One personality forever?

[DuoRCN]

Throughout your whole "experience" of MBTI, you've relied on tests and the general impression that the system was one man's idea that others picked up on and employed because it was a system?

 

[LeafAndSky]

Throughout your whole "experience" of MBTI, you've relied on tests and the general impression that the system was one man's idea that others picked up on and employed because it was a system?

I don't understand your question. It has a lot of parts, can you break it down for me?

Does this help, for an answer?: I didn't care how the MBTI system was created during most of the time I knew about it or made use of it. Not until recently did I give that much thought.

 

[DuoRCN]

Sorry, my question was structured in a pretty weird way. And your answer does resolve something I was wondering. Here's another thing. When you were tested, what test was used? Also, who tested you? Were you given other descriptions to confirm or deny the result of the test? Was the test and system explained to you?

When you used the system for yourself, did you understand the theory behind it?

 

[LeafAndSky]

DuoRCN asked:

When you were tested, what test was used?

I don't know. It was in a psychology class, 101, at a community college in Michigan.

Also, who tested you?

The teacher, most likely.

Were you given other descriptions to confirm or deny the result of the test?

As I remember, the class was a large one, in an auditorium. We were given our test result letters somehow, maybe self-scoring, and then told to walk up front to a table, in rows I guess, and pick up the one-page description sheet for our type. I do remember the instructor watching people carefully as they picked up their paper. Maybe to see what types he was teaching? Before that time, I'd never heard of the test. So, no, we would have just gotten information for one type.

Was the test and system explained to you?

Probably -- after all, it was a class. I only remember one thing the description sheet for INTJ said, "the most independent of all the types," because my mom and step-father read that and remarked on it. They weren't pleased.

When you used the system for yourself, did you understand the theory behind it?

"When you used the system for yourself" -- not sure in what way you mean. I remember reading Please Understand Me, when having a relationship problem, in the early 1980s I guess. I believe that's all the effort I put into understanding the system for a long time. It wasn't much of an interest of mine.

For the INFP result I would have used some test online -- my kids would have been in school and personal computers had come into the world. I don't remember if I paid. I think after that I started getting interested in it more. For the ENFP result more recently, it was whatever test version the teacher gave us in the career development class, and afterward there was a booklet with several pages of explanation, like you'd find online on a lot of websites. By the time I took the ENFP test I probably knew too much to get an unbiased test result. I've taken one or two short, free online tests and noticed you can consciously and probably unconsciously manipulate the results after you know more about the system. An interesting thing: in the small career development class (mostly separated or divorcing 'displaced homemakers'), out of 10 people I think there were 8 ENFPs, one ISTJ, and one other I've forgotten. As we got to know each other (very well, the class really bonded) it turned out there was a high incidence of spousal abuse in those marriages.

I've never been one to try to type others, except for two boyfriends, spouse, and the kids. It didn't interest me to try to figure out friends or co-workers or other relatives.

"understand the theory behind it" -- well, I understood the meaning of the letters but mostly ignored type descriptions that didn't pertain to those in my immediate life. Even though I've been on this forum a while I still can't tell you what Fe, Fi, etc. mean and socionics looks too complicated to invest time in.

 

[Andy]

Can you elaborate on what you mean by psychological impulses? Feel free to send me off to read up!



Would you say this seems like the pairs sorting of handing tasks back and forth? NiTe works on stuff, hands it to FiSe, then it gets handed back? It doesnt sound quite like that from your description. I sort of sense this interchange in my mind-however I think Ne doms may be very flexible mentally-not always a good thing-while Ni doms are more solidified (?). Ne, go figure...

Also-many older INTJs seem to have very physical hobbies or very much love music-kinda like an ISFP might???? But n is pretty small, so this could be an over generalization.

Basically, what I ment was a desire to act in a particular way. Usually something associated with pleasure.

I wouldn't have said the distinction between one function and the next is that distinct, no. They all tend to opperate at once, just in different proportions in each individual.

 

[Iriohm]

Why does the Myers-Briggs system assert that type does not change over time?

(I now think it can.)

Oh, it can. Myers and Briggs are trying to trick you.