Is it ever worth mentioning anything....about anything?

[Cellmold]

It's a not unnoticed observation that giving anything away about yourself will always give you a disadvantage in life.

I dont like doing it so people that have known me for years, even as a child, do not in fact know me, but then again I have no sense of self anyhow.

It's like extraversion or introversion, I wouldn't want to identify as either in real life because most people have built up perceptions of what something is in their minds.

To be free of that judgement would be nice, but I dont think anyone can be and im as guilty of it as anyone else.

The point is that in the context of MBTI, would you ever want to advertise what type you are? Either in real life OR online. Because it seems to me that doing so removes you as a person to replaced with the type, not always of course because it depends on the perception of others, but often it is the case. Of course this is just based off personal, heuristic evidence from my own experiences in life.

So there isn't any real proof beyond my assumptions, so no statistics or measurements, just pure unadulterated speculative BS.

But isn't that what this is all about in the first place?

 

[redacted]

It's a not unnoticed observation that giving anything away about yourself will always give you a disadvantage in life.

Giving everything, sure. But there's a tradeoff between the benefits of opening up about yourself (deeper relationships, a sense of understanding, etc.) and the negative strategic effects of giving people information to potentially use against you.

The point is that in the context of MBTI, would you ever want to advertise what type you are? Either in real life OR online. Because it seems to me that doing so removes you as a person to replaced with the type, not always of course because it depends on the perception of others, but often it is the case. Of course this is just based off personal, heuristic evidence from my own experiences in life.

I've definitely thought about this a lot. At this point in my life, I, too find these labels to be more limiting that descriptively useful most of the time. But there are those occasions where it just portrays so much information with so little effort that I'm reminded of how much I like MBTI.

 

[Etherea]

I understand what you're saying, but honestly if someone wants to make assumptions about me based on my type, have at it. What should I care? They'll probably just try to type me on their own and will probably be wrong. Might as well stereotype me correctly.

 

[Burger King]

What a coincidence. I've been thinking about this exact topic myself lately.

The point is that in the context of MBTI, would you ever want to advertise what type you are? Either in real life OR online. Because it seems to me that doing so removes you as a person to replaced with the type, not always of course because it depends on the perception of others, but often it is the case. Of course this is just based off personal, heuristic evidence from my own experiences in life.

If we all had a choice to advertise our type for others to see IRL, I would choose not to. I'm very much aware of the preconceived biases we all naturally have, at the conscious and subconscious level, on a variety of things. I remember a research that was performed that I saw on television regarding our prejudices, at the subconscious level, around the color of the skin. It had something to do with most people, at a universal level, subconsciously having some sort of prejudice around darker skinned individuals. My memory is a bit hazy, but you get the picture.

Plus, this may sound like a cliche, but I hate limiting myself with typology tags. It was nice in the beginning, an enlightening and fun experience, but after a while it starts to grate on you with stereotypes and all. I also have a hard time really relating to others (INFPs). They all seem such nice people and the INFP descriptions reinforce this. I feel so different somehow. Lately I find myself in disgust with it all.

I think I'm taking shit way too seriously.

 

[WalkingOnAir]

I see your point. And I feel similar, but about different things. But even though I have my type displayed there are always things about myself that I feel certain aren't akin to other fellow ENFPs or 7w6s. And I definitely don't prefer mentioning things that I think nobody would actually care to know. Why would I tell you that I'm upset? Anxious? Disinterested? If you don't know me well enough to be able to tell, then obviously it doesn't matter at all. That's the sort of thing I won't mention. But I think a basic thing as my personality type couldn't hurt.

 

[skylights]

No shared information can ever be interpreted without bias... it's built into the way everyone perceives things. But keeping things a secret isn't going to do anything to clarify... it only postpones misunderstanding. Better to be frank and open and do what you can to counter misperceptions, in my opinion. Obviously there are times and places where it is better to be covert, but for the most part, I am an advocate of free information flow.

In the context of MBTI, I think it's sort of a learning curve. It's funny. There are the uninitiated, who have no idea what the types mean - they read ENFP in my profile and wonder what its significance may be. Then there are the educated, who have a very good understanding of the system but have yet to transcend the system - they read ENFP in my profile and assume a host of things about me, many of which are true but some of which are not. They use it to reduce, which is their error. And then there are those who have learned it and moved beyond it, utilizing it as just another tool in their kit, rather than the be-all-end-all reality - they read ENFP in my profile and merge it with their other knowledge of me to come to a fuller understanding. I hope to move fully to that final stage, in time.

That said, I advertise my type on here because that's the information we're primarily dealing with on this forum. I don't advertise it elsewhere in my life, save for in close relationships and with fellow psych students.

