How did you decide upon your type?

[disregard]

I never tire of hearing why people have assumed their type.

Give me a list of traits, tell me you took a test, share the functions you use, I just want to know your experience.

 

[redacted]

I spent about 2.5 years analyzing the shit out of MBTI and overanalyzing myself, then finally decided INTP is the only type that makes any sense for me.

It was a silly journey.

 

[edcoaching]

I spent about 2.5 years analyzing the shit out of MBTI and overanalyzing myself, then finally decided INTP is the only type that makes any sense for me.

It was a silly journey.

But pretty typical for INTPs don't you think? In our research on spirituality, the ones who'd undertaken the journey had all read the Bible, Koran, etc., at least once, saying how could you make up your mind what you believe unless you know all the options...

Determining my best fit type: I took the MBTI in a workshop setting, but before getting my results, as the ethics provide I was introduced to the theory through lecture, activities and self-selection of the preferences. I self-selected INFJ but the Indicator results showed INFP. The facilitator walked me through the interpretation process and we determined that I am so J that I'm always able to be spontaneous because everything is done I then read several type descriptions and determined that INFJ fit me well. Later work on type development confirmed this; i can see Ni first and Fe during adolescence. Both T functions come as skill sets learned through both formal writing training and an MBA in finance. S...well it's my nemesis as in losing things/not seeing what's right in front of me/missing details...but it's also the greatest source of rest and richness.

 

[IZthe411]

I took the test in college and at the start of work, and I typed out what I am. It wasn't until 18 or so months ago when I actually sat and started reading what it meant that I knew for sure that this is my type.

 

[VagrantFarce]

Hard to pin-point exactly what made me finally decide, but I can remember this page playing a big part: Tertiary Temptation

 

[Oaky]

The way I found out my type?
My brother read a book on reading people's MBTI type.
My brother typed me as an INTJ.
My brother gave me the book. I read it.
I typed myself as an INTJ.
I took a number of online tests afterwards. Still, most of my results were INTJ.

The book:

Allows a person to read another person's MBTI type quickly within seconds of meeting them. And teaches you how to communicate to them for best interaction.

 

[disregard]

The book:

Allows a person to read another person's MBTI type quickly within seconds of meeting them.

Great, thanks.

 

[Eric B]

When I learned about the Interaction Styles model, and structure/motive, INTP seemed to most closely match my APS temperament, and then when I read the profiles again in that light (especially Paul James), it really fit (before then, I saw a lot of potential Forer effects in several types, and couldn't decide on one). I then had a bit of a problem with an influential "folk typologist" insisting I was ENFP, for stupid reasons (and then some did here as well when I first joined), and this prompted me to buy the books on the processes and learn as much of it on the 'advanced" level as I could, and it all the more showed that INTP fit better.

 

[Snuggletron]

I typed myself, just doing my own research.

 

[BlackCat]

I first tested as INFP, and didn't really think of anything else When I read about INFPs I didn't really relate at all, and I never understood any of INFPs on the internet and thought that they always worried about useless shit. Then I realized that Ne and Si just didn't fit me, read more into the temperaments etc, and came to ISFP.

 

[Synapse]

A book told me during class as I took the subject Organisational Behaviour.

 

[Timeless]

Way too many sources; online tests, college tests, in-person typing etc.

 

[JTG1984]

I picked from a hat.

 

[Halla74]

 

[BlueSprout]

I tested as an INFP repeatedly and the general descriptions fit much better than those of other close types (INFJ, ISFP, INTP, etc.) I thought I might be an ISFP because of my underdeveloped Ne and because I lacked many INFP Ne related strengths, but realized later (thanks to Costrin and others) that I was just in a tertiary temptation cycle. This made sense, because I was using Si anyway. So, voila, I'm an INFP. I can't really picture myself as any other type, either.

 

[BlueGray]

School made us take a personality test. I was surprised as it was the first one with results that were neither horribly vague nor horribly wrong. In fact I agreed with about 95% of what it said about me. My mom who was in the room looked at the results and pointed out a bar graph showing about 65% I 20% S 90% T 100% P, which is INTP. Apparently she had worked with MBTI before and gave me a book on it. Reading the descriptions the INTP description fit about 80-90% and none of the others were even close. Since then everything has only increased my confidence in the INTP result.

 

[highlander]

The origins of my interest in this were being in a situation at work where I had progressed into a leadership position and was having difficulties understanding this one particular person who worked for me. I bought a book called The Platinum Rule. Not long after, I bought a book on Myers Briggs (Type Talk at Work).

Now it seems obvious but it took me a few months to be sure of my type. Potential candidates were INTJ, ISTJ, and ISTP. I spent a lot of time thinking about it, looking at the characteristics of each, considering which fit best and also took a couple of assessments. Since then, I've taken numerous additional assessments over the years and they have all come out the same.

 

[Tamske]

My husband brought a test he got from a co-worker, to use on my fictional characters. We did the test ourselves too, but we forgot the results and we lost the test form!
(I'm fairly sure I scored ENTP, though...)

After a while, I wanted to find the test again because I wanted to type some more fictional characters. Then we sought on the internet. I've learnt about it a bit through some sites and this forum. I made a test myself (with Excel) because I wanted:
1) to answer the questions not only with "yes" and "no" but with "certainly not", "rather not", "neutral", "rather yes" and "certainly yes".
2) to get not only the type as result, but also the extremeness.
3) to represent the result in graphs (am I a nerd or what? )
4) to save the results from those fictional characters.

I've never done the official MBTI test and I won't do it. I think I understand it well enough for what I want to do with it - making sure my fictional characters have different personalities.

As for functions, I've learned about them mainly through this forum. I found it very confusing at first. But by imagining the functions as little people living in my head, I constructed my understanding of them. By drawing the function guys and reading the reactions on them, I adjusted my understanding until it's more or less right.

 

[letsplaytwister]

The first time I took an online MBTI test, I tested as INTJ. I thought, "that's weird," and then didn't give it much thought. I came back to it again a year or two later, and tested as INTJ again. I said, "dude, this really doesn't sound like me," which spurred me into researching the theory more in depth. Then I thought maybe I was INTP, but that didn't seem to fit quite right either.

Finally, another online test typed me as INFP, so I looked more into that and made a breakthrough. INFP was the first and only type that I really identified with. Although, sometimes I feel like I could be INFJ, but considering I don't identify with Ni and I HATE Fe, I don't think it's likely!

 

[The Outsider]

Astral projection.