Nature vs nurture temperaments

[Ghost of the dead horse]

Do you think there are temperaments or types in any personality systems that are more likely a result of "personal development" than others?

So lets say some personalities occur naturally. Every personality must occur somewhat naturally. Yet some personalities seem more focused on "developing their personalities" and some less so.

Some personalities are such that rarely does in individual focus on that and say to them selves, "I want to be that".

So, what personalities are more of a result of development, and which less so?

Is there any downside to "developing" your personality? Does it get odd in any way when you're developing it?

Can we find some more natural and more unnatural development programmes for personalities?

 

[Ghost of the dead horse]

Say that a person A attends a seminar on developing your positive attitude towards life and your mental capacity. Given the theme of the development, might that person end up directing themselves toward certain personality type, say, ENFJ?

Someone goes to a philosophy seminar where the charismatic speaker encourages people to do more of the same they are already doing, just with a bit more thought? Can that kind of development lead an INFP to become an INTP?

There are probably some MBTI temperaments, personality types, or personality types by some other system that show more of the attributes sought in "personal development", hence people developing their mental functions might more readily end up as those types rather than some others.

I'm finding some NTJ-ish content in some of the education I've participated in in the last 10 years. For example, some ideas about leadership have motivated me to think of my work as a continuous process where the process can be analyzed, tuned and improved. That kind of education has been influental in my life. I would definitely say that a person following that line of thinking will more probably find themselves as an NTJ rather than say, an SFP.

Some other "development programme" would probably steer a person towards SFP.

 

[Xander]

The answer is, in relation to MBTI, you are what you were. A developed INTP can utilise underlying ENTJ like characteristics to command, inner F to empathise and can appreciate tradition and definition. Thus doesn't mean that they are any less INTP just that they have added additional skills and approaches.

Do you stop being Joe when you finish school? No. You are always Joe, it's just now you are Joe who can do rudimentary science and math.

 

[BlackDog]

I've had similar ideas, only I didn't think to extrapolate it beyond early childhood development. But what you are saying sounds possible for borderline cases. I don't think it would change you if you were a particularly INFPish INFP, but if you were kind of squishy, on-the-fence, then I think that training could very well make the difference.

Even if your underlying process was still the same, could we recognize the difference between a 'born' INTP and a 'trained' INTP from a behavioral standpoint?

 

[Xander]

I've had similar ideas, only I didn't think to extrapolate it beyond early childhood development. But what you are saying sounds possible for borderline cases. I don't think it would change you if you were a particularly INFPish INFP, but if you were kind of squishy, on-the-fence, then I think that training could very well make the difference.

Even if your underlying process was still the same, could we recognize the difference between a 'born' INTP and a 'trained' INTP from a behavioral standpoint?

The difference would lie in the behaviour seen when they haven't got the energy to maintain a facade.

 

[seradane]

Interestingly, it is said that the military leans so heavily towards xSTJ personalities that many types after going through that will appear externally much closer to an xSTJ than they would otherwise. Whether that changes internal personality? I cannot say.

Personally, with an ESTJ father, I sometimes think I have ended up more organised than I would have been inclined to be otherwise, but then it is hard to tell what is learned and what is natural inclination. I feel like a messy person who happens to have some habits of organisation, the 'J' in my type may suggest otherwise.

I'm finding some NTJ-ish content in some of the education I've participated in in the last 10 years.

I would theorise that it is more likely to be the sort of education that 'suits' people who are already NTJs, or not far off, and those who are not may simply find it more difficult and unrewarding.