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How do you determine someone's type?

Gabe

New member
Joined
Nov 17, 2007
Messages
590
MBTI Type
ENTP
How do you? Do you look for cognitive processes/ archetypes? Work on the dichotomies (E/I, F/T, S/N, J/P)? Compare type guess to temperment/interaction style models? (I never quite understood the interaction style one)
 

INTJMom

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 28, 2007
Messages
5,413
MBTI Type
INTJ
Enneagram
5w4
How do you? Do you look for cognitive processes/ archetypes? Work on the dichotomies (E/I, F/T, S/N, J/P)? Compare type guess to temperament/interaction style models? (I never quite understood the interaction style one)
My knowledge is in the "dichotomies" as you call them.

I have to remind myself why I want to know someone's type. My goal is to understand them well enough to associate with them without having conflict. I want to get along with people and since I am naturally inept at it, I use my understanding of MBTI to help me, so I won't experience so much failure.

So for me, just understanding if they prefer E or I, if they use S or N, if they're T or F, and whether they prefer J or P, is enough information for me to work or associate with someone generally successfully. I just observe their behavior and carefully listen to the things they say.

If they want to know they're type, then I use some online resources.

Interestingly, Jung said, "Every individual is an exception to the rule." Accordingly, I don't put people in boxes they can't get out of, but a general understanding helps me.
 

Magic Poriferan

^He pronks, too!
Joined
Nov 4, 2007
Messages
14,081
MBTI Type
Yin
Enneagram
One
Instinctual Variant
sx/sp
I tend to look for contrast with the dichotomies as well.
But there are also weird little tests you can put people through to figure it out.
I read about this hilarious study where they had two rooms: one full of N's and the other full of S's. The two groups where both told to draw their "spiritual journey". The end results was that the two rooms drew radically different kinds of pictures.
The S's often with an identifiable, pictogram style to them, and the N's with almost completely abstract art. The two rooms did not relate to eachother's art.

Every now and then, there are bright, flashing signs about someone's type that send you in the right direction.
 

Totenkindly

@.~*virinaĉo*~.@
Joined
Apr 19, 2007
Messages
50,145
MBTI Type
BELF
Enneagram
594
Instinctual Variant
sx/sp
But there are also weird little tests you can put people through to figure it out. I read about this hilarious study where they had two rooms: one full of N's and the other full of S's. The two groups where both told to draw their "spiritual journey". The end results was that the two rooms drew radically different kinds of pictures. The S's often with an identifiable, pictogram style to them, and the N's with almost completely abstract art. The two rooms did not relate to eachother's art.

That is not a bad start. In general, though, the SPs and NTs will muddy the water. (i.e., SJs and NFs would clump near the extremes). N + T means abstract BUT impersonally reasoned (structure), while SPs want detail and identifiability in general and yet are so free-flowing, they go where the picture leads them. So there is some crossover.

if all else fails, get out the Magic MBTI 8-Ball, shake, and read the little message in the window. :D
 

Splittet

Wannabe genius
Joined
Jun 12, 2007
Messages
632
MBTI Type
INTJ
I look at dichotomies and cognitive processes, but more and more cognitive processes, really.
 

quietgirl

New member
Joined
Sep 29, 2007
Messages
401
MBTI Type
INFJ
I tend to look at cognitive processes & interaction styles. I mainly want to know the interaction style so I can better communicate & attempt to relate with others.

I can usually pick up on one dominating cognitive process and start to decipher that way.

I'm not the best at determining the exact type though. People tend to surprise me.
 

FDG

pathwise dependent
Joined
Aug 13, 2007
Messages
5,903
MBTI Type
ENTJ
Enneagram
7w8
I use visual identification, and socionics relationships. Over time, I've become pretty good at the first and can easily distinguish the first three letters of a person. For the last, I look at their friends and decide. If an ESTx is friends with INFps and ISTjs, then it's likely that he's an ESTp over an ESTj. The same applies to ENTx, ISFx, etc

It's also rather easy to distinguish between interaction styles of ExTx, ExFx, IxFx and IxTx (except for IxTx women that can superficially look like IxFx, especially INTps)
 

DaRick

New member
Joined
Oct 19, 2007
Messages
100
MBTI Type
INFJ
Enneagram
4w5
Cognitive process + dichotomies. I used to look exclusively at dichotomies, but that approach wasn't really successful.
 

snegledmaca

New member
Joined
Apr 23, 2007
Messages
145
I don't use dichotomies, cognitive processes, visual identification, relationships, interaction styles or anything other objective, non personalized method like that. I use a personal system of judgment. This only sometimes relates to a jungian type, most people by this system don't have a determined type. And I prefer it over typology.
 

wildcat

New member
Joined
Jun 8, 2007
Messages
3,622
MBTI Type
INTP
How do you? Do you look for cognitive processes/ archetypes? Work on the dichotomies (E/I, F/T, S/N, J/P)? Compare type guess to temperment/interaction style models? (I never quite understood the interaction style one)
A multiple meaning or origin?
Neither.
 

arcticangel02

To the top of the world
Joined
Oct 5, 2007
Messages
892
MBTI Type
eNFP
How do you? Do you look for cognitive processes/ archetypes? Work on the dichotomies (E/I, F/T, S/N, J/P)? Compare type guess to temperment/interaction style models? (I never quite understood the interaction style one)

I tend to look at the dichotomies, and I can normally pick out 3/4 fairly well... then I'll get the person to look at a couple of different descriptions of their possible types, and they'll usually have one that stands out. Of course, I've only tried to type friends and family that I know fairly well so far.

