MBTI Assessment

[replicant_008]

Explaining the 8 types (Part 1):

Extrovert vs Introvert

This is the way that people 'prefer' to interact with the world and the way they prefer to receive stimulation and energy.

If you were Extrovert, you probably would:

- Know a lot of people and count many of them as 'close friends' and you tend to include as many people as you can eg you'd invite a lot of people to a birthday party
- Don't mind reading, working or having a conversation while something else is happening (including radio, tv or another conversation) - you may be oblivious to the 'distraction'
- Are approachable and easy to start a conversation with by friends, co-workers and strangers, but may dominate the conversation
- Find phone calls a welcome intrusion, you don't hesitate to pick up the phone
- Prefer making new ideas in a group - you tend to feel drained if you have to reflect without someone or others to use as a sounding board
- Find listening harder than speaking - you prefer to be in the spot light often get bored if you can't participate in a conversation
- You'll also need positive confirmation from your boss, co-workers and folk who work for you - you may think you are doing a great job but until someone else says so you don't really believe it.

Extrovert adjectives:
Socialible, External, Gregarious, Interaction, Extensive, Speak then think

If you were an Introvert, you probably:

- Enjoy peace and quiet, time to yourself and dislike having your private time invaded. You find it difficult to work with interruptions and tend to develop great concentration to shut out conversations, radio etc which are "distractions"
- Are perceived as a great listener but tend to get dominated and run over by others
- Have been described as 'shy' - maybe you were told by your parents to 'go outside and play with friends' when you were a child
- Sometimes wish you get your thoughts across more forcefully. Before saying things you tend to rehearse them in your mind. When asked a question you may respond - 'Let me think about that'
- Tend to invite only a few to 'special occasions' possibly with one or very others
- Get suspicious of folk who are too complimentary, and get irritated by people who keep repeating things that have already been said.

Introvert Adjectives:
Reflective, concentration, territory, depth, internal, Think then speak

Things to think about:
- The stimuli for each is quite different
- In the US, Extroverts outnumber introverts by 3 to 1
- Extroverts need and need to give praise
- Introverts tend to find Extroverts intrusive and interrupting
- Extroverts find Introverts reserved and reflective and sometimes even cold

[replicant_008]

Explaining the 8 types (part 2)

Sensor vs iNtuitive

This refers to the way you gather dara and explain it.
Here's a quick example...

Q. How do I get to the park?

A (Sensor) Go 200 yards north. You will be T Intersection of Elm (the main road) and Yew (the sidestreet). Turn to your right, the easterly direction. Walk another 150m, you will see the Post Office on the left hand side of the road, then the Fire Station. Go past these. You will near the park when you see the library. The wrought iron fence is the boundary of the park. The entrance gate is 50 metres on from where the fence starts on the right hand side of the road.

A (iNtuitive) Go up this street, turn right when the road stops. About the same distance to the right is the park. You can't miss it.

A Sensor would probably:
- Think that fantasy is a dirty word and wonder how people can waste so much time daydreaming with their imagination
- Prefer to concentrate on the task at hand, don't consider what's next. They generally prefer to do something rather than think about it.
- Tend to read magazines and reports chronologically and can't understand why some folk read them piecemeal
- Get frustrated with 'vague' responses to questions (see example)
- Prefer a specific answer to a specific question ie ask a Sensor the time and they may reply 'three thirty-two.' If you were giving an answer to a Sensor they would be annoyed with an answer like 'beer o'clock' or 'a bit after two'

Sensor Adjectives:
Down-to-Earth, Specific, Detail-Oriented, Fact, Organise, Actual, Present


A iNtuitive would probably:
- Find the future and what if more interesting than worrying. More excited with the destination than the current time and place
- Interested in interrelationships, cause and effect ie What does it mean?
- Tend to think of several things at once
- Hate to deal with details
- Like looking at things to understand how they work - often for interest's sake only
- Like riddles, punds and word games (I imagine Ci5ic is an iNtuitive)
- Tend to give a general answer rather than a specific one - get irritated when so many people want such unimportant details

iNtuitive Adjectives:
Ingenuity, General, conceptual/theoretical, Inspiration, Head in Clouds, Future

Things to think about:
- An iNtuitive will constantly be thinking about things - easily distracted by other ideas but will have 'the big picture' in mind.
- iNtuitives like randomness, spontaneity etc - they will be the folk you know who like to change things, review why we are doing things, explore the boundaries, stretch the rules etc
- About a third of folk in the US are iNtuitives
- Sensors tend to prefer specifics. St Thomas the Apostle was probably a sensor ie he wanted to use his own senses to confirm the resurrection see the Man for himself, feel the wound etc
- Sensors prefer to focus on facts and details and less need to interpret what they mean

[DVSNCYNIKL]

Well, thanks for the explanation.

