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Typing children: is it really possible?

cfs1992

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Jul 26, 2009
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211
Well, I was reading some stuff related to it at personalitypage.com.
But, I see people saying that children doesn't have stable personality traits which can be related for the types. The site says that firstly the 1st develop, then the 2nd etc. Is it real? I stay observing my little brothers (9 and 5 years) and they display many traits which can relate to many types.

Any opinions about this?
 

Redbone

Orisha
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Apr 27, 2010
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MBTI Type
ENFP
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9w8
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sx/so
I'd like to know this myself.

My firstborn is definitely an introvert; 2nd, extrovert; 3rd, introvert, and 4th, extrovert.

My last one shows the clearest traits--I can already guess he is will be ESTJ or ENTJ.
 

ChocolateMoose123

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*takes a deep breath. Rubs hands together. Puts hands on keyboard*

....children

Yep. It's possible.
 

SoAndSo

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Nov 16, 2008
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INFJ
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1w?
I think that some children can be typed, but overall, I believe that puberty and life experiences shape the end product (adults).
 

cfs1992

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I think that some children can be typed, but overall, I believe that puberty and life experiences shape the end product (adults).

Yep, I tend to believe it too.

I have some traits that I have since I'm a child, for example. But some others (most of them) was shaped entirely after my 14...

Maturing helps too...
 

Coriolis

Si vis pacem, para bellum
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I have known too many people who have been able to type their own children while very young -- some even in infancy -- to consider this impossible. Perhaps it can only be done by someone who knows the child very well, like a parent or daily caregiver.
 

skylights

i love
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INFP
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6w7
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so/sx
the personalitypage.com pages for kids are interesting to check out. they say by ages 7-12 you can assign 3 letters - all but the auxiliary, and from ages 2-6 you can typically identify E/I and J/P.

this seems true to me based on my brother. he was definitely an easily-identifiable ITP kid, and i totally identify with being an IFP kid. though i think i was F long before 7. i was the kid saving the worms in the street and sympathizing with the lopsided donut in the grocery store. :violin:

i imagine that since the point of the mbti is to pinpoint your native tendencies, there are probably critical periods in a child's development during which the functions solidify themselves. i would tend to think that functions are affected by genetics as well as the environment (in particular, the environment during that critical period.)

i would guess this because of neuronal wiring... since during the first few years, a child loses much brain cell plasticity (ability to change/become anything) in exchange for specialization, solidification and strength of connections. children also don't, as far as we know, have the ability for logical thinking from the get go, and studies on object permanence suggest that it's connected with culture - that would certainly suggest an impact on the T functions.
 

KDude

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I think I have a lot of the same traits I had when younger.

edit: Looking at that list above, I was more like inbetween the IFP/ ESP kid.
 

Andy

Supreme High Commander
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Function theory is really designed for adults. When typing children, proceed with caution, especially with the younger ones.
 

Ingrid in grids

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I think that some children can be typed, but overall, I believe that puberty and life experiences shape the end product (adults).

I'm inclined to agree with this. However I must admit, every description of INFJ children that I have read in the past seemed to have fit my childhood experience to a T.
 

cafe

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My oldest daughter always had kind of a TJ vibe and my younger daughter always had kind of an FP vibe from the time they were infants.

My sons have been harder to type. My youngest seems TP-ish and my older one is still kind of an enigma to me, despite being 13 years old. He has a lot of seemingly contradictory traits.
 

Totenkindly

@.~*virinaĉo*~.@
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Some kids are easily typed, others are not. (I think introverts can be harder; extroverts put themselves out there and are more easily "viewed" in totality.)

It also depends on the adult. Basically, we each have experience with certain types of people, and I think we thus are geared to recognize those types more easily than others.

My kids happened to be types I could easily recognize and behaved in ways I could recognize. It took me a little longer with the introverts. Part of it was recognizing what they weren't, which gave me a good guess of what they were, and it ended up being validated as they put more of themselves out there.

One thing with kids that is easier than with adults is that they haven't yet learned to bury parts of themselves and/or their self-expression is purer and not yet well-rounded. You see them "raw." Adults can be a muddled mess as you have to unravel what is preference, what is learned, and also what preferences were not natural preferences but were developed.

Function theory is really designed for adults. When typing children, proceed with caution, especially with the younger ones.

Apparently I disagree... except for the last sentence.
I think it's important you don't use type as an inadvertent constraint on kids; type should be descriptive, not prohibiting. It's also good to let kids be challenged in areas that they might not have a preference for, while still having outlets in the areas they are good at.
 

highlander

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Function theory is really designed for adults. When typing children, proceed with caution, especially with the younger ones.

I actually think it does apply to children. I can think of a 2 year old ISTJ who is now an 18 year old ISTJ. There seemed to be little doubt then as there is now. I do agree that you need to be incredibly cautious with this stuff though.
 

Charmed Justice

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Jul 22, 2009
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My son has shown a clear preference for extraversion since he was about 6-months old and what seems like none other than Fe dominance since about 18-months. It'd be hard to buy it if he grew into anything other than ENFJ or ESFJ.
 

cascadeco

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I do think children can display very uninhibited versions of their 'true' self - before they've added layers of protection, nuance, etc. Before the introverts have learned to get out of their shells and before the extroverts have learned to tone down a bit. So I tend to think by age 6-10 you can have a pretty good idea of their type - or, at least, narrowed down to 2-3. And, I think pretty much all early education and elementary teachers would say it's pretty easy to pick out the various personalities in the classroom. (And from my short stint earlier this year in that sort of environment, I too noticed very distinct personalities at those young ages)

Toddlers? I like to think in most cases you can tell the E/I and J/P, but not much beyond that. However, I've written before that I'm either a mutant (as far as theory goes) or something experience-wise really changed me, because my mother has told me that as a very young child (2-3) I was very friendly and outgoing. So, I wasn't like many introverted children. From age 7 or 8 onwards I had become much more introverted.
 

INA

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Jun 6, 2008
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intp
I do think children can display very uninhibited versions of their 'true' self - before they've added layers of protection, nuance, etc. Before the introverts have learned to get out of their shells and before the extroverts have learned to tone down a bit. So I tend to think by age 6-10 you can have a pretty good idea of their type - or, at least, narrowed down to 2-3.

I agree with typing a narrow range of types or a core type by 8 years or so, but I trust it less for intro/extroversion. E.g. I was unmistakably NT early on, but just as clearly extroverted.
 

Moiety

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At no point in time would anyone ever consider me anything other than an N. So I guess so, to a certain extent.
 

Xenon

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Oct 5, 2009
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I don't think I followed the type development pattern outlined on personalitypage. When I look back, it seems I was always introverted and intuitive, but the other two preferences might not have been locked in.

Maybe if my parents were knowledgeable about cognitive functions they would say otherwise though.
 
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