Observer's Descriptions of the Four Dichotomies in Men and Women

[Seymour]

The following are from Portaits of Type by Avril Thorne & Harrison Gough, 1999, pp 49-57

It's about a study in which they had observers describe people using adjectives (from Interviewer's Check List and and the Adjective Check List) and items on the California Q-Set, and then correlated the responses with the four dichotomy preferences and gender of the subjects.

The top ten adjectives and top five Q-Set items are listed below. I have underlined the items that differ according the subject's gender.

E/I

Introverted Males: aloof, cautious, inhibited, quiet, reserved, retiring, serious, shy, silent, withdrawn

16. Is introspective and concerned with self as an object
25. Tends toward over-control of needs and impulses; binds tensions excessively; delays gratification unnecessarily
48. Keeps people at a distance; avoids close interpersonal relationships
51. Genuinely values intellection and cognitive matters
80. Tends to ruminate and have persistent, preoccupying thoughts

Introverted Females: aloof, inhibited, painstaking, quiet, reserved, retiring, rigid, shy, silent, withdrawn

12. Tends to be self-defensive
22. Feels a lack of personal meaning in life.
42. Reluctant to commit self to any definite course of action; tends to delay or avoid action
48. Keeps peope at a distance; avoids close interpersonal relationships
68. Is basically anxious

Extraverted Males: active, cheerful, energetic, enthusiastic, jolly, outgoing, pleasure-seeking, sociable, spontaneous, warm

4. Is a talkative individual
18. Initiates Humor
52. Behaves in an assertive fashion
54. Emphasizes being with others; gregarious
99. Is self-dramatizing; histrionic

Extraverted Females: active, cheerful, energetic, ethusiastic, good-natured, initiative, optimistic, outgoing, sociable, talkative

52. Behaves in an assertive fashion
54. Emphasizes being with others; gregarious
56. Responds to humor
92. Has social poise and presence; appears socially at ease
98. Is verbally fluent and can express ideas well


S/N

Intuitive Males: artistic, complicated, imaginative, ingenious, inventive, original, rebellious, sensitive, temperamental, unconventional

39. Thinks and associates to ideas in unusual ways; has unconventional thought processes
50. Is unpredictable and changeable in behavior and attitudes
51. Genuinely values intellectual and cognitive matters
62. Tends to be rebellious and nonconforming
66. Enjoys esthetic impressions; is esthetically reactive

Intuitive Females: adventurous, anxious, curious, imaginative, independent, ingenious, individualistic, original, rebellious, versatile

16. Is introspective and concerned with self as an object
39. Thinks and associates to ideas in unusual ways; has unconventional thought processes
50. Is unpredictable and changeable in behavior and attitudes
51. Genuinely values intellectual and cognitive matters
62. Tends to be rebellious and nonconforming

Sensing Males: commonplace, conservative, contented, conventional, interests narrow, practical, simple, stable, steady, wholesome

7. Favors conservative values in a variety of areas
9. Is uncomfortable with uncertainty and complexities
11. Is protective of those close to him
63. Judges self and others in conventional terms like, "popularity," social pressures, etc.
75. Has a clearcut, internally consistent personality

Sensing Females: conservative, contented, conventional, formal, interests narrow, painstaking, practical, prudish, stolid, thrifty

7. Favors conservative values in a variety of areas
9. Is uncomfortable with uncertainty and complexities
25. Tends toward over-control of needs and impulses; binds tensions excessively; delays gratification unnecessarily
41. Is moralistic
100. Does not vary roles; relates to everyone the same way


T/F

Feeling Males: affectionate, artistic, complicated, dependent, despondent, dreamy, emotional, sensitive, sentimental, weak

43. Is facially and/or gesturally expressive
56. Responds to humor
58. Enjoys sensuous experiences (including touch, taste, smell, physical contact, etc.)
66. Enjoys esthetic impressions; is esthetically reactive
78. Feels cheated or victimized by life; self-pitying

Feeling Females: affectionate, appreciative, considerate, feminine, friendly, sentimental, soft-hearted, sympathetic, trusting, warm

5. Behaves in a giving way towards others
21. Arouses nurturant feelings in others
38. Tends to arouse liking and acceptance in others
35. Has warmth; has the capacity for close relationships; compassionate
88. Is personally charming

Thinking Males: ambitious, conservative, conventional, efficient, logical, organized, planful, stable, steady, thorough

7. Favors conservative values in a variety of areas
24. Prides self on being "objective," rational
63. Judges self and others in conventional terms, like "popularity," social pressures, etc.
74. Is subjectively unaware of self-concern; feels satisfied with self
91. Is power-oriented; values power in self and others

Thinking Females: aggressive, aloof, ambitious, autocratic, conceited, hard-headed, logical, opinionated, shrewd, tense

1. Is critical, skeptical, not easily impressed
24. Prides self on being "objective," rational
27. Shows condescending behavior in relationships with others
38. Has hostility towards others
49. Is basically distrustful of people in general; questions their motivations


J/P

Judging Males: conscientious, conservative, conventional, deliberate, industrious, methodical, painstaking, reliable, responsible, steady

2. Is a genuinely dependable and responsible person
6. Is fastidious
7. Favors conservative values in a variety of areas
41. Is moralistic
63. Judges self and others in conventional terms like "popularity," social pressures, etc.

