature and work on your "weak" areas (at that was how it was explained to me in the high school psych class where I first took it).

I was a strong INFP as a kid and a fairly balanced INFJ when I did the assessment for work a few years ago.

But I expect it has more to do with circumstances and context than anything. As a kid I was around people ALL OF THE TIME so I probably scored higher on introversion because I craved alone time. As an adult, I am alone most of the time, and I miss human interaction so I don't score as introverted anymore.

That kind of assumes that some personalities are superior to others though, doesn't it? Personality traits aren't weaknesses. Some will change with growth but some will just depend and change in the way they're manifested.

Also, a lot of people change over time for the better or for the worse. But I'm not sure this would track directly with a personality type change. It might for some people, but not for others.

For example, insecure extroverts can be extremely socially awkward. If that person becomes more secure in themselves, they may stay just as extroverted, but more socially successful. Or perhaps they become more introverted because what was driving their extroversion was a desperate need for attention and approval.

If anything, for me I've just gotten to be a more intense version of my type as I've aged.

DH is the same personality type, but he's a much, much milder version, and we incidentally have very different weaknesses.

For sure, and also why I put "weak" in quotation marks. Like so many things, it has been hi-jacked by corporate labor theory crap anyways. When I've taken it in educational or professional settings there has been a strong bias towards "moderation in all things is better" which I don't think that was part of the original intent of the test.

I remember reading that Briggs was big on the idea of using Jungian archetypes to achieve your best self. And then her daughter basically packaged and sold it to the US government as a tool to best-fit people into the war effort in WWII.

I like the original intention and balk at the idea that you can slot people into perfect roles based on a test.

Cassie

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Re: Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
« Reply #124 on: August 01, 2022, 04:05:53 PM »
It is helpful in marriage counseling to get people to understand how their partner can look at the same situation and see things differently. If you have different weaknesses then your partner then you can each do tasks that you are stronger in. The GATB was developed to quickly put soldiers into the right jobs for their aptitudes during WW2. It takes 2 hours to administer and the military doesn’t care about interests.

The MBTI has lists of jobs that correspond to personality types but that doesn’t mean a person has the aptitude to be successful.  One of my master’s degrees is specifically in psychometric testing, career counseling, etc to help people with and without disabilities find jobs that they will both like and be successful at.  Unfortunately all the graduate programs in this specialized field have been eliminated.

E.T.

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Re: Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
« Reply #125 on: August 02, 2022, 05:56:33 AM »
My spouse and I have tested at work and at home and we're both strong INTJs. We are very intimidating to other people sometimes but we get each other perfectly. We each have our own foibles but it's kind of funny how much our personalities sync up. I think my personality definitely lends itself to the kind of long range planning and comfort with breaking social norms that go along with planning for FIRE.

These tests are silly and fun but they can also help people have a framework for understanding someone different from them sometimes. I showed a different family member the description for INTJ and it was like a little light bulb went off for her on how she sees some things about me.  She got a little better at reading me afterwards since she realized I display feelings differently than she does. Being an INTJ female definitely adds to my feelings of being a bit of an alien weirdo out in the world.

Arbitrage

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Re: Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
« Reply #126 on: August 02, 2022, 11:41:30 AM »
Interesting for me is that I would probably classify my son as a likely INTJ, like myself, but my daughter as an ESFP.  Strange to mix up the genetic soup a couple of times and get such strikingly different results.  Wife is an ISTJ or ISFJ. 

Metalcat

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Re: Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
« Reply #127 on: August 02, 2022, 12:02:52 PM »
Interesting for me is that I would probably classify my son as a likely INTJ, like myself, but my daughter as an ESFP.  Strange to mix up the genetic soup a couple of times and get such strikingly different results.  Wife is an ISTJ or ISFJ.

I have 5 siblings and all of them are introverts, but there are a lot of parents in that genetic soup. I'm the only one with my particular set of parents and they are both *jazz hands* EXTROVERTS *flourish bow*!

partgypsy

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Re: Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
« Reply #128 on: August 03, 2022, 11:37:36 AM »
Interesting for me is that I would probably classify my son as a likely INTJ, like myself, but my daughter as an ESFP.  Strange to mix up the genetic soup a couple of times and get such strikingly different results.  Wife is an ISTJ or ISFJ.
. Lol I have 2 kids. My oldest is a clone of me (if anything even more on the end of intjness than me. I joke her perfect job would be "mad scientist".   And my youngest, well she is a "carer" she cares about people, all living things, very intuitive and artistic. my ex I dk what he would score at but the opposite of me. Extreme extrovert, social, etc.

getsorted

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Re: Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
« Reply #129 on: August 03, 2022, 12:11:04 PM »
I thought one of the things with Meyers Briggs is that you should change a bit over time as you mature and work on your "weak" areas (at that was how it was explained to me in the high school psych class where I first took it).


