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MBTI

Oblivious

New member
Joined
May 8, 2013
Messages
19
MBTI Type
????
Enneagram
7w8
Instinctual Variant
so/sp
This is a topic that whirls inside my mind quite often and I am sure that there is a plentitude of people that have found interest in MBTI for any reason, so here are some questions that have come to mind, I would also like to ask for recommendations for books that are of interest.

How has MBTI helped you?

What were you're reactions when you found out your type?

Is it consistent in your perspective?

What dichotomy has created the greatest divide?

How did you find mbti?
 

Mole

Permabanned
Joined
Mar 20, 2008
Messages
20,284
How did you find mbti?

Mbti found me, for Geoff invited me to a well run and tolerant site and it turned out to be an mbti site.

Of course I was fascinated, but it all boiled down to one question: is mbti true?

And alas, mbti has no more truth value than astrology, in fact mbti is astrology for the college educated.
 

zago

New member
Joined
Jun 25, 2008
Messages
1,162
MBTI Type
INTP
This is a topic that whirls inside my mind quite often and I am sure that there is a plentitude of people that have found interest in MBTI for any reason, so here are some questions that have come to mind, I would also like to ask for recommendations for books that are of interest.

How has MBTI helped you?
It has given me greater self acceptance and peace with other people because I understand differences better. To a small extent it also makes people more predictable.

What were you're reactions when you found out your type?
Excited to find something that correctly understood me, excited that I belong to a group, proud of the qualities of my type.

Is it consistent in your perspective?
Yes.

What dichotomy has created the greatest divide?
Not sure what this means. I'll guess and say that I find the greatest divide with ESTJs.

How did you find mbti?
It was so long ago I don't even remember. I think I must have taken an online personality test when I was in my early teens.

Bolded.
 
I

Infinite Bubble

Guest
How has MBTI helped you?

It has allowed me to understand myself in non-personal quantitative terms that can be compared to others, and in turn is a fairly easy way to understand others under the framework. To be honest though, it hasn't been necessarily that helpful, merely my curiosity in the theory itself (and other typology subjects) and its concepts sustains my interest.

What were you're reactions when you found out your type?

I am not the type of person where everything simply 'clicked' when I found it out, so my reaction was not anything more profound as me quietly thinking "interesting..."

Is it consistent in your perspective?

The original theory outline was probably quite consistent, although in some certain points a victim of the Forer effect, but through other sources (such as inadequate type descriptions) I find some information inconsistent and contradictory to each other.

What dichotomy has created the greatest divide?

I personally do not go by pure MBTI and its dichotomies often (preferring JCF), but on the internet especially, there is a great divide between Intuitors and Sensors. Nobody wants to be an S due to its extremely derogatory descriptions, cited as boring, predictable, unoriginal sheep, and the N's being intelligent, original, creative freethinkers. I believe this has caused a collective delusion on the internet surrounding the supposed superiority of Intuitors, and as such prejudices have formed consciously or unconsciously in many peoples minds against Sensors.

How did you find mbti?

Through one of the horrendous online personality tests when I Googled "personality test", one fateful day. It was only about a year or so ago, now that I think about it.
 

Oblivious

New member
Joined
May 8, 2013
Messages
19
MBTI Type
????
Enneagram
7w8
Instinctual Variant
so/sp

Did you find the theory overall to be consistent or are there certain areas that caught your eye? In my opinion the cognitive functions are more consistent than type desciptions, there is less gray area among them, although this may be my view, the reason why I say this is I've heard people can relate to the individual cog functions more easily than the type desciptions although they may misinterpret the descriptions and type themselves incorrectly. What are your thoughts?
 

Oblivious

New member
Joined
May 8, 2013
Messages
19
MBTI Type
????
Enneagram
7w8
Instinctual Variant
so/sp
It has allowed me to understand myself in non-personal quantitative terms that can be compared to others, and in turn is a fairly easy way to understand others under the framework. To be honest though, it hasn't been necessarily that helpful, merely my curiosity in the theory itself (and other typology subjects) and its concepts sustains my interest.



I am not the type of person where everything simply 'clicked' when I found it out, so my reaction was not anything more profound as me quietly thinking "interesting..."



The original theory outline was probably quite consistent, although in some certain points a victim of the Forer effect, but through other sources (such as inadequate type descriptions) I find some information inconsistent and contradictory to each other.