 

[Kayness]

i honestly don't think it's a big deal because most people that i talk to outside of typology forum don't seem to know much, if at all, about typology anyway or what it means for me to be an ISFP.

and because of that I don't really care to talk about typology outside of the forums, because it means I'll have to give background context, which means more talking than I care for. Plus there's something about me or the way i talk that makes people not want to listen more than a few sentences at a stretch...or maybe i just have the misfortune of finding myself only in the company of bad listeners.

also, even if I don't give away any personal information, people will already make assumptions about me anyway...based on the infromation that they can gather about me, so *shrug*

 

[Phoenix]

It doesn't matter.

I've spent time on and off telling people - trying to explain the "weirdness" of my behaviour in psychological terms. But the response is always

"But you can still change" --- continuing to presume that there's something "wrong" with me that I can control. There are some things I can control. But there are some things that are inherent. I'm withdrawn, drawn to the dark, like to explore it and express it.

But that kind of expression or state of wanting to be [i.e. reserved, taking calculated risks, immersing myself in mental exploration as opposed to physical exploration and having a broad range of experience as opposed to a fixed, typical and boring way of being] doesn't work for my family or close friends. They're always trying to "change" me into something I'm inherently not.

It doesn't matter. There's no point in sharing anything with people IRL. I tried with a number of friends and even my mother and they always assume that I can be whatever I choose to be --- The irony is - that I already am what I choose to be - but that choice is not acceptable to them because it's not how they want me to be.

 

[Cellmold]

It doesn't matter.

I've spent time on and off telling people - trying to explain the "weirdness" of my behaviour in psychological terms. But the response is always

"But you can still change" --- continuing to presume that there's something "wrong" with me that I can control. There are some things I can control. But there are some things that are inherent. I'm withdrawn, drawn to the dark, like to explore it and express it.

But that kind of expression or state of wanting to be [i.e. reserved, taking calculated risks, immersing myself in mental exploration as opposed to physical exploration and having a broad range of experience as opposed to a fixed, typical and boring way of being] doesn't work for my family or close friends. They're always trying to "change" me into something I'm inherently not.

It doesn't matter. There's no point in sharing anything with people IRL. I tried with a number of friends and even my mother and they always assume that I can be whatever I choose to be --- The irony is - that I already am what I choose to be - but that choice is not acceptable to them because it's not how they want me to be.

i honestly don't think it's a big deal because most people that i talk to outside of typology forum don't seem to know much, if at all, about typology anyway or what it means for me to be an ISFP.

and because of that I don't really care to talk about typology outside of the forums, because it means I'll have to give background context, which means more talking than I care for. Plus there's something about me or the way i talk that makes people not want to listen more than a few sentences at a stretch...or maybe i just have the misfortune of finding myself only in the company of bad listeners.

also, even if I don't give away any personal information, people will already make assumptions about me anyway...based on the infromation that they can gather about me, so *shrug*

I appreciate the posts but I said online as well as real life, I made a point of mentioning it in fact.

 

[Phoenix]

I appreciate the posts but I said online as well as real life, I made a point of mentioning it in fact.

Aah. Missed that.

Since I've given my experience offline, I suppose it's fair to share online as well.

Typed as an INFJ on PerC, it was extremely easy for me to express the emotional aspects of my life and it allowed me to develop several relationships and also a "popular" image [Since you're on PerC, you probably know what I'm referring to]. But once I started changing my types, I realized just how much of peoples' views and attitudes change towards me based on their own bias of those types.

I've been called a great many things that were clearly coming from people's stereotypical view of whatever labels I chose. Let's just say that over the last couple of days, I've made another determination of my type, but I've kept that particular change to myself because I don't want to be subjected to any more negativity simply based on my type or type changes.

 

[Kayness]

same as online, outside of typology forums. sorry, i thought i was being clear/ could be inferred from the 'outside of typology forums' phrase.

 

[The Iron Giant]

I understand your perspective, but I think the assumptions that others make about us are their own burden, not ours. I talk about MBTI online and offline, and it doesn't really matter to me what people think about me for it. As [MENTION=15967]Kayness[/MENTION] said, it often requires a great deal of context and explanation. If I feel like discussing typology I'll ask someone if they know anything about it, or what type they are. Some people do, and it's made for good conversation. Others are clearly not interested.

We talk as people because it's a bonding experience that helps us feel like we're part of a human society. Even to the most reclusive introvert, that makes it worth it.

 

[Cellmold]

same as online, outside of typology forums. sorry, i thought i was being clear/ could be inferred from the 'outside of typology forums' phrase.

It's ok I wasn't sure what 'outside of typology forums' entailed lol. My misunderstanding.

 

[WalkingOnAir]

Don't let your personality type define you, define your personality type.

 

[Cellmold]

Don't let your personality type define you, define your personality type.

That should go without saying but I dont control other people's perceptions....

yet that is, and soon I shall have my dream control machine up and running MUHAHAAAA!

 

[Ghost of the dead horse]

Telling something about yourself and recieving feedback can be a source of information that far exceeds the disadvantages of having your private information exposed.