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A few problems typing myself...

nathdep

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INFP
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6w7
I just bought Please Understand Me II and I took the Keirsey Temperament Sorter II which left me with the following type: XNFX.

I am a little discouraged because having a tie in two categories means that there are 4 possibilities that may or may not fit me and I have a problem being decisive enough to choose from them.

I typed 6 with a 7 wing using the RHETI.

Can somebody please give me a suggestion to help narrow down the results?

Thanks!
 

The Great One

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Fill out this form and maybe I can do something for you...

1) What aspect of your personality made you unsure of your type?

2) What do you yearn for in life? Why?

3) Think about a time where you felt like you were at your finest. Tell us what made you feel that way.

4) What makes you feel inferior?

5) What tends to weigh on your decisions? (Do you think about people, pro-cons, how you feel about it, etc.)

6) When working on a project what is normally your emphasis? Do you like to have control of the outcome?

7) Describe us a time where you had a lot of fun. How is your memory of it?

8) When you want to learn something new, what feels more natural for you? (Are you more prone to be hands on, to theorize, to memorize, etc)

9) How organized do you to think of yourself as?

10) How do you judge new ideas? You try to understand the principles behind it to see if they make sense or do you look for information that supports it?



11) You find harmony by making sure everyone is doing fine and belonging to a given group or by making sure that you follow what you believe and being yourself?

12) Are you the kind that thinks before speaking or do you speak before thinking? Do you prefer one-on-one communication or group discussions?

13) Do you jump into action right away or do you like to know where are you jumping before leaping? Does action speaks more than words?

14) It's Saturday. You're at home, and your favorite show is about to start. Your friends call you for a night out. What will you do?

15) How do you act when you're stressed out?

16) What makes you dislike the personalities of some people?

17) Is there anything you really like talking about with other people?

18) What kind of things do pay the least attention to in your life

19) How do your friends perceive you? What is wrong about their perception? ? What would your friends never say about your personality ?

20) You got a whole day to do whatever you like. What kind of activities do you feel like doing?
 

nathdep

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INFP
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6w7
1) What aspect of your personality made you unsure of your type?

I have TREMENDOUS anxiety issues (and bipolar I) and I feel I can be both introverted and extroverted at the same time. Even though the test I took said that I had a tie between J and P, I feel that I am more of a J because of my extreme anxiety that comes about when events in my life aren't scheduled.

2) What do you yearn for in life? Why?

I have always wanted to do everything the best I can and sometimes that can cause problems for me as I try to reach beyond my best and can become emotionally unhealthy as a result.

3) Think about a time where you felt like you were at your finest. Tell us what made you feel that way.

I felt/feel at my finest when I can impress somebody whether it be with music (I play the piano and the violin) or through humor. I also feel very good inside when I can help people through their personal problems.

4) What makes you feel inferior?

Sometimes I can feel very different from people and wish that I could be part of the good looking, popular type. As a result, I am constantly analyzing people's emotions, behavior, and expressions in order to give myself an explanation as to why they behave that way. Actually, I became interested in the enneagram and then the MBTI as I wanted to help myself and impress/help others by providing a source which helps to understand human personality even more. I have a strong dislike for sports (as my father pushed them down my throat at a very young age and told me he didn't want me to pursue music) and sometimes when I am presented in a situation where sports are heavily involved, I have strong feelings of inferiority and anxiety.

5) What tends to weigh on your decisions? (Do you think about people, pro-cons, how you feel about it, etc.)

I look at all the possibilities while trying not to dwell on the actual searching process for too long. Sometimes I have a problem deciding which path to take and many times I just take the route that looks best to me. Therefore, I tend to mix both data and instinct into my decisions.

6) When working on a project what is normally your emphasis? Do you like to have control of the outcome?

I have always had a problem since I was young with letting other people do their part in group activities. I always feel that it is my duty to do everything when I am in a group doing a project.

7) Describe us a time where you had a lot of fun. How is your memory of it?

Anytime that I am able to rid myself of my anxiety and feel that I "fit in", I tend to have a lot of fun. Just last night, I hosted a concert benefiting the food bank along with a friend of mine and people came up to me and told me that I should be hosting events more often. They told me that I looked like I was being very natural and having a lot of fun. Poeple tell me that I am funny but sometimes there are times when I find humor in places where there really isn't any humor (not in an inappropriate way but more of an odd type of humor). I have been to parties where I have laughed so hard that I have lost my voice. It would make sense though that losing my anxiety causes me to feel happy and to have the most fun.