I personally do not go by pure MBTI and its dichotomies often (preferring JCF), but on the internet especially, there is a great divide between Intuitors and Sensors. Nobody wants to be an S due to its extremely derogatory descriptions, cited as boring, predictable, unoriginal sheep, and the N's being intelligent, original, creative freethinkers. I believe this has caused a collective delusion on the internet surrounding the supposed superiority of Intuitors, and as such prejudices have formed consciously or unconsciously in many peoples minds against Sensors.



Through one of the horrendous online personality tests when I Googled "personality test", one fateful day. It was only about a year or so ago, now that I think about it.

I enjoyed reading your responses very insightful and very true, I feel that definetley N vs S situation has caused MBTI to become some sort of twisted contest and took away from it's exploratory essence, and I also believe that people forget about their own unique stamp and forge themselves to be someone else entirely and on route forget who they are completely.
 

Oblivious

New member
Joined
May 8, 2013
Messages
19
MBTI Type
????
Enneagram
7w8
Instinctual Variant
so/sp
Mbti found me, for Geoff invited me to a well run and tolerant site and it turned out to be an mbti site.

Of course I was fascinated, but it all boiled down to one question: is mbti true?

And alas, mbti has no more truth value than astrology, in fact mbti is astrology for the college educated.

Isn't MBTI amazing? Eventhough there is no proving it I feel it has solidified itself on its own through the behaviors of people, and has actually helped me relate to people on a different level, or I guess understand them better and to see where people are coming from, and become more tolerant to their quirks as a result my self presentation has also improved because of this understanding of people.
 

Cellmold

Wake, See, Sing, Dance
Joined
Mar 23, 2012
Messages
6,266
How has MBTI helped you?

I suppose it has introduced me to interesting people with different perspectives and thoughts. But there isn't much it helped me with, that I and others weren't already on the track to helping myself with in the first place.

What were you're reactions when you found out your type?

Still not found it, probably never will, because the system is too unproven and too rigid, or in some iterations it is too flimsy. There needs to be more empiricism.

However at first I was skeptical, then interested, then briefly elated, soon to be followed by derision. My first type was INFP on an online test.

Is it consistent in your perspective?

No. It is all over the place and too open to interpretation on a number of levels, even if a person can narrow down the inaccurate and biased sides of the theory it's still a giant mess that changes with every engagement.

The ridiculous amount of types each person seems to come up with for myself is a great example of this.

I really would like to know how some people on here can be so certain?

What dichotomy has created the greatest divide?

No idea. The dichotomies mean little to me. The functions have always appealed more but even those suffer from the same issues. There is just too much information to narrow motivations and cognition down to a series of 8 functions in 16 combinations.

How did you find mbti?

I found it while searching for more purpose in my life, for something that could help give me more of a path and, dare I say it, guidance.

This is of course about as cliche as can be. But I meant it sincerely. Nowadays I am just meandering around. I suppose it helped, but it also caused other problems as well.
 

Oblivious

New member
Joined
May 8, 2013
Messages
19
MBTI Type
????
Enneagram
7w8
Instinctual Variant
so/sp
I suppose it has introduced me to interesting people with different perspectives and thoughts. But there isn't much it helped me with, that I and others weren't already on the track to helping myself with in the first place.



Still not found it, probably never will, because the system is too unproven and too rigid, or in some iterations it is too flimsy. There needs to be more empiricism.

However at first I was skeptical, then interested, then briefly elated, soon to be followed by derision. My first type was INFP on an online test.



No. It is all over the place and too open to interpretation on a number of levels, even if a person can narrow down the inaccurate and biased sides of the theory it's still a giant mess that changes with every engagement.

The ridiculous amount of types each person seems to come up with for myself is a great example of this.

I really would like to know how some people on here can be so certain?



No idea. The dichotomies mean little to me. The functions have always appealed more but even those suffer from the same issues. There is just too much information to narrow motivations and cognition down to a series of 8 functions in 16 combinations.



I found it while searching for more purpose in my life, for something that could help give me more of a path and, dare I say it, guidance.

This is of course about as cliche as can be. But I meant it sincerely. Nowadays I am just meandering around. I suppose it helped, but it also caused other problems as well.