Judging Females: conservative, conventional, deliberate, formal, industrious, interests narrow, methodical, planful, prejudiced, prudish

6. Is fastidious
7. Favors conservative values in a variety of areas
25. Tends toward over-control of needs and impulses; binds tensions excessively; delays gratification unnecessarily
41. Is moralistic
100. Does not vary roles; relates to everyone in the same way

Perceiving Males: artistic, careless, changeable, cynical, imaginative, informal, original, rebellious, temperamental, unconventional

50. Is unpredictable and changeable in behavior and attitudes
53. Various needs tend toward relatively direct and uncontrolled expression; unable to delay gratification
58. Enjoys sensuous experiences (including touch, taste, smell, physical contact, etc.)
62. Tends to be rebellious and nonconforming
65. Characteristically pushes and tries to stretch limits; sees what he can get away with

Perceiving Females: careles, changeable, complicated, disorderly, dreamy, moody, pleasure-seeking, rebellious, restless, sexy

50. Is unpredictable and changeable in behavior and attitudes
58. Enjoys sensuous experiences (including touch, taste, smell, physical contact, etc.)
62. Tends to be rebellious and nonconforming
67. Is self-indulgent
73. Tends to perceive many different contexts in sexual terms; eroticizes situations


Observations

A few things to note (these are all my opinion based on the above, not anything in from the book or study):

• Women are described more negatively than men for being introverted
• Sensing/Intuitive not vastly different for men and women (even though Sensing men got "simple" and Sensing women got "prudish")
• Little overlap in adjectives for Feeling men vs. women, descriptions for Feeling men more negative ("despondent", "weak")
• Little overlap in adjectives for Thinking men vs. women, descriptions for Thinking women more negative ("autocratic", "conceited")
• Despite overlap in adjectives between Judging men vs. women, women got "prejudiced" and "prudish" while men got more positive descriptions.

I also found the Sensing descriptions to be more negative in tone that I would have thought.

Overall, it is interesting that women got described as variously "prudish," "sexy," and "eroticizing, " whereas those terms never came up for men.

[Grrr! Can't fix the title after the fact... we hate that.]

 

[kyuuei]

Not to mention Intuitive women aren't very artistic, and feeling men are weak.

Now I have to go to Biology class with my head hurting from the brain cells dying slow, painful deaths..

 

[Totenkindly]

Note that these are the top five in each set, that we don't know what the full set entails, and we don't know how close the remainder of the set was, and we don't know the strength of any of these subsets compared to other subsets.

All it seems to be is the 'top five' in each category and that's about all that can be said without further information.

[Grrr! Can't fix the title after the fact... we hate that.]

yes, my precioussss....

What do you want it changed to?


EDIT: Also found this online ref to the California Q-set aligning with the Big Five

McCrae RR, Costa PT, Jr., Busch CM. Evaluating comprehensiveness in personality systems: The California Q -Set and the five-factor model. J. Pers. 1986;54(2):430-446.

The analysis of natural language trait names and questionnaire scales has suggested that the 5 factors of Neuroticism, Extraversion, Openness, Agreeableness, and Conscientiousness constitute an adequate taxonomy of personality. An alternative approach to comprehensive personality assessment based on clinical judgments is given by the California Q -Set (J. Block, 1961). When self- Q -sorts from 403 adults (aged 28-84 yrs) were factored, the 5 factors closely resembled those found in adjectives and showed convergent and discriminant validity against self-reports and peer- and spouse-ratings. Results were replicated when interviewer Q -sort ratings were examined for a subset of Ss. Findings support the comprehensiveness of the 5-factor model.

 

[Seymour]

What do you want it changed to?

I was just going to add a possessive.... I've seen worse, but my proof-reading skills improve vastly right after I hit the "post" button.

Note that these are the top five in each set, that we don't know what the full set entails, and we don't know how close the remainder of the set was, and we don't know the strength of any of these subsets compared to other subsets.

All it seems to be is the 'top five' in each category and that's about all that can be said without further information.