8) When you want to learn something new, what feels more natural for you? (Are you more prone to be hands on, to theorize, to memorize, etc)

I am very good at memorizing and as a result have excelled in the field of French language.

9) How organized do you to think of yourself as?

I am very organized with everything outside of the house but sometimes the house can get a bit messy from my lack of organizing.

10) How do you judge new ideas? You try to understand the principles behind it to see if they make sense or do you look for information that supports it?

I usually judge new ideas base on my core beliefs that I have had since childhood (religion, parental views, etc.). I sometimes have a problem with judging people too quickly and then finding they are the complete opposite of what I would expect.


11) You find harmony by making sure everyone is doing fine and belonging to a given group or by making sure that you follow what you believe and being yourself?

I usually have extreme anxiety if the environment around me is not in harmony. Therefore, I can only feel relaxed in a situaition where everyone else is relaxed.


12) Are you the kind that thinks before speaking or do you speak before thinking? Do you prefer one-on-one communication or group discussions?

I definitely feel better if I am on an individual level with others. I tend to both think before I speak and impulsively speak with a greater tendency to impulsively speak.

13) Do you jump into action right away or do you like to know where are you jumping before leaping? Does action speaks more than words?

I am very cautious before jumping into "unknown waters". Actions definitely speak louder than words as people can say something but do the complete opposite.

14) It's Saturday. You're at home, and your favorite show is about to start. Your friends call you for a night out. What will you do?

I usually have a hard time trying to get myself motivated to leave the house with friends. My friends have even commented on how much of a "home body" I am.

15) How do you act when you're stressed out?

I become frantic when I become too stressed out. There have even been times where I have had fits of rage because the stress/anxiety has become too high. Ordinarily, I am always friendly in public and actually have a problem with being too passive than aggresive.

16) What makes you dislike the personalities of some people?

People who are very image conscious and actually sacrifice their oppurtunities and future in order to act immature bother me. Specifically, the enneatype 3 (The Motivator) would probably be the personality type that bothers me the most. People that are very masculine bother me but I almost blame that on my father.

17) Is there anything you really like talking about with other people?

I love to talk classical music with people because that is what I most enjoy. I also like to talk about music in general and anything that seems interesting.

18) What kind of things do pay the least attention to in your life

I pay least attention to my physical health (I am very overweight). I am a compulsive eater because eating helps me to "control" my stress and anxiety.

19) How do your friends perceive you? What is wrong about their perception? ? What would your friends never say about your personality ?

My friends think I am funny, outgoing, sensitive, and soft. However, my friends also perceive me as being annoying, impulsive, and odd. I feel that sometimes they exaggerate too much and don't understand my emotional state.

20) You got a whole day to do whatever you like. What kind of activities do you feel like doing?

I would probably stay home, practice the piano, maybe make a meal that I really enjoy, and take it easy.
 

The Great One

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Well, you are loaded with Fe, so I'm pretty sure you're an FJ. But, you also mentioned something about seeing all types of possibilities. So I'm thinking that you are some type of Ne<Fe user. You also said that you are a perfectionist though, and I'm seeing a heavy enneagram 1 fix in you. You also said that you struggle with anxiety so you have 6 fixture too. But overall, you said that you love prestige and love to help people so you also have a heavy 3 w 2 fixture, which I'm thinking is your core type. So in conclusion I'm seeing you as an ESFJ with a heavy Ne (3 w 2 enneatype), but you may be an ENFJ too though, so please tell me more about yourself and tell me how you "see these possibilities".
 

nathdep

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I don't know if I necessarily see myself as a 3 w 2 because I have a lot of issues with self-effacing. It takes a lot for me to get up on stage and do something. That is why when they told me last night that I looked natural that I was actually quite surprised because of how nervous I was. I also have more problems with a low self-worth than vanity. I do see a lot of myself in the ESFJ though. I also see some qualities that I share with ENFJ.

I guess the biggest problem I have in my life right now is my anxiety problem and I think that's why I have all the problems with having low self esteem.

What do you think?
 

Mal12345

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I don't know if I necessarily see myself as a 3 w 2 because I have a lot of issues with self-effacing. It takes a lot for me to get up on stage and do something. That is why when they told me last night that I looked natural that I was actually quite surprised because of how nervous I was. I also have more problems with a low self-worth than vanity. I do see a lot of myself in the ESFJ though. I also see some qualities that I share with ENFJ.

