Figured Out My Personality Type?
Tagged as: Jan 23I think that personality types, a much discussed topic, are definitely interesting. However, I’ve never known what I am.
In regards to the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (and slightly the Keirsey Temperament Test), I never knew which of the 16 types I was.
As a sample, I could never even definitively decide whether I was an introvert or an extrovert. I think that the trouble comes because I have an opinion of myself since I am always with myself, but others might see a version of me that is different than the full picture. Suffice to say, since it’s hard for me to get by the very first step, I could never fully complete the puzzle of my personality.
But perhaps that has changed!
Now whether this is just applicable to me now or whether it’s categorically applicable to me, I do not know. All I know is that I felt like I was reading about myself while I examined the description.
In short, I believe that I am an:
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Careful now. Don’t want to define yourself too closely. You gotta surprise yourself from time to time.
True. I think that these things are not good for limiting oneself, but they are rather good at helping you to understand yourself. Also, they’re pretty good for letting other people understand you.
Yeah, I’m not sure I believe those personality test things. Because I can always choose totally opposite answers depending on the day or the situation or whatever. Just like when they had Brittney Spears on TV with her multiple personalities: the weepy girl, the diva, the incoherent girl…I think, “Don’t we all have those?!?!?”
Yeah I’m actually not a huge fan of personality tests because they tend to box one in with the results. And I think that every single person is different because of a myriad of influences. Still, I tend to think that there is something worthwhile to be found in finding out the base personality type of a person.
I think that it’s easy to mask the true self with answers that seem more socially acceptable or appropriate. It’s easy even to mask oneself with the person that you think that you want or need to be. I know that’s been true for me when I’ve taken those tests before. What do you think?
We are far to complex to be described four letter codes, but personality types are useful as a springboard on the journey of self awareness. They only box us if we let them box us. If we use them as a stimulus for thought about who we are and why we behave the way we do, they can be very valuable and liberating.
I appreciate your views as I’m sure that you have much more experience in the area than I do! In truth, I probably see personality tests in the same light. They’re good, up to a point. But I always have to remember their place. I think that I also have not really liked them in general because I feel that they don’t take into account so much. Perhaps I’m starting to see their worth. In any case, thanks for your comment!
wow… you’re the only INTP i know but that’s not suprising given that you are only 1% of the population. = O your personality type is compatible with cathy’s (ENFJ). can you find someone just like you but older and then hook him up with her?? =D
Well, I’m definitely not guaranteeing that I am an INTP. I just think that I am. Would you agree with that based on what you know about me?
I had no idea that it was such a small percentage. Even taking into account that there are 16 different possibilities and that the average percentage would be 100/16 = 6.25, it seems rather on the small side.
What’s your MBTI?
hmm… yea. you’re an INTP but with E and J tendencies. hehe. i can see how it was difficult for you to figure out your personality type because there are many different sides of you… you’re LOUD and outgoing but you also like to just sit and read. so i think INTP is your core personality type but you’re probably close to borderline for some of the letters. my sisters and i are all ISTJ’s but i’m sure you can tell that we’re pretty different. i think ISTJ’s are 10% of the population… perhaps we will rule the world. naw… we’re more like the people working behind the scenes for the people who will rule the world. haha.
Hm I’ll have to get back to you with more information once I actually take the test, hopefully sometime this week.
I totally would not have guessed that you and all of your sisters had the same MBTI! Although, in all honesty, I couldn’t say very well since I don’t know each of you well.
When did you take the test? Do you think that it’s still accurate?
I took the test like 2nd year in college, took it again, and then again last year maybe? I don’t remember but it pretty much stays the same except my degree of introvertedness changes a little b/c I’m close to borderline. It makes sense that it wouldn’t change much because personality is a relatively stable trait. I guess you can say that I do think it’s accurate but of course only to a certain extent since I am a complex individual. haha. =P Anyways, will this be your first time taking the test? I will bring the kiersey book on Friday so we can analyze your personality. haha.
Oh well that’s good that the results didn’t change too much for you! Were you always very interested in these types of things?
Hm I’m not sure if this will be my first time taking this test. I’ve definitely taken other tests before, though. In any case, I’m hoping to take the test one day this week. We can also analyze your personality!
I tested ESFJ back in 1995. There was also this “tendency” scale associated with each characteristic and I except for the “J” I only had slight tendency for Extroversion, Sensing and Feeling. The J was off the charts. Hahaha! I’m a risk-adverse highly organized planner type! I friend and therapist said that the Enneagram was better.
I took an online version of the test last year – HumanMetrics I think was the website. Anyway, I tested “I” this time around but then…I wasn’t going through the best of time at the time! But again, I just have a tendency for extroversion. I am fine with being alone and like my quiet times, too. I currently feel very E these days.