I learned this as well, when I first took the test as a 7th grader. (I'm an INTP, not that anyone cares!). I believe the line was, "The challenge of life is to grow across type." I think it's helpful if you think of it as identifying strengths, and identifying areas that could potentially be developed (if you feel it would be helpful to develop them).

I used to really identify with my MTBI type, but as I've gotten older, I've felt less and less attached to it. I have social needs and alone-time needs. I have thoughts and emotions and I don't really see them as two separate things (feelings are just thoughts from another part of the brain, really). I have always struggled with decision-making and welcomed having lots of options, but I've worked to develop my decision-making capacity and it's improved my life a lot. I think identifying so strongly with my type discouraged me from recognizing some strengths and capabilities in myself-- for example, the ability to empathize and establish trust with other people.

I worked with another personality metric that identified priorities & impasses-- what you move toward and where you tend to get stuck. I found that more enlightening (and surprising!).

Laura33

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Re: Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
« Reply #130 on: August 05, 2022, 09:55:45 AM »
@Malcat, can your type change over time?

I was INFP in HS.  After law school, I tested as INTP.  But my T/F bit was always closer to the middle than anything else.

I also get different results if I take it in "work" mode (strong T, more J, closer to E) or "home" mode. 

I think changes in various factors say more about the complexity of the human psyche.  Almost everyone is going to be some mix; even the strongest introvert is unlikely to be 10 out of 10 on the I scale.  And those different aspects of our personalities come out in different situations where they're needed -- my first job working at the deli/pizza parlor, I quickly learned how to put on a "work face" that was friendly, cheerful, and even slightly flirtatious.  SO not what I think of as "me" -- but it came from somewhere.

OTOH, I have always been an off-the-charts N, and that has stayed consistent or even grown stronger as I age.*  Go figure.  Maybe it's my job; I lucked into a position where my big-picture view is a real asset, so I come up with the arguments and have associates to figure out the details for me.  Or maybe it's just that I have a gap in the "S" ability and so don't have the capacity to pull out that skillset as much as I do in other areas, and as I've matured I've just accepted that this is who I am and stopped trying. 

*When my work did MBTI, we were asked to describe a packet of Sweet'n'Low.  All the S-es provided highly detailed descriptions of the color, shape, size, writing, contents, etc.  I vaulted into a story about my Granny's sweet tea.  I don't care what it is, I care what it means.

Metalcat

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Re: Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
« Reply #131 on: August 05, 2022, 10:16:41 AM »
@Malcat, can your type change over time?

I was INFP in HS.  After law school, I tested as INTP.  But my T/F bit was always closer to the middle than anything else.

I also get different results if I take it in "work" mode (strong T, more J, closer to E) or "home" mode. 

I think changes in various factors say more about the complexity of the human psyche.  Almost everyone is going to be some mix; even the strongest introvert is unlikely to be 10 out of 10 on the I scale.  And those different aspects of our personalities come out in different situations where they're needed -- my first job working at the deli/pizza parlor, I quickly learned how to put on a "work face" that was friendly, cheerful, and even slightly flirtatious.  SO not what I think of as "me" -- but it came from somewhere.

OTOH, I have always been an off-the-charts N, and that has stayed consistent or even grown stronger as I age.*  Go figure.  Maybe it's my job; I lucked into a position where my big-picture view is a real asset, so I come up with the arguments and have associates to figure out the details for me.  Or maybe it's just that I have a gap in the "S" ability and so don't have the capacity to pull out that skillset as much as I do in other areas, and as I've matured I've just accepted that this is who I am and stopped trying. 

*When my work did MBTI, we were asked to describe a packet of Sweet'n'Low.  All the S-es provided highly detailed descriptions of the color, shape, size, writing, contents, etc.  I vaulted into a story about my Granny's sweet tea.  I don't care what it is, I care what it means.

Lol, I used to have a work mode and a personal life mode until eventually it became clear that in my particular role, being *more* myself was actually making me more professionally successful, which you wouldn't expect since that meant swearing A LOT around patients. *Looks deep into the tear-filled eyes of a patient and says "life can be a fucking asshole sometimes, can't it?"*

So my work self is just my personal life self turned up to 11.

FIRE 20/20

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Re: Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
« Reply #132 on: August 06, 2022, 02:38:28 PM »
I think it would be interesting to see a breakdown between the last letter Js and Ps when it comes to the assumptions of Fire.  Are the Js more like to have a steadfast, rock-solid belief in the 4% rule and the long-term ~8% real return in the SP 500.  Are the Ps more likely to be constantly reevaluating those assumptions for macro changes in the economy?  Food for thought.

