• You are currently viewing our forum as a guest, which gives you limited access to view most discussions and access our other features. By joining our free community, you will have access to additional post topics, communicate privately with other members (PM), view blogs, respond to polls, upload content, and access many other special features. Registration is fast, simple and absolutely free, so please join our community today! Just click here to register. You should turn your Ad Blocker off for this site or certain features may not work properly. If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact us by clicking here.

How often do you apply typology to life?

ceecee

Coolatta® Enjoyer
Joined
Apr 22, 2008
Messages
15,908
MBTI Type
INTJ
Enneagram
8w9
I tend to evaluate people along the lines of "this new person kinda vibes like [this other guy I know]." Everyone is unique and multifaceted and act differently in different situations, of course, so [caveats here].

Typology can give some vocabulary to stuff that is difficult to put into words, some different perspectives that might contribute to a larger understanding, and some rough heuristics. If I somehow need to dig deeper it might help loosely and roughly.

This. There are too many variables to put people in these slots solely based on type. If you only use a persons' MBTI type, you don't take their eneagram into account, for example, aren't you ignoring a large part of the person? I like the vibe idea better, this new person is like this other person I know.
 

INTJMom

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 28, 2007
Messages
5,413
MBTI Type
INTJ
Enneagram
5w4
...
I totally understand this and use it in this manner as well, it has changed the way that I communicate with several close friends, and has also made me conscious of how my tendency to change plans so quickly effects them. so I now know if I make a plan with them, unless it's an emergency, it's set in stone, because I respect the way they view the plan now.
I think MBTI can be used as a tool for self reflection but also for learning how some people prefer to be communicated with and receive information, so that they actually process in a way that they can understand.
Exactly! :smile:
 

anticlimatic

Permabanned
Joined
Oct 17, 2013
Messages
3,299
MBTI Type
INTP
Fairly often, but still not as often as I apply Nethack to life:

You can't go that way. A car is blocking your path!
You can't go that way. A car is blocking your path!
Apply what? (a, b, c..) h
Your car horn toots.
You sense drivers are aware of your presence.
The tourist hits!
The tourist hits!
The tourists bites!
You behead the tourist with your Vorpal Blade.
[MENTION=22264]Bush Did 9/11[/MENTION]
 

Lucy_Ricardo

New member
Joined
Jun 16, 2017
Messages
146
MBTI Type
INFP
I use it a lot when I'm communicating with others. If I happen to know a person's type, I can tailor the way I'm speaking with that person to get my point across more effectively.

I also try to keep it in mind in my self-improvement goals. I've been able to identify unhealthy INFP habits and work on overcoming them in myself.
 

Tomb1

Active member
Joined
Jun 15, 2011
Messages
994
I use it a lot for my own advantage. It's useful for pulling strings and makes managing people that need to be managed more efficient, less messy.

I find that the enneagram is better for exercising power in more informal settings. Socionics or MBTI is better for pulling strings in more formal/professional settings. For example, once I know the line of reasoning an INTJ has a weakness for, I will keep turning it, because that type is so consistent in their application of logic that once I find it out, it's as good as having a gun to their head but more subtle. It even pains them sometimes to give me my way. hehehe. Of course, the reasoning still has to add up. In contrast, the enneagram comes more in handy having a conversation with that same person in a hallway or somewhere casual...with MBTI, I can just toggle with their software. enneagram gives me access into their hard-drive.
 

Amargith

Hotel California
Joined
Nov 5, 2008
Messages
14,717
MBTI Type
ENFP
Enneagram
4dw
Instinctual Variant
sx/so
These days its hard not to see the patterns. I mostly use it to hone my people skills and amuse myself - with the occasional teasing joke prediction to throw people off thrown in.

It is kind of like sculpting, i find. It gives you that rough base to start from while you discover what the person truly is about.
 
Joined
May 19, 2017
Messages
5,100
Never. I apply the positive/negative adjective system. That person is a_______ human or a _______ human. Then with repeated exposure to an individual I adjust accordingly and perhaps add a few more adjectives to their dossier.
 
Joined
Apr 24, 2016
Messages
1,659
All. The. Time.

My sister thinks I'm the most annoying person in the world. I literally always point out what function she's using or where her enneagram type comes into play and I don't even notice how often I talk about it until she once broke out and complained lol.

I'm always analyzing people whether it's subconscious or not. I can't help it. Even with movie characters, actors, and musicians. I'll look up their type to see if other people think the same thing I do or to see a totally different viewpoint from my own.

My dad and sister are concerned about me. They think I have issues. I probably do. Haha.
 

Wunjo

Maverick thinker.
Joined
Mar 5, 2017
Messages
899
Instinctual Variant
sx/so
Sometimes.

Actually, here and now. Because most of my typings are shaped by Ni, I instantly get a, i.e. ENTP vibe from the person I meet and I start to analyze the data trying not be engulfed in my intuition, which can be likened to a crosscheck of a math problem. However, I think enneagram presents much more data and deductions compared to MBTI, even if I am not really well versed on both systems, I think that for a fact.
 