Oh that’s pretty amusing that you were off the charts for the “J” tendency.
I’d never heard or taken the test for the Enneagram for personality (but I just looked it up, and it definitely looks interesting).
Yeah I definitely think that this test can be subjective to current circumstances. Even more than that, I think that stages of life can affect it as well. Supposedly it is very easy to mask yourself. Haha at least according to that guy on The Mask it is. I jest, but I have heard that it’s easy to mask one’s personality. I would probably tend to believe that it is easy (and that I’ve done it before, too).
Do you enjoy learning more about yourself by taking these tests? Do you think that you’ve seen things change over time as you’ve taken different tests? Which test (if you took different types) did you think was the most revealing for you to take?
It’s fun to take the tests and what’s been interesting is that for the MBTI I really haven’t changed all that much. I may have changed outwardly (I’m more confident) but my core (being methodical, organized, and risk-adverse) hasn’t changed at all. I may be more comfortable with spontaneity but I’d rather have planning.
I recently listened to someone speak about interviewing techniques – from an interviewer’s side of things. The woman said that one great question to ask was, “How were you in high school?” or something like that. The idea was that our core personality doesn’t change much. In my case, this is certainly true. I may be more outgoing now but I worked hard in high school, got along well with others (I was shy but people liked me) and I took measured risks. Still do that to this day.
Hm yeah I’d tend to think that our core personality doesn’t change too much. However, I know that for me I’ve gone through quite a bit of change. I think that’s made it even harder for me to figure out who I am at my core.
I wonder if it’s true for everyone that they’re basically the same as they were in high school. I can see similarities for myself, but I don’t know if I see as much as you see in yourself. Maybe I need to look harder.
Well we did one at a workshop at school that seemed to explain something that had been confusing me for years. It was a color one – blue meant a person who most pays attention to feelings and relationships, green was a person who payed attention to logic and inquisitiveness, orange was sort of like fun loving and out there no rules, and gold was methodical, rule following type of thing. The confusing thing to me was that people *always* tell me I’m so easygoing and flexible. And I think of myself as sort of obsessive compulsive and inflexible – the opposite. So when you take these tests you get a score for each color. I got pretty much equal for the blue and green, then my next highest was orange and then gold was last. So the woman that led it said that the color that came in last was generally was their personality trait that they turn to in times of stress. That made total sense to me, because it’s when I’m stressed out that I turn to list making and triple checking everything – obsessive compulsive stuff.
I don’t mean I fell in love with the test or anything, but there were certain things about it that were interesting. I mean, I already knew a lot of what I “found out” about myself. But the neat idea was that of the four types of personalities, you end up with a little of everything but just in order of how *much* you have them. So it’s not like you’re in an either/or thing. She says that you pull up different parts of your personality when you need them. And sort of the point of the knowing it I think is recognizing that the colors where you scored the highest are going to be easiest for you to operate in, that you might have to work harder to operate in a personality trait that you scored less in but that you do it when you need to.
I’ve never heard of that particular color test, but it sounds pretty interesting. Initially when I was reading about it in your comment it reminded me of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Temperaments, but it doesn’t quite sound the same after all. That Four Temperament test is the one that I’ve had the most experience with.
I’d tend to agree that people can’t be completely enclosed within a particular type, but they rather have different parts of all possible types. Usually there is a particular tendency, though, and that is what these tests want to show.
Was this workshop for teachers or what?
Yes it was a teacher workshop. I guess by figuring out our own personality type and those of our students, we are supposed to be better able to adjust our interactions to the kids.
LoL. awesome. i’m glad you got a type slightly nailed down. you now join the very elite ranks of the rationals (NTs) of whom there are very few. in fact, i think there are only two other INTPs that i know of – tammy jow and dave yu.
in any case, you should try reading your dad’s “please understand me II” book, you might find keirsey’s theories and mini-essays interesting and probably a lot more extensive than what’s online. even the supplementary material on leadership, parenting, and mating is pretty enlightening.
but seriously, i love to hear when hard to pin down people such as yourself, find a type that suits you the most. (saves me the trouble of scrutinizing you constantly.)
Do you agree that this might be me?
The thing is, I don’t think that I can even take those tests very well. I actually got something different when I took the test. But when I read the description for my test result, it seems very unlike me. And the INTP does still seem like me. It’s still not exactly pinned down, though. I was hanging out with Cathy and Emily on Friday night in the lounge, and when Cathy read the INTP description, I was definitely thinking that was a fair description.
In any case, I will perhaps read some of the Keirsey’s book. We shall see. I’m still curious about what other people might think that I am, though.