It's true... they have the correlation for each item in the appendix, but my typing stamina is limited. I can look up the relative correlations for specific items.

For example, correlations on the TF scale (Male vs Female):
Cold: M -.01 F -.26
Complicated: M .15 F -.18
Conceited: M -.07 F -.21
Contented: M -.05 F .11
Conventional: M -.15 F .00
Despondent: M .19 F .10
Fault-finding: M .03 F -.30
Intolerant: M -.03 F -.26
Nagging: M .10 F -.22
Pleasant: M -0.4 F .29
Resentful M -0.3 F -.23
Rigid: M -.02 F -.28
Smug: M -.01 F -.24
Snobbish: M .00 F. -.21
Steady: M -.16 F -.04
Tactless: M .02 F. -.19
Tense: M .08 F -.20
Whiny: M .12 F -0.08
Wholesome: M -.11 F .11

 

[BlackCat]

This is pretty interesting. The book makes a good effort, but I can see flaws (I'm sure you can too).

For me, I'd say this is how I feel about it-

Introverted Males: aloof, cautious, inhibited, quiet, reserved, retiring, serious, shy, silent, withdrawn

16. Is introspective and concerned with self as an object
25. Tends toward over-control of needs and impulses; binds tensions excessively; delays gratification unnecessarily
48. Keeps people at a distance; avoids close interpersonal relationships (It varies honestly)
51. Genuinely values intellection and cognitive matters
80. Tends to ruminate and have persistent, preoccupying thoughts

Sensing Males: commonplace, conservative, contented, conventional, interests narrow, practical, simple, stable, steady, wholesome


7. Favors conservative values in a variety of areas
9. Is uncomfortable with uncertainty and complexities
11. Is protective of those close to him
63. Judges self and others in conventional terms like, "popularity," social pressures, etc.
75. Has a clearcut, internally consistent personality

Feeling Males: affectionate, artistic, complicated, dependent, despondent, dreamy, emotional, sensitive, sentimental, weak

43. Is facially and/or gesturally expressive
56. Responds to humor
58. Enjoys sensuous experiences (including touch, taste, smell, physical contact, etc.)
66. Enjoys esthetic impressions; is esthetically reactive

78. Feels cheated or victimized by life; self-pitying

Perceiving Males: artistic, careless, changeable, cynical, imaginative, informal, original, rebellious, temperamental, unconventional

50. Is unpredictable and changeable in behavior and attitudes
53. Various needs tend toward relatively direct and uncontrolled expression; unable to delay gratification
58. Enjoys sensuous experiences (including touch, taste, smell, physical contact, etc.)
62. Tends to be rebellious and nonconforming
65. Characteristically pushes and tries to stretch limits; sees what he can get away with

I think it's funny how it says that sensing males are conservative and conventional, while they say perceiving males are UNCONVENTIONAL. The author basically directly contradicts himself.

 

[Totenkindly]

Do you understand what it means by 'being concerned with the self as an object" BC? This is typical personality talk for introversion... everything begins with the self, heads out to the environment, then back into the self as the point of ref.

(Just curious.)

 

[BlackCat]

Do you understand what it means by 'being concerned with the self as an object" BC? This is typical personality talk for introversion... everything begins with the self, heads out to the environment, then back into the self as the point of ref.

(Just curious.)

Oh I didn't see it that way. I thought it meant like... being super individualistic, caring waaay too much about yourself, etc. The way you put it though, I wholly agree. *edits post*

Another thing I forgot to add is that I'm a lot less conservative than a good amount of intuitives that I know...

 

[Totenkindly]

Another thing I forgot to add is that I'm a lot less conservative than a good amount of intuitives that I know...

I didn't think intuitives were nearly as conservative as sensors on the whole...
(At least they haven't been, in my experience!)

 

[Seymour]

This is pretty interesting. The book makes a good effort, but I can see flaws (I'm sure you can too).

For me, I'd say this is how I feel about it-



I think it's funny how it says that sensing males are conservative and conventional, while they say perceiving males are UNCONVENTIONAL. The author basically directly contradicts himself.

Well, not the author... the pool of observers. The observers didn't know the type of the people they were observing. Also, N in general correlates somewhat with P, which also introduces some skew.

They do have some similar information for 10 of 16 types (their data pool wasn't big enough to get statistically significant information for all 16).

 

[BlackCat]

I didn't think intuitives were nearly as conservative as sensors on the whole...
(At least they haven't been, in my experience!)

Maybe I'm just weird!

