[NT] NT rationals, a question! What do you think?

[skip]

You're kidding, right?

 

[mippus]

not at all, "unreliable" isn't a moral judgement.

 

[typo]

Hi everyone, I have what may seem like an odd or silly question, but it's piqued my curiousity and this seems like the right place to ask it if I want a good response...
A number of years ago in my first year of college I took the official MBTI test and came up as an INTP. However I've since misplaced the documentation with said results- and several online tests (albeit unofficial) have classified me as an INTJ. Now, my question. Is it possible for test results to change? I feel silly even asking, something that hardwired can't change, right?
Maybe I'm more firm in judgments about life than I was then, but I put that mostly on having matured over the last 5 years... and having the last 5 years to make decisions and come to conclusions. But I'll cut this off before that tangent gets longer.
Thanks, I'm eager to hear whatever you have to say on the subject!

There is no study that I know of that tries to predict the MBTI of babies in the womb, so there is no reason to believe that we are born with our MBTI or that it is "hard wired" rather than developed over time. That said, if the MBTI is a reliable measure of personality tendencies, than its results probably do not fluctuate much with age, though keep in mind it is *just*tendencies we are talking about here and your personality type allows, depending on how you respond to those tendencies, for your behavior and judgement to change quite a bit. These behavioral changes do not imply that your personality tendencies have changed.

Finally, the MBTI is ultimately a self-reported system. In more thorough versions of the test, people interpret their results on the standardized portion of the test and, along with consultation from a professional, ultimately choose their own type. If you do not feel that you identify with your "reported" type, it may simply not represent you. MBTI is more art than science.

 

[skip]

It doesn't measure tendencies, it measures preferences.

It's not reliable at younger ages because you're still growing up.

 

[typo]

It doesn't measure tendencies, it measures preferences.

It's not reliable at younger ages because you're still growing up.

To the first point, one meaning of tendency is: "inclination: an attitude of mind ... a leaning" all of which can be synonymous with "preference."

As far as the second point, who says you need to be "grown up" to have personality preferences assessed? My point was just a comment on the nature versus nurture debate -- that MBTI may or may not be something we are born with as opposed to developed. Yes, I know it is ultimately some interaction between natural traits and environment, but I still find it an interesting thought experiment to consider that the same baby born in different environments could potentially become any of the personality types.

 

[skip]

You can have it assessed at any time. That doesn't mean it'll be reliable at any time.

"Preferences" is the term used by Myers and Briggs.

 

[Judous]

Your personality is a general reflection of you, and how you have responded to challenges and situations in your life. It's not supposed to be an end all be all of who you are, there is obviously a lot more to it passed that.

But I do think it is very much possible to change it. For instance im pretty far into percieving (74%) but im trying to increase my Judging ability purely for the sake of being able to do my finances better. And it is working, though I don't want to go to far..I like winging everything else in my life.

 

[Badlands]

I don't think it's possible for your core preferences to change past early childhood (tests are just a medium that helps determine type, not a be-all end-all by any means). Even if you develop certain non-preferential characteristics, the preference likely won't change. Although I have developed my Feeling non-preference pretty well, I still prefer to have a reason for doing things.