Have the personality typing systems had any negative impacts on your life?

[Generalist]

Hi, thanks to anyone who shows interest. Obviously personality typing systems are popular and there are lots of people who would say it has helped them in their lives, but I am curious as to how personality may have had a negative impact in your life. Did you mistype yourself and maybe choose the wrong major/career direction? Use it as excuse not to engage in certain activities? Waste a lot of time trying to figure it out when you knew the answer right away? Or whatever the case might be. Thanks again.

 

[entropie]

Germans wouldnt ever believe in bullshit like mbti. And if they do, they never talk about it to each others. I'ld rather be an American, but without Americans, they are not like Germans, they believe anything you sell them.

It never harmed me actually I was crazy before. it gave me a tool to express myself or maybe it was a false religion I followed.

I dont know

 

[Galaxy Gazer]

FUCK YES.
I originally typed myself as an INFP, and as a result of facebook MBTI groups, started thinking of myself as an oversensitive, worthless crybaby. And that kinda sucked. INFP seemed to be the least liked type, and I got into this mental rut of "why do I have to be the type of person that no one likes when there are 15 other types I could have been?"

I also let my grades slip and avoided all responsibility because I thought I was a perceiver, and perceivers are supposed to be lazy and chaotic (according to stereotypes). I also developed "intuitive superiority," a mentality that caused me to avoid emotionally healthy people even more than I already did, because I thought that if someone wasn't an anime-loving geeky outcast, they were a sensor, and therefore shallow and uninspired.

Oh, and I decided to major in social work, since it seemed like the most fitting career for an idealist. I hated it and ended up switching my major like 3 times until I discovered criminal justice (which I freaking love).

Now I'm confident-ish that I am probably an ISFJ, but I know enough about types and functions to avoid stereotyping myself as uptight, boring, unimaginative, etc. This was not the case back then, and unfortunately, my main source of information at the time was very unreliable.

I wonder what I'd be like if I had never discovered MBTI.

 

[Virtual ghost]

When I see 3 digit number it is possible that my first thought will be "Can this be a tritype combination?".

 

[that's not my name]

It hasn't had much of an impact on my life in general. The only thing is that, when I think about cognitive functions I notice patterns in my behavior, and I guess that it's helped me realize that it's just Ni and not OCD, but I would say that's more of a positive thing. Other than that, nothing.

 

[Hiraeth]

Well not sure if this would be considered a negative reason, but one thing I notice is that I tend to overly self-analyze myself in hopes of correctly finding my exact type. I can get a bit carried away, and sometimes I think I subconsciously try to act more like a specific type that I would like myself to be rather than who I really am naturally. Another is that whenever I meet people in real life, one of my first thoughts is wondering what type that person could be, and then I keep trying to narrow down possible types for that person. It can be a bit obsessive to the point where I stop seeing people as people and instead just focus on what type they could be. For those reasons, MBTI could get extremely annoying at times, haha.

 

[LovecraftianMonstrosity]

When I see 3 digit number it is possible that my first thought will be "Can this be a tritype combination?".

hah. I play prime, not prime.

 

[Yuurei]

I think that saying a negative impact on my overall life, would be a slightly dramatic statement. After IRL no one cares about MBTI but within the MBTI community and yeah, it can be frustrating.

 

[the state i am in]

no, it's been quite helpful. doing work on yourself, however, doesn't necessarily come from jungian, cognitive models.

enneagram is way more helpful in bringing out this sense of questions to explore and build noticing practices around.

jungian does help a bit with communication issues, and it has helped me notice connections in a clearer way. i feel like i can pick up and vibe with others, have a more focused way of exploring/building common ground, and have a more immediate way to explore appreciating and collaborating and learning from each other.

in real world projects, it's fucking awesome to focus test and bring balance to anything i try to make.

 

[skimpit]

I don't think they have at all. All I've used them for is to gain a general idea of who a person is. And by that I mean, like general, usual behavior. Patterns. 'Cause really, that is all the MBTI is for. So I might go, for instance, if that person's an INTJ, "Wow, they might be touchy. All INTJs are a little touchy and insecure. I should be careful around them and not say anything I don't mean, or joke unnecessarily." And of course I don't go around typing people. I do that if I'm bored. But if I happen to know the person's type or if they've told me, I'll keep it in mind about them.

I think really, that MBTI is like a personality type within a personality type. The fact that you took the test that day tells something about you. I don't know what, but it does. And you get a result. So how will your reaction be to that result? Will it be good, bad, ugly even? Will you have the courage to type as a sensor possibly? I wonder. It's really interesting. Because it's like a super meta test or something.

I wish someone would discuss it with me, though. That's one thing I wish. Like, a super in-depth discussion. That'd be nice. And I'm kind of always wondering, "Do you know the MBTI? Do you?" about other people. Because it's one of my favorite subjects. But I don't push it on anybody.