I did a quick "analysis" in Excel.  I put "analysis" in quotes because I just grabbed some numbers from teh interwebs and assumed they were true.  I'm going to try to post the numbers, but what I was curious about was representation relative to population.  I pulled population data from here: https://imgur.com/XkwdYMy , and the names and descriptions for each type here:  https://www.verywellmind.com/the-myers-briggs-type-indicator-2795583.

INTJ is the most heavily over-represented with about 35% of respondents here and a 2.1% prevalence in the population for a ratio of 16.75:1.  So INTJs are about 17x more likely to FIRE (or at least to respond to this thread) than by random chance.  Other overrepresented types are:
INFJ - 6.7
ENTJ - 4.3
INTP - 4.2
ENTP - 1.56
INFP - 1.3

Underrepresented are:
ESFP - 0.03
ESFJ - 0.03
ISFP - 0.09

As for the groups,
IN - 5.72
EN - 1.07
IS - 0.36
ES - 0.13

NT - 5.93 ("Rationals")
NF - 1.20 ("Idealists")
SJ - 0.31 ("Guardians")
SP - 0.15 ("Artisans")

To your question about "S" vs. "J", it was a lot closer.  S-types are moderately overrepresented at 1.27, while J-types are moderately underrepresented at 0.67.

« Last Edit: August 06, 2022, 02:40:00 PM by FIRE 20/20 »

lifeisshort123

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Re: Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
« Reply #133 on: August 07, 2022, 10:49:03 AM »
Loved the Big 5.  Is there a test you can do that gives a full report without a fee?

KarefulKactus15

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Re: Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
« Reply #134 on: August 19, 2022, 07:56:11 AM »
PantsOnFire - What really crazy is I almost made this same post!  Curious to see if other people are awesome ENTJ's like myself :D And edited to reflect my result if official (officially awesome) my company paid for the test.

Female INTJ and then ENTJ are super rare.  XSFx seems more common for women. 

Just like this forum leans super INTJ, if you go to an entrepreneur forum, they lean disproportionately ENTJ.

So people do tend to cluster by interest within a personality groups.    Some of the types don't even have an internet presence, so that also skews it.

Vashy

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Re: Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
« Reply #135 on: August 21, 2022, 06:27:55 AM »
I'm an INFP, but when tested in a work context, I come out as an INFJ (I'm midline P/J, so I can kind of access the J-ness when needed).

Metalcat

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Re: Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
« Reply #136 on: August 21, 2022, 06:54:14 AM »
PantsOnFire - What really crazy is I almost made this same post!  Curious to see if other people are awesome ENTJ's like myself :D And edited to reflect my result if official (officially awesome) my company paid for the test.

Female INTJ and then ENTJ are super rare.  XSFx seems more common for women. 

Just like this forum leans super INTJ, if you go to an entrepreneur forum, they lean disproportionately ENTJ.

So people do tend to cluster by interest within a personality groups.    Some of the types don't even have an internet presence, so that also skews it.

Despite what I said earlier about my personality testing consistently over the years, it's not quite accurate that I always test ENFJ, I actually always test ENFJ/ENTJ because I've always been borderline on the F/T scale.

Interestingly, the F comes out more at work than in my personal life. I'm far more feeling and sensitive towards people who work for me than those in my personal life.

Money Saver 1

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Re: Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
« Reply #137 on: August 29, 2022, 02:21:09 AM »
I took five personality tests and these are the results

ENTJ
ESFP
ESTJ-A
ESTJ
ISTJ

Each test was obviously created by different personality types and the way the questions are asked will definitely influence the way you answer them.  I saw very little in common between the tests other than the structure of them so I question their validity.
« Last Edit: August 29, 2022, 02:32:09 AM by Money Saver 1 »

mtnrider

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Re: Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
« Reply #138 on: November 27, 2022, 09:32:31 AM »
I just read Help Your Boss Help You (pretty good, especially for beginners, 4/5 stars).  I was surprised to find a whole chapter on Myers Briggs and the related Keirsey model.

The author looks at them sort of the same way that I do.  It makes for an useful model, it might not always be accurate, but a model is usually better than no model.  And it's a way to empathize about how others (in this case, your bosses) feel.

Goldielocks

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Re: Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
« Reply #139 on: November 30, 2022, 10:05:00 PM »
I took five personality tests and these are the results

ENTJ
ESFP
ESTJ-A
ESTJ
ISTJ

Each test was obviously created by different personality types and the way the questions are asked will definitely influence the way you answer them.  I saw very little in common between the tests other than the structure of them so I question their validity.

LOL, you absolutely should question the validity of random questions off the internet!

I believe the only tested / rested valid one is "form M" . https://shop.psychometrics.com/collections/myers-briggs-type-indicator-step-i
You can get access to one of these through a certified provider for closer to $25. 

The other online  "tests" are just random guesses at questions, which are very hard to write.

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!