There are certain thing though about the introvert that aren't quite true in my case though. I do love my private time and hate being interrupted, but I know tons of people. Anywhere I go I bump into somone. I guess that is why I tend to go to further places to avoid bumping into them. But all in all, a lot of the stuff mentioned is kinda me.

[replicant_008]

Good point DVS.

The MBTI are used to indicate preference ie what we prefer to do. The analogy to consider is whether you are right handed. If so, it doesn't mean you don't use your left hand at all. You might prefer to use your right hand to write, play tennis etc - but it doesn't mean you don't use your left hand. In fact if you use your left hand a lot (ie you're close to being ambidextrous), the preference to your right hand may be weak but it still a preference....

Depending on the level of preference you may exhibit some of the traits, a great deal of them or just a few. But it does indicate a preference - it doesn't mean you don't have the trait of the 'opposite' but it indicates which one of the poles that you are most comfortable with.

I'll get onto explaining the last two types soon:

i) Thinkers vs Feelers (How you prefer to make decisions)
ii) Judgers vs Perceivers (How you prefer to orient your life)

[Oz]

Any more guesses as to the bitch personality?

[speediva]

Originally posted by ozriceboy
Any more guesses as to the bitch personality?

DVS :angel:

[boingo82]

It's prolly me.

[Oz]

Unfortunately, Boingo my friend, yes. But don't despair. The only reason this comes about is a trait with your particular types and preferences to not be able to see things from another person's point of view COMBINED with the introverted trait of keeping thoughts and trains of thought to yourself until you come to a conclusion. None of this actually means you are a bitch, but simply many really bitchy women have that personality.

[boingo82]

Originally posted by ozriceboy
Unfortunately, Boingo my friend, yes. But don't despair. The only reason this comes about is a trait with your particular types and preferences to not be able to see things from another person's point of view COMBINED with the introverted trait of keeping thoughts and trains of thought to yourself until you come to a conclusion. None of this actually means you are a bitch, but simply many really bitchy women have that personality.

I went through high school not socializing AT ALL with anybody until my senior year - I then found out that everyone thought I was stuck up because I didn't talk to them. The reality was that I was scared to death of people and if anything thought I wasn't good enough for them. Since then I have become much more social, but indeed I do often come across as a bitch. My co-workers thought I was mean at first until they figured out that I'm very sarcastic. Then they thought I was pretty funny. I get along with people well enough once they know me enough to understand me and understand that I'm not being deliberately snappy at them. It's also a problem that I won't really be social with someone but I will be bossy with them. And yes I do have a problem seeing others' points of view. But the scary part is that I'm much, much more balanced now than I was 5 years ago.

And according to that personality test, only3% of the population fit my profile, so don't worry, there aren't too many more bitches out there.

[replicant_008]

Well actually...

Part of the social conditioning thing we are programmed with by media, customs etc makes some of the traits that we find admirable in a guy, unpalatable for a woman (this is wrong but this is something that we seem to keep making the same mistakes on)...

For instance...

An male ENTP will have their enthusiasm and intellectuallism valued in the organisation. Vision and the predisposition to argue are seen as male roles...

But a female ENTP fall outside some typical stereotypes - their argumentativeness will be seen as bitchy, the intellectualism as arrogance, impatience etc are seen as less than positive traits.

It's terrible but something that we should be aware of when considering the way we are perceived. Doing an MBTI enables us to be a bit more self-aware and to have a think about how the different styles interact...

Besides I'm an utter bastard sometimes too...

[Oz]

Two very well written and insightful posts.

Boingo - That is a deep insight into your history. It is interesting that, in accordance with your preferences, you agree that traits perceived as 'bitchy' are a natural tendency. The whole High School/Social thing worries me - you're obviously much more introverted than I thought. Just my personal curiosity - do you find it much easier to have conversations in this (forum) form than face to face? Do you say things on forums you wouldn't say in real life. That trait of being VERy introverted has probably saved your ass MANY times over by not saying what you want to say or are thinking.

Replicant - I know exactly what you are talking about. Your example could be reversed with the ENFP personality. It is great in a female as they are perceived as caring, understanding, compassionate and reliable. Whereas in a man, the traits of that personality are seen as soft, indecisive, disorganised etc. I welcome your thoughts on any more 'favouring' personality types. I really want Taranaki to respond to this thread.

[DVSNCYNIKL]

Originally posted by replicant_008
Good point DVS.

The MBTI are used to indicate preference ie what we prefer to do. The analogy to consider is whether you are right handed. If so, it doesn't mean you don't use your left hand at all. You might prefer to use your right hand to write, play tennis etc - but it doesn't mean you don't use your left hand. In fact if you use your left hand a lot (ie you're close to being ambidextrous), the preference to your right hand may be weak but it still a preference....