I enjoy knowing people's types, so I can understand what each type is like, especialy when I want to discuss them here. I find it very hard to understand/imagine what a type is like in real life unless I know someone who I identify as that type.
 

Dansker

New member
Joined
Apr 23, 2007
Messages
341
MBTI Type
INTP
A combination of dichotomies, temperament and cognitive processes, but I find now that I rely more and more on cognitive processes.
 

Gabe

New member
Joined
Nov 17, 2007
Messages
590
MBTI Type
ENTP
I use visual identification, and socionics relationships. Over time, I've become pretty good at the first and can easily distinguish the first three letters of a person. For the last, I look at their friends and decide. If an ESTx is friends with INFps and ISTjs, then it's likely that he's an ESTp over an ESTj. The same applies to ENTx, ISFx, etc

It's also rather easy to distinguish between interaction styles of ExTx, ExFx, IxFx and IxTx (except for IxTx women that can superficially look like IxFx, especially INTps)

Sorry to correct you here (it's honestly not what I made this thread for), but _STJs have been known to be married to _NFPs (you don't just have to take my word for this one, any type expert and statistic agrees with that). Two types with all different letters are not "type opposites"- STJ and NFP both prefere Ne-Si and Fi-Te, if in different orders.
 

FDG

pathwise dependent
Joined
Aug 13, 2007
Messages
5,903
MBTI Type
ENTJ
Enneagram
7w8
Sorry to correct you here (it's honestly not what I made this thread for), but _STJs have been known to be married to _NFPs (you don't just have to take my word for this one, any type expert and statistic agrees with that). Two types with all different letters are not "type opposites"- STJ and NFP both prefere Ne-Si and Fi-Te, if in different orders.

I'm using socionics, and supposing that:

1)People are typed correctly
2)An ESTJ and an ISTJ are very different types
3)Due to 2), an ISTJ is predicted to get along great with an INFP and badly with an ENFP, supposedly that both the ISTJ and ENFP have been typed correctly
4)Types with all different letters are complete opposites if you suppose that they have been typed correctly. ESTPs can easily mistype as ESTJs whenever their coscentiousness is not truly low. INFPs can mistype as INFJs, however vice versa is much rarer. ENFJs can mistake themselves for ENFPs, however again vice versa is much rarer. The first mistype of the triad is because emphasized E+S+T give rise to a personality that is more J in behavior than E+N+F even if the ESTP has Se+Ti as main function and the ENFJ has Fe+Ni. Now I could go on for each type but I don't really have any willigness to.
 

INTJMom

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 28, 2007
Messages
5,413
MBTI Type
INTJ
Enneagram
5w4
Sorry to correct you here (it's honestly not what I made this thread for), but _STJs have been known to be married to _NFPs (you don't just have to take my word for this one, any type expert and statistic agrees with that). Two types with all different letters are not "type opposites"- STJ and NFP both prefere Ne-Si and Fi-Te, if in different orders.
Just to corroborate:
My INFP sister has been married for over 20 years to her ISTJ husband,
and I have heard of many such combinations recently, including RansomedByFire on this forum - an ISTJ married to an INFP.
 

autumn

New member
Joined
Oct 5, 2007
Messages
106
MBTI Type
eNFP
"How do you determine someone's type?"

I usually draw a strip of paper out of a hat.

Seriously, I find it a tricky endeavor to try to type someone unless I already know them very well, or unless they come to me wanting to know more about their type and offer enough pertinent information for me to give them a good estimate. Really, the best way would be to have the person take a reliable exam (MBTI, KTS) in a comfortable environment with a knowledgeable administrator, and to chat with them beforehand about how the questions are to be answered (according to natural inclinations and not learned habits, or what they think people want to hear, etc.) in order to promote a more accurate result.

If I do want to figure out someone's type, just for fun or to try to understand them better, and I already know them in more than a casual manner, and it's not practical to sit them down and give them an exam :smile: , it helps to try to start broadly with Keirsey's temperaments. If you can narrow down what their temperament might be, even if you can narrow it down to one of two possible temperaments, that will be quite helpful. Then you may be able to think about how to fill in the missing letters, as it were. Some people are much harder to type than others, even if you've known them for years. I generally regard any typing that I have done unofficially with a grain of salt, as it is possible that I have done it incorrectly, since I am only an observer of any other person.
 
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