I guess the biggest problem I have in my life right now is my anxiety problem and I think that's why I have all the problems with having low self esteem.

What do you think?

INFP, 4w?
 

The Great One

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I don't know if I necessarily see myself as a 3 w 2 because I have a lot of issues with self-effacing. It takes a lot for me to get up on stage and do something. That is why when they told me last night that I looked natural that I was actually quite surprised because of how nervous I was. I also have more problems with a low self-worth than vanity. I do see a lot of myself in the ESFJ though. I also see some qualities that I share with ENFJ.

I guess the biggest problem I have in my life right now is my anxiety problem and I think that's why I have all the problems with having low self esteem.

What do you think?

Well then that leaves 2 w 3 or a 6. But, I'm pretty sure that you're an Fe dom. Also, to decide between ESFJ with a heavy Ne and ENFJ look at the descriptions of Si, Ne, and Ni. If you were ESFJ, you would use Fe<Si<Ne and if you were ENFJ you would use Fe<Ni<Se. But you are using some type of intuitive function, I'm just not sure if it's Ni or Ne. My bet is Ne because you talked about all the possibilities that you see.
 

nathdep

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The only problem is that I don't see myself as being manipulative. I have friends who are very manipulative and I don't see myself being like them. People say that I am warm and friendly.

However, when I get into a touchy situation, I always appease the opposing party and then spout off about them later. I can be extremely loyal to some people and ideals and that's why I see myself as being a 6.
 

Mal12345

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The only problem is that I don't see myself as being manipulative. I have friends who are very manipulative and I don't see myself being like them. People say that I am warm and friendly.

However, when I get into a touchy situation, I always appease the opposing party and then spout off about them later. I can be extremely loyal to some people and ideals and that's why I see myself as being a 6.

Now that I've had a chance to look at this thread more closely:

So far I've seen nothing to change my INFP call for your type. The INFP type really excels at languages. And your impulsivity described above is more important for deciding P over J than messiness or orderliness.

My only question was the wing of the 4. But if anxiety is that big of an issue then perhaps you're the 6 as you said, and 6w7 which is the compulsive wing of the 6. "[H]ave a problem with being too passive than aggresive" fits well with the 6 call, if I'm understanding what you're saying in that quote.
 

nathdep

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Thank you so much Mal+, I really think that the INFP type fits me very well.

That being said, I just had one of my friends take the Keirsey Temperament Sorter II and he was typed ENTP. I believe this is a very inaccurate if not virtually opposite description of him. About a week ago, he was typed as 1 using the RHETI. This definitely describes him as he is a perfectionist, judgmental, and secretive.

I really would like to study up on Myers-Briggs but I would find it very hard to do so if I don't have a system to type people other than myself. Are there any other alternatives that I can use along with my friends to help in the typing process?

Thanks again!
 

Mal12345

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Thank you so much Mal+, I really think that the INFP type fits me very well.

That being said, I just had one of my friends take the Keirsey Temperament Sorter II and he was typed ENTP. I believe this is a very inaccurate if not virtually opposite description of him. About a week ago, he was typed as 1 using the RHETI. This definitely describes him as he is a perfectionist, judgmental, and secretive.

I really would like to study up on Myers-Briggs but I would find it very hard to do so if I don't have a system to type people other than myself. Are there any other alternatives that I can use along with my friends to help in the typing process?

Thanks again!

He's probably an INTJ. If that's true, then I should add that the INTJ can appear like a playful ENTP, for some reason. But only in very rare cases would an ENTP score as type 1.

It could be that the Keirsey Temperament Sorter is not a good device to use, but the author's type descriptions are precise. I also like the book LifeTypes. I refer to this one most often. It doesn't have a test, instead it uses lists of traits for each of the four letters to help you determine your type.
 

skylights

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INFP was my thought as well, glad it fits :)

Personally, I think the best way of going about typing is to learn the 8 cognitive functions in depth - essentially shorthand descriptions for common thinking patterns.

Theoretically each thinking pattern (N, S, T, F) can be either introverted or extraverted, which gives 8 "functions" of the mind, and all you need to do is to figure out the primary extraverted and primary introverted function that a person uses - 1 "Perceiving" function (which describes what information your mind primarily takes in) and 1 "Judging" function (which describes how your mind prioritizes that information for usage). If Judging is introverted, Perceiving will be extraverted, and vice versa. From there, you have the entire type code, because whether their most-used function is introverted or extraverted will tell you if the person is an E or an I, and whether their extraverted function is a Perceiving process or a Judging process will tell you if they are a J or a P!