Depending on the level of preference you may exhibit some of the traits, a great deal of them or just a few. But it does indicate a preference - it doesn't mean you don't have the trait of the 'opposite' but it indicates which one of the poles that you are most comfortable with.

I'll get onto explaining the last two types soon:

i) Thinkers vs Feelers (How you prefer to make decisions)
ii) Judgers vs Perceivers (How you prefer to orient your life)

Thanks for the further detailed explanation. I guess I do fit the profile then as it generalizes my tendencies.




Tangie: I have something for u little one.

[speediva]

Originally posted by DVSNCYNIKL

Tangie: I have something for u little one.

You love me. :angel:

[boingo82]

Originally posted by ozriceboy
Two very well written and insightful posts.

Boingo - That is a deep insight into your history. It is interesting that, in accordance with your preferences, you agree that traits perceived as 'bitchy' are a natural tendency. The whole High School/Social thing worries me - you're obviously much more introverted than I thought. Just my personal curiosity - do you find it much easier to have conversations in this (forum) form than face to face? Do you say things on forums you wouldn't say in real life. That trait of being VERy introverted has probably saved your ass MANY times over by not saying what you want to say or are thinking.

I have changed drastically since high school. I am now very comfortable in what I consider a 'social' situation, such as shopping or at work. I will now go through a drive-through fast food place without anxiety. I am no longer particularly afraid of socializing, but I think the reason I refrain from very social situations, such as concerts, parties, etc., is that I need alone time every day. The noise and the people are exhausting. I fulfill my personal quota of people time when I'm places where socializing is secondary to the task at hand. I'm thinking this is because it is easy to escape from the socialness if necessary. The primary activity is an easily accessible excuse if I no longer want to be in the conversation. I think this is also why I'm comfortable on the forums. Any topic or conversation is easy to leave at any time.

Answering your question, I am not really any less comfortable in everyday life than here, and I don't really restrict what I say because of anxiety in either place. Of course I regulate what is appropriate and not, and think out what I'm saying and how it will affect others just like anyone would.

But in real life I do avoid situations where socializing is the primary activity because they are at best extremely nerve-wracking.

I wonder, was there anything in the personality description that referenced whether or not people like rules? I like rules very much, because they keep things more orderly, and I wonder whether that has anything to do with being introverted.

You might be interested to know that I'm one of the more extroverted people in my family of eight. My brothers, both eighteen, have little to do with people outside of teasing. They have yet to date. My mother, and my littlest brother, are both more introverted than I. My mother simply does not know how to initiate relationships with people, and does not have the ability to calculate whether or not something would be appropriate to say.

And to sum up, a Jack Handey quote that fairly accurately describes what I'd be like at a party:

If you want to be the popular one at a party, here's a good thing to do: Go up to some people who are talking and laughing and say, "Well, technically that's illegal." It might fit in with what somebody just said. And even if it doesn't, so what, I hate this stupid party.

[replicant_008]

Thinking vs Feeling
(How you come to a decision)

Boingo's note segues nicely into this explaining this dynamic...

A Thinker:
- Thinkers are driven around logic and facts
- They enjoy consistency and objectivity in decision making, they like the idea of precedent, policy and consistency
- Strive for justice and objectivity
- Don't tend to get personally involved in a decision (preferring to be detached from the circumstances) and are mainly concerned with the consequences of a decision rather than extentuating circumstances

Thinker Adjectives:
Laws, Objective, Firm, Detached, Analytical, Facts, Procedures, Justice

In contrast, a Feeler:
- Feeler would be more concerned about how people who are affected and involved in a decision feel
- They would strive for harmony and tend to be far more subjective and even personally involved in a decision
- Their decision will be influenced on the impact of the decision on people rather than the final consequences
- They identify with and show empathy with other's pain and struggle

Feeler Adjectives:
Feelings, Circumstances, Harmony, Humane, Social Values, Involvement, Equity, Mercy

Things to think about:
- A Thinker would THINK a feeler is too softhearted and too concerned with making everyone feel happy
- A Feeler would FEEL that Thinkers are heartless bastards concerned with rules and regulations and have hearts of stone
- Thinkers bring objectivity to a decision whereas a Feeler brings awareness of how a decision affects others
- The gender bias is reinforced esp with this attribute - our stereotypes reinforce the message that Real Men (ie a male Thinker) don't cry and can make a tough decision whereas a female thinker would be seen as a hard, heartless bitch. In contrast a male Feeler would be considered to be weak and ineffectual (ie a wimp) whereas our stereotype of a female feeler is that of someone who understands emotions and feelings.