One thing that drives me nuts though is that I don't know my type. Like people will say, "Yeah, you're an ISFJ." But I'll be like, I got really attached to ISTJ and I thought that was right. Fe doesn't sound right for me. But eh, whatever you see in me I guess. I think that might be a common problem in the community, actually, that you get attached to your type and can't see anything else once you've memorized the description. You might be off by one letter but will argue people until they're screaming that you're an ISFP, not an INFP. Like okay. Like for whatever reason you like that type description and don't want to budge from it, even if another might fit you better. Like you like the artist stereotype instead of the sensitive wallflower one they present. Hmm.

 

[fetus]

Oh yes. Definitely.

It was mostly last year. I got so carried away that I started subconsciously "acting" like the type I thought I was. I've always wanted someone or something to describe me, to pin me down, because I'm often so unsure of who I really am. Other people say things, and that's who I become. I mold and bend because I always trust others more than I trust myself.

Type became a way for me to claim my identity. But there was a gap between who I was and who I wanted to be. My ideal self at that time was INFP. And because I still trust others more than myself, I tried my best to make them believe it. I just wanted to be pinned down, so any part of me that fell outside the box was altered. Unfortunately, that was a lot--because I am not an INFP, in the real sense or stereotyped.

I held back from situations I wanted to be involved in because I thought I was an introvert. I began to feel drained, tired, and stifled because I didn't let myself socialize or share my ideas. I wasn't free to be the extrovert I actually am.

I refused to be practical because I thought N's were dreamy. I had to put a lot of effort into appearing deep and thoughtful. I only talked about myself in terms of the stereotype because I wanted myself and others to know who I was.

My grades fell. I thought I was a dreamy IFP who wasn't going to college because I wanted to be a secluded writer in her own little world. I stopped caring so much. Only towards the end of the year did I realize that I had aspirations. But by then, it was a little too late. My GPA went from a 3.84 to a 3.69. Which is still good, but I shot myself in the foot. My college choices are more narrow.

It was exhausting. I put so much effort into appearing carefree, spontaneous, and unconcerned with others. I started coming off as shallow because I needed every part of me to be an INFP.

But type theory has now given me some true confidence and self awareness. Knowing I'm an ESFJ really explains a lot about my personality. I don't have to be fake because that's who I truly am. The functions make sense to me! And now I can live into my potential. It sounds weird, but now when I'm nervous about something, I tell myself, "Hey, you've got the Fe-Ne to do this." And I do.

Whatever. That's all I have to say.

 

[Yama]

Yes. I've made the mistake of taking it (and myself) too seriously. I've improved my life by taking a step back and learning to chill out about typology.

 

[Forever]

When I see 3 digit number it is possible that my first thought will be "Can this be a tritype combination?".

Me too! Oh my gosh. I look at order receipt from like a fast food place.. I'm like "Could this be my tri-type?"

 

[Jellyfish1234]

Personally, a part of me possibly regrets learning about typology. I feel like I learnt about it at a time where I should have been discovering myself, and so rather than discovering myself, I discovered a type that I thought I was and assumed I was that and everything that came with it. Also, I tend to see people in terms of typology now - I'm always thinking about what functions they might be using, what type they are, and honestly it makes people a lot less interesting because of my perception of them being so limited. I feel like I can't understand people as well anymore because I'm trying to fit my perception of them into the typology system, which I don't even know very well, and trying to understand them through the system, rather than just what I think they're like. Before I learnt about typology I found trying to understand people and their motivations more interesting, I think, because there was so much to explore in people and try to understand, and since I had no limitations, for example knowing they're a certain function user and so using that information to limit my other impressions I get from them, I think my perceptions were more accurate. But now I'm just evaluating which letters they are etc. And I find it difficult to stop thinking like that, for some reason. But I'm working on that and have distanced myself a lot from typology recently.

But maybe typology will help me a lot someday, or maybe it has helped me already without me fully realising how. Maybe I'd be worse off if I didn't have typology to grip on to when I was a teenager.

 

[ThaumaturgicTheorist]

Oh yes. Definitely.

It was mostly last year. I got so carried away that I started subconsciously "acting" like the type I thought I was. I've always wanted someone or something to describe me, to pin me down, because I'm often so unsure of who I really am. Other people say things, and that's who I become. I mold and bend because I always trust others more than I trust myself.

Type became a way for me to claim my identity. But there was a gap between who I was and who I wanted to be. My ideal self at that time was INFP. And because I still trust others more than myself, I tried my best to make them believe it. I just wanted to be pinned down, so any part of me that fell outside the box was altered. Unfortunately, that was a lot--because I am not an INFP, in the real sense or stereotyped.

I held back from situations I wanted to be involved in because I thought I was an introvert. I began to feel drained, tired, and stifled because I didn't let myself socialize or share my ideas. I wasn't free to be the extrovert I actually am.

I refused to be practical because I thought N's were dreamy. I had to put a lot of effort into appearing deep and thoughtful. I only talked about myself in terms of the stereotype because I wanted myself and others to know who I was.