Cellmold

Wake, See, Sing, Dance
Joined
Mar 23, 2012
Messages
6,266
I'm coming from a fairly specific experience.

But the answer has turned out to be never. Generally because it involves convincing other people of it's patterns for it be adopted as a useful metric for discussing issues with others (I'm coming from outside of forums or groups like this one). For a distanced observation in which a person might...say....fill in the blanks of behaviour with a best set explanation in a quick not-too-analytical and interpersonal-in-the-moment sense, it tends to be as good as most on that account, the account of best guesses.

On the other side of it I've definitely never had any single person give me a useful, meaningful or helpful (and any other adjective of that nature) interaction or set of information using typology (which is not to say I haven't got that from the people I've met on here) that comes across as harsher than I intend but it is accurate.

Particularly if it's from a personal assumption of what they think my type is, what they think their own is and how they believe that fits together.

It's just another kind of assumption surrounding behaviour and so far it's always been wrong, though I give a sliver of allowance that it could one day be right.

Mainly, the pattern I notice now, when you hollow it out, is people end up exchanging different content for the same feeling of certainty and being "right". I'm no less guilty in this respect and at the risk of accusations of projection: it's partly how I recognise it, however I can recall when I first clicked with typology and the elation of that epiphany, the feeling of 'rightness' that it brought was kind of addictive. Although I was never a prolific out and out typer, in fact I was always more interested in it as something that could tell me about myself (yes that is as stupid as it sounds). Later in another post-identity phase or rather the illusion trying to cover for another illusion, I thought about how easy it was to believe in something.

We seem to be somewhat hard-wired for it, to an extent, I mean we do it whenever we get up in the morning. And interestingly empiricism seems to be inherent too, we can credit our senses with that one.

Basically I knew I was dumb, but never sure how dumb. So I started to enjoy the breeze on my face; I stopped being mindful and started being worldful.

We live in a world of things and are made up of things, there's this perverse arrogance where we seem to assume sublimation of the things to our will, when really we're more like the subjects ourselves.

The greeks had it right with their concept of the muse.
 

cosmic royal

Phoenix Flame
Joined
Jul 28, 2015
Messages
451
MBTI Type
xNTJ
Enneagram
584
Instinctual Variant
sx/sp
I used to deduce others' types in real life. Not as much now, though I still guess Enneagram types.

It seems easier to figure out MBTIs with real people, and Enneagram types with online friends. I'm not sure why.
 

Mole

Permabanned
Joined
Mar 20, 2008
Messages
20,284
I've been taught to worship a three headed God called the Trinity, and I apply this to life whenever I can, but it doesn't irritate people as much as applying mbti to them.
 

Forever

Permabanned
Joined
Aug 30, 2013
Messages
8,551
MBTI Type
NiFi
Enneagram
3w4
Instinctual Variant
sx/so
I only use Typology as a possibility of why the person may be acting this way. It is never considered conclusive. Though a nice story isn’t bad to have in my mind in the meantime. :)

It is irritating to hear someone using Typology in me irl and actually turns to only learn a little and doesn’t even know enough about the dichotomy. Most horribly they don’t know what a cognitive function is.
 

Maou

Mythos
Joined
Jun 20, 2018
Messages
6,117
MBTI Type
INTP
Enneagram
5w6
Instinctual Variant
sx/sp

Schrödinger's Name

Blessed With A Curse
Joined
Jul 20, 2019
Messages
1,693
I read this as "How often do you apologize to life", oops.

Generally not a lot since I don't know that much about typology. I only force my closest friends to take the tests.
When someone annoys me I might try to figure out which type they are, idk why. Also counts for the people I like.

I guess I'm still pretty selfish, most of the time I use it to read about me, myself and I. Even though it seems pretty cool to be able to have so much insight, to pay attention to what people do and that kind of stuff. Most of the time I'm in my own head so I don't always notice a lot.
 
Joined
Aug 7, 2019
Messages
775
MBTI Type
INTJ
Enneagram
-
I have been trying to identify others type, since the beginning I studied typology in 2014. I have been doing trial and error to exercise some unconscious dexterity of me in order to come up with the idea of ideal job for me. Somehow, the Hypersomnina I used to suffer from never relapse anymore when I began studying especially Jung's typology. I have been writing my memoir since 2014.
 

Wunjo

Maverick thinker.
Joined
Mar 5, 2017
Messages
899
Instinctual Variant
sx/so
I tend to psychologically evaluate every person I meet, therefore MBTI/Enneagram has a valid place in my arsenal.
 

violetsunrise

Member
Joined
Sep 1, 2018
Messages
304
Enneagram
2w3
Instinctual Variant
so/sx
I used to evaluate every single person I met, these days very rarely if ever.
 
Top