It seems mainly how people were raised and what they were raised to believe. The intuitives that I know who have more conservative values were raised that was (Christian, for example). I was raised by a new age mom (ENFJ) and an agnostic dad (INTP). The values things, like comparing artistic talent/interest to personality, is just kinda dumb.

 

[Totenkindly]

It seems mainly how people were raised and what they were raised to believe. The intuitives that I know who have more conservative values were raised that was (Christian, for example).

Ah okay, and that makes sense.

My intuitive friends who were raised in a conservative church are (guess the answer!) much more conservative than the "general" intuitive. They are intuitive, but only within the parameters of the worldview as learned and have trouble getting out of it.

And admittedly, I internally fought with that worldview for years because I was raised within it... but it took me years to follow my eyes and go where my intuition had been pointing. I originally distrusted myself but couldn't deny what I was seeing and finally had to accept it.

So nurture does have a big impact even in N people and how "open" they are.

 

[Totenkindly]

I'm going to dig this thread back up for a moment to put in a positive pitch for INTP women, who got the shaft in this survey:

• Out of the ten most typical traits for INTP females, all were negative (distrustful, sulky, evasive, indifferent, resentful, defensive, wary, unfriendly, tense, aloof).
• Out of the ten most typical traits for INTP males, some were positive (original, imaginative, complicated, hjasty, rebellious, high-strung, individualistic, restless, self-centered, temperamental).

I actually found the book cheap online and it arrived today. Now I can actually see the demographics that were polled... and it really explains those findings.

The largest factor to me seem to be culture. The samples were taken from 1956 to 1984 (!)... a time when there was a huge glass ceiling for women in the United States and including the span when the hardcore feminist movement was challenging the status quo.

The majority of samples were taken from pools of people voted as successful by their peers... and in general just a few vocational areas... pretty hardcore ones like law students, mathematic PhD's, engineering, med school, and architecture.

Out of the 30 INTP women polled (from a total female sample of 210), over half the sample was comprised of mathematicians with doctorates and law students.

It doesn't really surprise me that a woman that successful in those fields at that time period would not fit the "cultural ideal" of femininity in US culture at that, would already feel defensive in that culture, and would be judged harshly by her peers, while males of the same type would be fit more comfortably into those vocations and be approved of by the culture.

I would be curious to see what the cross-section would be like today, with the culture substantially changed and somewhat more freedom to be oneself rather than fitting a gender-standardized role.

 

[OrangeAppled]

Feeling Females: affectionate, appreciative, considerate, feminine, friendly, sentimental, soft-hearted, sympathetic, trusting, warm

5. Behaves in a giving way towards others
21. Arouses nurturant feelings in others
38. Tends to arouse liking and acceptance in others
35. Has warmth; has the capacity for close relationships; compassionate
88. Is personally charming

Somehow I doubt my Feeling comes off this way to people. I think many IxFP women may not be perceived as the typical Feeling women. My high introversion probably trumps the positive impressions given by Feeling though. And it's no surprise that introverted women are seen so negatively....

 

[21%]

I'm going to dig this thread back up for a moment to put in a positive pitch for INTP women, who got the shaft in this survey:

• Out of the ten most typical traits for INTP females, all were negative (distrustful, sulky, evasive, indifferent, resentful, defensive, wary, unfriendly, tense, aloof).
• Out of the ten most typical traits for INTP males, some were positive (original, imaginative, complicated, hjasty, rebellious, high-strung, individualistic, restless, self-centered, temperamental).

I actually found the book cheap online and it arrived today. Now I can actually see the demographics that were polled... and it really explains those findings.

The largest factor to me seem to be culture. The samples were taken from 1956 to 1984 (!)... a time when there was a huge glass ceiling for women in the United States and including the span when the hardcore feminist movement was challenging the status quo.

The majority of samples were taken from pools of people voted as successful by their peers... and in general just a few vocational areas... pretty hardcore ones like law students, mathematic PhD's, engineering, med school, and architecture.

Out of the 30 INTP women polled (from a total female sample of 210), over half the sample was comprised of mathematicians with doctorates and law students.

It doesn't really surprise me that a woman that successful in those fields at that time period would not fit the "cultural ideal" of femininity in US culture at that, would already feel defensive in that culture, and would be judged harshly by her peers, while males of the same type would be fit more comfortably into those vocations and be approved of by the culture.

I would be curious to see what the cross-section would be like today, with the culture substantially changed and somewhat more freedom to be oneself rather than fitting a gender-standardized role.

Great find! Thanks! I'm glad to learn that most of the data were from a time when I was not even born. I'd really like to believe we have progressed beyond gender role stereotypes

 

[Totenkindly]

Yeah, and coupled with Orange's comments ... remember that a lot of this data was collected by women still living in the "old modern" uniform world rather than the more postmodern one. I think INFP women molded themselves more easily to that world (in terms of the stereotype at the time) than INTP women could.