It seems like a good shortcut, but it's also a much more in-depth look at how people think than simply choosing between 4 sets of 2 letters.

A quick peek:

Perceiving processes - information intake -

N:
Introverted iNtuition, "Ni" (indicates NJ or SP): Focus on patterns over time, foresight, reduction to universals
OR
Extraverted iNtuition, "Ne" (indicates NP or SJ): Focus on co-existant patterns, possibilities, expansion to universals

S:
Introverted Sensing, "Si" (indicates SJ or NP): Focus on individual concepts - "data points" - similarities and differences, quality and measure
OR
Extraverted Sensing, "Se" (indicates SP or NJ): Focus on individual experiences, moment-to-moment action, the realism of now

Judging processes - information prioritization -

T:
Introverted Thinking, "Ti" (indicates TP or FJ): Focus on internal consistency of logical systems, breakdown and analysis, refinement
OR
Extraverted Thinking, "Te" (indicates TJ or FP): Focus on external accuracy of logical systems, mobilization and implementation, presentation

F:
Introverted Feeling, "Fi" (indicates FP or TJ): Focus on internal consistency of value systems, intrapersonal ethics, sense of "essence"
OR
Extraverted Feeling, "Fe" (indicates FJ or TP): Focus on external harmony (ie, adaptation to optimize relations with others), interpersonal ethics, sense of "social grace"

The only tricky thing is you must have 1 extraverted process in each pair and 1 introverted. For example, someone who primarily uses Fi will always also primarily use Te, not Ti, since there is only cognitive "space" for an extraverted Judging process left, as you already are using an introverted one. So they pair up Fi/Te, Fe/Ti, Ne/Si, and Ni/Se.

For myself as an example, I use Ne most of all, and then Fi. That makes me xNFx, and then ENFx because Ne is an extraverted function, then ENFP because Ne is a Perceiving function. Thinking in Ne and Fi patterns also means I will mostly utilize Si and Te as well.

So you are similar to me - the only difference being you use Fi more than Ne, making you INFP instead of ENFP. :)
 

nathdep

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Skylights -

This is very interesting thank you!

I noted from your signature that your enneatype is 6w7. When I researched the enneagram, I found that I was the same type. It is interesting that I have found somebody with the same type as me. I guess it makes sense though since our MBTI types are so similar.

Hopefully I will be able to use this method in my quest to researching human personality. I find it so interesting how accurate these systems can be.

I do have a question though. Why is it that I am more introverted in some ways but can come off so natural when I do activities that are structured more toward extroverted types?

Thanks for your help everyone!
 

Mal12345

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The only tricky thing is you must have 1 extraverted process in each pair and 1 introverted. For example, someone who primarily uses Fi will always also primarily use Te, not Ti, since there is only cognitive "space" for an extraverted Judging process left, as you already are using an introverted one. So they pair up Fi/Te, Fe/Ti, Ne/Si, and Ni/Se.

For myself as an example, I use Ne most of all, and then Fi. That makes me xNFx, and then ENFx because Ne is an extraverted function, then ENFP because Ne is a Perceiving function. Thinking in Ne and Fi patterns also means I will mostly utilize Si and Te as well.

So you are similar to me - the only difference being you use Fi more than Ne, making you INFP instead of ENFP. :)

The only cognitive space is involved in creating an MBTI type from cognitive functions according to a formula. But I don't think even Jung saw this as the only possibility. If one's thinking is dominated by a perceiving function, for example, then a judging function will be secondary. They don't have to have opposing attitudes. I think they normally have opposing attitudes. But even an SeNe type is not out of the question.
 

Mal12345

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19) How do your friends perceive you? What is wrong about their perception? ? What would your friends never say about your personality ?

My friends think I am funny, outgoing, sensitive, and soft. However, my friends also perceive me as being annoying, impulsive, and odd. I feel that sometimes they exaggerate too much and don't understand my emotional state. [And] I sometimes have a problem with judging people too quickly and then finding they are the complete opposite of what I would expect.

By the way, this indicates a problem with your tertiary function. It just happens to be the same as mine: Si, or introverted sensing.
 

skylights

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The only cognitive space is involved in creating an MBTI type from cognitive functions according to a formula. But I don't think even Jung saw this as the only possibility. If one's thinking is dominated by a perceiving function, for example, then a judging function will be secondary. They don't have to have opposing attitudes. I think they normally have opposing attitudes. But even an SeNe type is not out of the question.