My grades fell. I thought I was a dreamy IFP who wasn't going to college because I wanted to be a secluded writer in her own little world. I stopped caring so much. Only towards the end of the year did I realize that I had aspirations. But by then, it was a little too late. My GPA went from a 3.84 to a 3.69. Which is still good, but I shot myself in the foot. My college choices are more narrow.

It was exhausting. I put so much effort into appearing carefree, spontaneous, and unconcerned with others. I started coming off as shallow because I needed every part of me to be an INFP.

But type theory has now given me some true confidence and self awareness. Knowing I'm an ESFJ really explains a lot about my personality. I don't have to be fake because that's who I truly am. The functions make sense to me! And now I can live into my potential. It sounds weird, but now when I'm nervous about something, I tell myself, "Hey, you've got the Fe-Ne to do this." And I do.

Whatever. That's all I have to say.

Hell yes.

I mistyped badly for about a year and a half. And I think realizing my real type (MBTI and Enneagram) contributed to a bit of a mental breakdown (like literally, there were tears and everything. And spam posting, so much spam posting). They still depress and disgust me at times, and I'd still rather be something else, but I think I moved past the initial "trauma" of finding out what I always wanted to be and see myself as is the total opposite of my real self...

I did/do the whole mold-to-your-type. Except when I was trying to be an INTx it was actually beneficial. I felt freaking powerful and competent (even though I was still failing at everything in life. The biggest thing those typings gave me was hope - like "Yes, you're failing now, but look: you're inherently brilliant, innovative, intellectual. You're the best type - that has to count for something!"). Now? I don't even know how an ISFP is supposed to be like; plus my Se has been in a coma for god knows how long, so that doesn't help. Counting myself as an Fi-dom is really far more honest though.


(As for Enneagram....I kind of prefer that system these days, but I hate my type. Hate it, hate it, hate it. Why couldn't I have been a person with actual self and substance, instead of literally being defined by what an empty shell I am? I know raging against the heavens doesn't do much, but come on...)

 

[Galena]

No, even when I mistyped as both Ni doms. Although I may have been frustrated with myself for being so black-and-white at what was supposed to be my dominant function. Though I was able to make sense of my decisions as coming from Ni, they were good if not better fits for an ISFP all along.

Putting in that final push of research to finally get it right was a relief.

 

[Lady Lazarus]

If I were even the slightest bit younger former tells I would have had a very different reaction to my current type. But I currently have more of a grasp on certain ways and enough of a tendency to have allergic reactions to myself to be as I am.

 

[Forever]

Realizing about Te and Fe was probably the most interesting to learn as those functions had the greatest impact on me. Living in America, a Te/Fi dominated culture. I suppose I was always under the influence of wanting to be a Te user when in fact I should avoid trying to become that image and embrace my Fe/Ti. There'd be many days I'd try to resemble a Te type and I just fall flat in my face because it just wasn't me and I wasn't certain that it wasn't my strength or I was using my function wrong this whole time and it's messing with my development.

It's very frustrating to live under such confusion. I'm wondering today if mbti has done me more harm than good. Getting obsessed with one personality system probably isn't healthy thinking even if there's a lot to be learned about it. I don't think I've actually found a meaningful relationship with an Ni dom and I have done what I can with other types and learned to acknowledge our differences.

The whole meet the perfect person days are over in terms of being a primary interest but it's not something I want to entirely let go if there is a person who is similar to me out there. I would wonder if I'd love or hate the person. I hope it's the former if it ever comes true.

Funny thing about the enneagram system too is that it is quite deep and even if you are convinced you are another type when in reality your core type may be something else, it's always a way to grow no matter what which makes that system quite beautiful. But a sign that you found the right type is that when the wake up call makes sense to you and that even if you tell yourself to trust the personality system and do in fact trust it, a strong internal resistance still resides. I also suppose on the scale it may depend on how healthy or how unhealthy you are.

So is it a hobby or something that has legitimately helped me out? I don't think I can help out anymore.

 

[Flâneuse]

Yeah, I can relate to a lot of what others are saying in this thread. I've often felt like I lack a strong internal identity and consistent external role, and when I first got into typology several years ago I took it way too seriously and ended up basing my identity and role around being an IxFP (sometimes INFP specifically). I embraced many of the qualities most associated with IxFP types as my own, even some of the negative ones (to the point where I was holding back my own personal development) and some of the positive ones that I merely wished I possessed but later realized I lack (like artistic inclination).

To make a long story short, I've (pretty much) stopped seeing type as an endpoint to identify who you are, and instead starting looking at as a starting point, a mere tool that can guide people in their discovery of the motivations of self and others if used correctly. Types are just patterns, not people, and no one is fully encompassed or defined by their type - real personalities are way too varied and complex for that.

 

[ceecee]

I don't think they have at all. All I've used them for is to gain a general idea of who a person is.

This. I also didn't discover MBTI while in the midst of a crisis or at a period in life where I didn't know myself well, such as teens/young adult. It's a tool - that's it.