I enjoyed very much reading your point of view, although I think your right that to some extent MBTI is inconsisent, but I feel it has to do more with peoples own biases, and there own interpretations of what the cognitive functions definitions are and they misinterpet their meanings and create totally different principals for the desciptions, but the theory itself is pretty solid in the sense of how the functions affect each type and how they use them in situations and how they progress to use the weaker functions which also bring for misinterpretation because I read time after time how ENFPs developed Se to a good exent now granted in ENFPs Se isn't useless but it is the eighth function, and so in my belief people is what makes MBTI inconsistent but it's a theory so yes people will find routes to find different meanings to it and it's significance to them, and I need to mention because of everything MBTI can mean people tend to add their own principals and ideas making for a giant mess.
 

Cellmold

Wake, See, Sing, Dance
Joined
Mar 23, 2012
Messages
6,266
I enjoyed very much reading your point of view, although I think your right that to some extent MBTI is inconsisent, but I feel it has to do more with peoples own biases, and there own interpretations of what the cognitive functions definitions are and they misinterpet their meanings and create totally different principals for the desciptions, but the theory itself is pretty solid in the sense of how the functions affect each type and how they use them in situations and how they progress to use the weaker functions which also bring for misinterpretation because I read time after time how ENFPs developed Se to a good exent now granted in ENFPs Se isn't useless but it is the eighth function, and so in my belief people is what makes MBTI inconsistent but it's a theory so yes people will find routes to find different meanings to it and it's significance to them, and I need to mention because of everything MBTI can mean people tend to add their own principals and ideas making for a giant mess.

So what is your type?
 

Cellmold

Wake, See, Sing, Dance
Joined
Mar 23, 2012
Messages
6,266
ENFP? Maybe.Why do you ask?

Because you were attempting to show me the validity of MBTI, yet you yourself have not given yourself a type on the forum. To me to this is more evidence towards my view of the theory, that it is too disorganised and unproven at the moment for it to be reliable.

I'm sure there are lots of things wrong with my reasoning, but hey you wanted to know.
 

zago

New member
Joined
Jun 25, 2008
Messages
1,162
MBTI Type
INTP
Did you find the theory overall to be consistent or are there certain areas that caught your eye? In my opinion the cognitive functions are more consistent than type desciptions, there is less gray area among them, although this may be my view, the reason why I say this is I've heard people can relate to the individual cog functions more easily than the type desciptions although they may misinterpret the descriptions and type themselves incorrectly. What are your thoughts?

Take a look at this thread. I basically gave me best yet depiction of my understanding of MBTI and cognitive functions. I think I did a great job, but no one even responded so I was disappointed not to get any feedback.
 

Mole

Permabanned
Joined
Mar 20, 2008
Messages
20,284
Isn't MBTI amazing? Eventhough there is no proving it I feel it has solidified itself on its own through the behaviors of people, and has actually helped me relate to people on a different level, or I guess understand them better and to see where people are coming from, and become more tolerant to their quirks as a result my self presentation has also improved because of this understanding of people.

So, more a believer than a sceptic.
 
Joined
Jul 3, 2008
Messages
1,858
MBTI Type
INFP
Enneagram
54
Instinctual Variant
so/sp
Finger up the butt, Officer Victor.
 

Mole

Permabanned
Joined
Mar 20, 2008
Messages
20,284
Finger up the butt, Officer Victor.

It's extraordinary, isn't it? They always fall back on insults.

But it's not so extraordinary when they come from a culture where insults are taken for granted.
 
Joined
Jul 3, 2008
Messages
1,858
MBTI Type
INFP
Enneagram
54
Instinctual Variant
so/sp
It's extraordinary, isn't it? They always fall back on insults.

But it's not so extraordinary when they come from a culture where insults are taken for granted.

Tell me your fears.
 

Cellmold

Wake, See, Sing, Dance
Joined
Mar 23, 2012
Messages
6,266

I read your post\s. Lenore Thompson suggests that when a person, even one with a well developed auxiliary function, fails to apply their secondary function to themselves they fall back on the tertiary as a defence mechanism, especially when they come into contact with problems that their usual way operating cannot deal with, in this case Ti.

Furthermore because of this the inferior becomes steadily more unconscious and out of control. I thought i'd mention this because of your post detailing your aversion to Si.

I tend to like this interpretation of the theory as it has a practical purpose that can be applied outside of typology, even if MBTI is a load of shit, at the least this induces people to take a more conscious approach to their life.

Shame I ripped her book up and threw it in the bin in a grump along with Gifts Differing and Please Understand me. Although it gave me great pleasure to rip up the latter.
 
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