Is MBTI useful?

[musicheck]

What do you get out of an understanding of MBTI? Do you find yourself able to read people more easily in day to day life? Do you attempt to type other people to understand them? Does it help you communicate with people who might otherwise seem to operate in an incomprehensible way?
At the same time, do you find yourself pigeonholing people or ignoring details that don't quite fit the MBTI descriptions? Does anyone feel that MBTI has had a negative effect on their ability to understand others?

 

[disregard]

It has really enhanced my smug sense of superiority.

 

[placebo]

Does it help you communicate with people who might otherwise seem to operate in an incomprehensible way?

This. And more specifically, I think it's helped me to understand my mom better, who's an SJ, and why we differ so strongly on some important issues. It's helped our relationship to a degree, and because of that benefit, it outweighs any negatives I might have gained from learning about MBTI (of which I don't think there are many).

 

[Arilee]

Like any personailty profiling, MBTI is useful as long as it is applied correctly. I hate the idea of "Putting people in to a pidgeon hole" -- you're this type hence you will think and behave like this... and I'm wary of companies that use it in recruitment in case they have the attitude of "we want an ESFJ" or whatever type they think they are looking for...

As my SO is an INTP MBTI has helped us both understand each other a great deal, He has known about MBTI for much longer than me, but since I took a bit more of an interest we have found that we communicate much better and that we can follow each others thought processes much better.

I use MBTI at work to help me understand the motivations of the people I work with. Some I can get along with very well without an issue, but others made no sense until I tried to work out their MBTI and then adapt my communication style to fit their type. Once I'd done this life became much simpler... Knowing my MBTI type helped me understand how I can come across to people of other types, in both positive and negative senses and I take this in to account when dealing with sesitive or difficult situations.

 

[nozflubber]

OMG ITS AN ESTP

I think William James would have loved MBTI and condoned it's use, because he thought that just about any kind of belief or attitude had adaptive value - on that charge alone I maintain it's usefulness. Even IF MBTI is all smoke and mirrors, it still makes people FEEL like they understand human behavior better by being able to make attributions and beliefs, giving them a sense of control and understanding.

"Oh don't take that comment personally, it's a total INT- trait"

"I bet you can totally gather that person's feelings, you have a strong Fe!"

etc

 

[BerberElla]

It's helped me to understand the other types better, which has in turn led me to not take things so personally in my own life if someones behaviour hurts when it's not meant to.

But for myself I feel I fell into the trap of believing that I could no longer change the things I had always been trying to change about myself. I sort of boxed myself into this type description and began to mentally say" why try to be organised when an INFP is not meant to be super organised".

Now I am back to trying to change those things, because believing I was trapped like that gave me a sense of hopelessness in the long run. Better to go down fighting I say.

 

[Arilee]

OMG ITS AN ESTP

:hi:

.... But for myself I feel I fell into the trap of believing that I could no longer change the things I had always been trying to change about myself. I sort of boxed myself into this type description and began to mentally say" why try to be organised when an INFP is not meant to be super organised".

Now I am back to trying to change those things, because believing I was trapped like that gave me a sense of hopelessness in the long run. Better to go down fighting I say.

That is an easy trap to fall in to. When I fall in to this trap i kick myself back on track by reminding myself "it's a preference not a cast iron rule". Doesn't always work but it's a start.

 

[Xander]

OMG ITS AN ESTP

Don't encourage them!!!






Personally I rarely apply MBTI. I find that the main use I've had for it is to make me aware of the breadth of how people CAN think. It kinda helps me spot the theory behind the madness

 

[Giggly]

It hasn't really added anything to my life. I already had patience before discovering MBTI.

 

[sarah]

What do you get out of an understanding of MBTI? Do you find yourself able to read people more easily in day to day life? Do you attempt to type other people to understand them? Does it help you communicate with people who might otherwise seem to operate in an incomprehensible way?
At the same time, do you find yourself pigeonholing people or ignoring details that don't quite fit the MBTI descriptions? Does anyone feel that MBTI has had a negative effect on their ability to understand others?

It's useful if you use it in a positive way -- ie: to improve your relationships with other people. It's not useful if you simply treat it like a weapon to beat down and belittle anyone who isn't just like you.

 

[wolfy]

I simply use it to reflect on myself. To get more out of life.

 

[garbage]

I tend to treat life in a very systematic way, based upon theories, classifications, and models.. so MBTI has been a very useful tool for me. I do treat it as a "rough cut" of sorts (Gifts Differing and other MBTI texts are very cookie-cutter), filling in the blanks using Socionics and Jung's original function theories.

I simply use it to reflect on myself. To get more out of life.

I identify with what's been said about MBTI helping to understanding others better, but this has been its most significant impact for me. It hasn't been just for understanding others, but also for understanding myself.