I guess that depends on how you use the system, though... Personally I would call a SeNe type ExTP or ExFP. And then their Si and Ni usage would be balanced, too (and quite weak, I would assume). I imagine that is fairly rare, though, since it would require co-development of the strongest functions. I would expect SeXi to be more common - "ambiversion" of the secondary function. Aside from those pairs, the others are accounted for... For example, a NeTe type would be ENFP, extrapolating from Ne/Si Te/Fi. TeNe would be ESTJ, extrapolating from Te/Fi Ne/Si. Both heavily extraverted. That is how I tend to see the typings, at least.
 

nathdep

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I have a few general questions.

A very puzzling thing happened to me a few years back. I would tend to pick out other people (usually men surprisingly) and I would become obsessed with them. I would constantly be "validating" our friendship and I would actually feel more secure when I was friends with these people. These people were usually good looking, popular, and older than me (by a few years) or have the appearance of being older. Sometimes, I would even envy people my age who had older brothers. The theory that I have is that my dad left me when I was a pre teen and that I am constantly looking for a father figure of sorts. This may be wrong though. Do you see how this fits in to my type (INFP)?

Also, I have many problems with feeling like I am being abandoned by the people who I care about (whether it be through physically leaving or through death) and I think I can tend to be a little clingy because of my fear of abandonment. Could this also fit in with being INFP?
 

Mal12345

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I have a few general questions.

A very puzzling thing happened to me a few years back. I would tend to pick out other people (usually men surprisingly) and I would become obsessed with them. I would constantly be "validating" our friendship and I would actually feel more secure when I was friends with these people. These people were usually good looking, popular, and older than me (by a few years) or have the appearance of being older. Sometimes, I would even envy people my age who had older brothers. The theory that I have is that my dad left me when I was a pre teen and that I am constantly looking for a father figure of sorts. This may be wrong though. Do you see how this fits in to my type (INFP)?

Also, I have many problems with feeling like I am being abandoned by the people who I care about (whether it be through physically leaving or through death) and I think I can tend to be a little clingy because of my fear of abandonment. Could this also fit in with being INFP?

The e-type 4's basic fear is fear of abandonment, while envy is the 4's basic vice. So it would help you to read about that type. Try Riso's Personality Types as well as other Riso books. As for the other question, if it was a few years ago, then perhaps it would be more informative for us to read about how you grew out of that stage. It may or may not be related to type.
 

nathdep

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Well, nothing special really happened to cause me to move out of that stage. I think a big contributor is how my friends reacted to it calling me weird and homosexual. This bothered me because these obsessions weren't out of love or sexual appeal but it was out of a strong desire for friendship. Actually, I became obsessive over the fear that I may be attracted to these people which stemmed from the comments my friends made toward me.

Another important note that I left out was that if I suspected that my obsessive friendships were going to end or were deteriorating, I would enter a very strong, obsessive depression. Many times, however, the friendships would actually be in good standing. Another interesting point is that all the people that I have had obsessive friendships with are no longer friends with me anymore and they have all moved to my "bad list".

By the way, I was thinking and this started about 3 years ago and ended about 1 year ago.
 

Mal12345

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Well, nothing special really happened to cause me to move out of that stage. I think a big contributor is how my friends reacted to it calling me weird and homosexual. This bothered me because these obsessions weren't out of love or sexual appeal but it was out of a strong desire for friendship. Actually, I became obsessive over the fear that I may be attracted to these people which stemmed from the comments my friends made toward me.

Another important note that I left out was that if I suspected that my obsessive friendships were going to end or were deteriorating, I would enter a very strong, obsessive depression. Many times, however, the friendships would actually be in good standing. Another interesting point is that all the people that I have had obsessive friendships with are no longer friends with me anymore and they have all moved to my "bad list".

By the way, I was thinking and this started about 3 years ago and ended about 1 year ago.

After reading this, I've changed my mind about this being possibly not type related. I think now you were obviously fantasy-idealizing certain individuals based on traits that you may have desired for yourself - a positive projection, fantasy to replace feeling inferior ("ugly duckling" or some other kind of outcast). But those people failed to live up to your ideal, perhaps because they failed to live up to your sense of loyalty, so you shit-listed them. To an extent it sounds like your friends badgered you out of this dependence by making you feel even more inferior than before. This is all related to the INFP.
 
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