I think INFP women look different nowadays.

... and that's a big deal in terms of type identification. What a type looks like in one environ might not be what it looks like in another. Another classic case is the ISFJ, which is malleable to the openness/closedness of the culture in which he or she was raised -- if raised in a uniform, closed culture, the view in adulthood tends to be more single-minded and closed (since the standard being used is singular), if raised in a variety of cultural settings, the view tends to be far more open and flexible (since the standard being referred to is drawn from a variety of settings).

 

[Venom]

For example, correlations on the TF scale (Male vs Female):
Cold: M -.01 F -.26
Intolerant: M -.03 F -.26
Nagging: M .10 F -.22
Pleasant: M -0.4 F .29
Resentful M -0.3 F -.23
Rigid: M -.02 F -.28
Smug: M -.01 F -.24
Snobbish: M .00 F. -.21
Steady: M -.16 F -.04
Tactless: M .02 F. -.19
Tense: M .08 F -.20
Whiny: M .12 F -0.08
Wholesome: M -.11 F .11

So F men are actually more tactless and unwholesome. Coldness has almost zero correlation.... hmmm

 

[Seymour]

So F men are actually more tactless and unwholesome. Coldness has almost zero correlation.... hmmm

Well, none of those really correlate for Feeling men. Is interesting, but perhaps says as much about social expectations (or maybe socialization) as anything else.

Yeah, and coupled with Orange's comments ... remember that a lot of this data was collected by women still living in the "old modern" uniform world rather than the more postmodern one. I think INFP women molded themselves more easily to that world (in terms of the stereotype at the time) than INTP women could.

I think INFP women look different nowadays. [...]

Good point! I actually asked my mom (an xNFP) a while back why she seemed so much more adroit about Fe-ish things. She claimed that women of her generation explicitly drilled about social rules and expectations, so she couldn't help but be more aware. It would make sense that in a more fluid environment without as much explicit social training Fi vs Fe differences would be more apparent.

I do wish this data were more recent. Would be great to get equivalent data today and see how they differ.

 

[disregard]

Thinking Males: ambitious, conservative, conventional, efficient, logical, organized, planful, stable, steady, thorough

7. Favors conservative values in a variety of areas
24. Prides self on being "objective," rational
63. Judges self and others in conventional terms, like "popularity," social pressures, etc.
74. Is subjectively unaware of self-concern; feels satisfied with self
91. Is power-oriented; values power in self and others

Thinking Females: aggressive, aloof, ambitious, autocratic, conceited, hard-headed, logical, opinionated, shrewd, tense

1. Is critical, skeptical, not easily impressed
24. Prides self on being "objective," rational
27. Shows condescending behavior in relationships with others
38. Has hostility towards others
49. Is basically distrustful of people in general; questions their motivations

Who decided where the subjects fell in each dichotomy?

Because this seems too biased to be true.

 

[Totenkindly]

Assessment staff composition (p.5-6):

Each member of a sample was seen in intensive 1-3 day assessments at the Institute. The assessments were based on the theories and methods described by Heny Murray in his classic book Explorations in Personality (1938) and also in his book on the wartime work of the Office of Strategic Services titled Assessment of Men (1948).

Typically, 15-18 observers studied the assessees at the Institute in groups of 10. The assessees were interviewed 2-3 times, were asked to take a wide assortment of cognitive, interest, and personality tests, and were observed by staff in a variety of situations such as leaderless group discussions, roleplays, and meals.

On the basis of these observations, but without knowledge of any of the test scores, staff members independently assigned trait ratings, Q-sort formulations, and adjectival descriptions to each individual.

... Altogether 62 women and 127 men were included in the assessment staff.... From informal records, we estimate that the modal MBTI type was INFP. Most staff took part in 1-2 assessments, although a few participated in 9+.

Twelve different assessment programs took place between 1957 and 1984.

Determining MBTI type (p8)

(paraphrase) Most of the individuals in the samples were administered Form F of the MBTI. A few in the earliest samples received Form D or D2... which are easily converted into Form F values.

Some of the items used included the Interviewer's Check List (ICL), Adjective Check List (ACL), and the California Q-set. All the typical correlation/standardization checks were done to determine the median, reliability coefficients, etc.

The numerous appendices include copies of many of these tests... which I am still perusing. Interesting questions -- including everything from appearance, movement, and interaction styles to family background, reactions to interviewer, etc.

 

[disregard]

Interesting.

Well, I am impressed with our forum, because there are many T females that aren't hostile and condescending, which is the rule.