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Why do people freak out over individuality?

Kalach

Filthy Apes!
Joined
Dec 3, 2008
Messages
4,310
MBTI Type
INTJ
You don't see type preferences play out in interactions ALL THE DAMN TIME? To the point of people turning themselves into stereotypes--all the damn time?

Like, there's an impressive amount of type-based prejudice against typology, in my humble opinion. People emphasizing their F side dislike the apparent depersonalization, people emphasizing non-judgmentalism dislike the apparent fixity of the rules, people looking for conceptual adequacy dislike the seeming sui generis-ness of it all... (And me, I like it because it appears to work... lo and behold, type preferences playing out again, people seeking effective, efficient answers....)

But ultimately, do you have anything other than personal preferences as dictated by your cognitive preferences against the system?

Or does the disagreement all come from somewhere else?
 

Invisiblemonkey

New member
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Mar 20, 2010
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117
MBTI Type
INTP
Enneagram
5w4
I have very little idea what you said, save for, "Not everyone acts the way their type dictates socially, It's not good to stereotype" But the last part, I couldn't exactly understand aside from asking for reasons that you might disagree with the MBTI. I'm sorry, but that's either filled with malapropisms, poor syntax, typos, or any combination thereof. And I can in some ways empathize with your disdain for the MBTI. My motivations are largely based on feelings, in spite of the fact that I believe that reason is the best way to get things done. In short, the MBTI system is supposed to dictate how you interact with the world around you, not what goes on in your mind.
 

goodgrief

New member
Joined
Apr 3, 2010
Messages
480
MBTI Type
INTJ
I don't always act or think exactly as my type description but you know, it's just a way of organizing personality aspects which are common in certain people. I don't use them to stereotype.
 

Kalach

Filthy Apes!
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Messages
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INTJ
For better or worse, I don't see the individuality that people keep banging on about. Large chunks of how people respond and what interests they espouse really do seem determined. If you saw one WXYZ on topic T, you haven't seen them all, but you've seen a lot of what any one of them will focus on, where the disagreements and misunderstandings will arise, and all that kind of thing. It's present sufficiently often that, well, seriously, if people can't recognise their own lack of individuality, how do they hope to become individual?
 

KDude

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Jan 26, 2010
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8,243
My motivations are largely based on feelings, in spite of the fact that I believe that reason is the best way to get things done. In short, the MBTI system is supposed to dictate how you interact with the world around you, not what goes on in your mind.

Seriously? I'm a completely different type then. :doh:
 

Kalach

Filthy Apes!
Joined
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Messages
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INTJ
So anyway... instance individuality, that I can see. Two cookies cut from the same cookie cutter aren't the same cookie. They don't go the same clubs, they don't wear the same pants. They're different. They're unique. Quite similar in some aspects, but still not the same. They go their own way.

They're defined by their differences. One has two kids, the other has twelve. The one with twelve, they call him Carl. He divorced the donut when he caught her sipping too much coffee, if you know what I mean. But the other one, Karl, he's happily married, they just don't want such a big family.
 

Rainne

One day and the next
Joined
Mar 7, 2010
Messages
875
MBTI Type
ISTP
Because some people like the idea of being a unique and misunderstood snowflake.
 

the state i am in

Active member
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Feb 12, 2009
Messages
2,475
MBTI Type
infj
Enneagram
5w4
Instinctual Variant
sx/sp
the definition of individuality is paradoxical in many ways. i think the p side just focuses on self-defined values governed by personal experience and personal investigation/rationale. they want to be able to trust their experience and rationale first and foremost beyond any system of language-concepts that they have not experience/rationale-checked.

as predominant left-brained j types we check the language coherency (grammar and semantics) first and foremost. the site of representation, the context, and the empirical evidencing that is outside of us in language and symbolic action. it's a much different focal point, and the burden to communicate in ways that can be meaningful to everyone usually ends up toppling over the whole project. in all discourses.

also, e4 enneagram types are particularly focused on their own uniqueness.

and sx instincts of all types are impatient and extremely willful and hate when they don't get what they want. they're just more confrontational in every avenue regardless of what is at stake. so that further intensifies conflict.
 
T

ThatGirl

Guest
I do not think it is individuality so much as motivation. When people learn their type they tend to become a cartooned character of said type.

Why? because if it is something that was previously misunderstood, coming into light as explainable, you tend to reference those points more often. And, this comes from the self perspective, as it is 90% related to being understood.
 
T

ThatGirl

Guest
So anyway... instance individuality, that I can see. Two cookies cut from the same cookie cutter aren't the same cookie. They don't go the same clubs, they don't wear the same pants. They're different. They're unique. Quite similar in some aspects, but still not the same. They go their own way.

They're defined by their differences. One has two kids, the other has twelve. The one with twelve, they call him Carl. He divorced the donut when he caught her sipping too much coffee, if you know what I mean. But the other one, Karl, he's happily married, they just don't want such a big family.

Lol, typology tells you the shape of the cookie, but not how it is frosted.
 

miss fortune

not to be trusted
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Oct 4, 2007
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sp/so
I do not think it is individuality so much as motivation. When people learn their type they tend to become a cartooned character of said type.

Why? because if it is something that was previously misunderstood, coming into light as explainable, you tend to reference those points more often. And, this comes from the self perspective, as it is 90% related to being understood.

it's mostly the youngsters and the weak of self esteem who conform to the cartoon version of type because "they've finally found somewhere that they fit in!" :wubbie:

:rolli:
 

Jeffster

veteran attention whore
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Jun 7, 2008
Messages
6,743
MBTI Type
ESFP
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7w6
Instinctual Variant
sx
I don't freak out about individuality but I do place a high value on it. We all have the free will to make choices and are not bound by what any manual or grouping says about us.

That being said, I have come to realize and appreciate the patterns of behavior and what can be gained from them.
 
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T

ThatGirl

Guest
it's mostly the youngsters and the weak of self esteem who conform to the cartoon version of type because "they've finally found somewhere that they fit in!" :wubbie:

:rolli:

There are two motivations for type theory.

A) I want to explain myself.
B) I want to get others.

The latter is less likely.
 

miss fortune

not to be trusted
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There are two motivations for type theory.

A) I want to explain myself.
B) I want to get others.

The latter is less likely.

you forgot C) I want to find my soulmate! :heart: :sick:
 
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Magic Poriferan

^He pronks, too!
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Nov 4, 2007
Messages
14,081
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Yin
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One
Instinctual Variant
sx/sp
Everyone is a unique individual and categorizable at the same time, and that's not a contradiction.
 

Jeffster

veteran attention whore
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7w6
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sx
Everyone is a unique individual and categorizable at the same time, and that's not a contradiction.

Yep, totally agree. It seems like a simple concept, but it is often hard to grasp. I know I didn't until pretty recently. I stubbornly clung to the idea that categorization was inherently a denial of humanity's free will. As such, I hated sociology class in college with a passion. It represented the worst of such categorization to me.
 
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