Inari
New member
- Joined
- Aug 28, 2011
- Messages
- 2
This is an open call for anyone who wants to take a stab at nailing down my type. I'm super uninformed when it comes to the language of typology (and apparently don't know myself well enough to figure myself out on my own). While I don't necessarily find too much inherent value in labelling one's self, I do think it's interesting for the purpose of understanding interaction with different personality types. And also it's handy for being able to explain to others why I'm so weird. 
So I'll tell you guys about myself and you can have at it. All input is welcome!
Wall of text incoming O_O
My major in college was psychology, which in retrospect was a pretty absurd field of study for me. I really hated the ambiguity and relativism of a lot of it. I liked concrete cause/effect or diagnosis/treatment related studies, but everything else was a giant snoozefest. But... I started it, so I had to finish it. @_@ Career-wise my parents had always pegged me as an engineer, but that just sounded boring to me so I never pursued it. It's also possible I never pursued it because my parents wanted me to do it. <_<
Anyway so after college I've basically been job hopping and nothing really seems to stick. My huge flaw when it comes to work (and the reason I can't stay at a job for more than like a year and a half) is that I get progressively more and more bored, and then start to get claustrophobic from the arbitrary rules inherent in the typical 9-5 job. At this point I definitely think I'm not suited to the corporate grind. A previous employer once asked me what my perfect job would be like, and I had no idea, but the only approximation I could give was "Something where my entire job is basically to answer questions." Whatever that means.
My personal interests tend to be varied. I'm lukewarm on a lot of things, but not passionate about anything in particular. When I find something I like, I really fall in love with it and throw myself at it. Then I lose interest within a year and move onto something else. The interests that stick the longest tend to be interests with a social component. All of my obsessions have been pretty radically different, but what applies universally to my interests is that when I'm into something, I get really good at it/learn as much as I possibly can. On the rare occasion that I set a goal for myself, I can't stop until it's done. Generally my motto is "If it can be done, I can do it". I'm not at all fearful or wary of failure.
As far as relationships go, I tend not to have long lasting ones. When I meet people, they get sorted almost immediately into either "like" or "don't care for 'em". I don't have to know what it is I don't like about someone to know immediately that I don't like them. I'm constantly assessing (ahem, mentally judging) people based on their behavior, mannerisms, or views. But this doesn't directly translate into my behavior towards them. I can be equally friendly or ambivalent towards someone who I don't care about as I can be towards someone I genuinely like. But regardless of whether I like someone or not, I almost never initiate meaningful interaction with someone. I don't pursue relationships, friendships or otherwise. I don't make plans, people make plans with me. And if they don't, I don't particularly care, because I'm just as happy alone as in the company of other people. I'm notoriously bad at returning phone calls, texts, emails, etc. The exception is when I need information or something--I have no hesitation when it comes to contacting people or even cold calling. I'm not the type of person who rehearses conversations prior to contacting someone--I just pick up the phone. I'm not really the avoidant type and not nervous when it comes to social interaction. I can walk right up to a stranger and talk to them, but I won't without a compelling reason to do so. All that said, the people who tend to stick it out with me are the ones who are persistent.
I've been told many times that I come off as intimidating and unapproachable to strangers, despite being 5'2" and baby faced. I'm actually extremely easy-going (read: ambivalent) and make a conscious effort to never be a negative nancy, a downer, or complain about anything ever. Complainers bug me, and I have nicknamed them "boner-killers". I think the "intimidation" factor has to do with having a very calm and cool outward demeanor. My friends and people who really know me all find me really funny though. I cut to the quick with sarcasm and one-liners, and unless I have something funny or useful to say, I don't say anything at all.
I have a tendency to be reeeally crass in my humor. Not for the sake of shock value, but because to me a response that is horribly off color but follows the logical train of a conversation is funny. Think "That's What She Said".
As even tempered as I tend to be, it doesn't mean that I'm completely non responsive. When I truly dislike someone I'll almost always express it sarcastically, because it makes the biggest splash for the least amount of confrontation. Not that I'm afraid of confrontation, but confrontation is a lot of mental work with basically no reward. If someone staunchly disagrees with me, or asks me to explain my contrary views, I usually don't bother because it's almost never worth the effort. If someone asks me a question that's too personal or otherwise there's no reason to answer, I have been accused of "playing dumb" to avoid answering. But when I have serious, escalating confrontations with people, I never back down. I don't avoid conflict, danger, etc. But while the other party might get more and more visibly upset, I involuntarily get more and more outwardly calm and matter-of-fact, even if I'm seething inside.
The other side of the placid demeanor is that people tend to come to me with their problems because I'm like a bottomless well for them to vomit all their woes into and I will just listen and listen. I give great advice, because no one really wants you to tell them what to do. They want you to confirm that you heard what they said. So a lot of people feel comfortable coming to me with their problems because I don't patronize them or try too hard to tell them what to do. I merely give them verbal and non-verbal cues that I'm hearing exactly what they're saying in exactly the way they intended for me to hear it. I also tend to give unbiased feedback from a different perspective, or explain possible motivating factors pertaining to other people involved. This isn't a role that I resent, but it's a big part of my interaction with other people. I don't know if it's because it's not in my nature to initiate conversation, that the dynamic turns into them telling me all their problems, or if that's just what everyone does to each other (and it's foreign to me), or if I attract the kinds of people who spill their guts. No idea.
Soooo that's me! Let me know what personality types you think describe me. Or ask me questions. Thanks!
So I'll tell you guys about myself and you can have at it. All input is welcome!Wall of text incoming O_O
My major in college was psychology, which in retrospect was a pretty absurd field of study for me. I really hated the ambiguity and relativism of a lot of it. I liked concrete cause/effect or diagnosis/treatment related studies, but everything else was a giant snoozefest. But... I started it, so I had to finish it. @_@ Career-wise my parents had always pegged me as an engineer, but that just sounded boring to me so I never pursued it. It's also possible I never pursued it because my parents wanted me to do it. <_<
Anyway so after college I've basically been job hopping and nothing really seems to stick. My huge flaw when it comes to work (and the reason I can't stay at a job for more than like a year and a half) is that I get progressively more and more bored, and then start to get claustrophobic from the arbitrary rules inherent in the typical 9-5 job. At this point I definitely think I'm not suited to the corporate grind. A previous employer once asked me what my perfect job would be like, and I had no idea, but the only approximation I could give was "Something where my entire job is basically to answer questions." Whatever that means.
My personal interests tend to be varied. I'm lukewarm on a lot of things, but not passionate about anything in particular. When I find something I like, I really fall in love with it and throw myself at it. Then I lose interest within a year and move onto something else. The interests that stick the longest tend to be interests with a social component. All of my obsessions have been pretty radically different, but what applies universally to my interests is that when I'm into something, I get really good at it/learn as much as I possibly can. On the rare occasion that I set a goal for myself, I can't stop until it's done. Generally my motto is "If it can be done, I can do it". I'm not at all fearful or wary of failure.
As far as relationships go, I tend not to have long lasting ones. When I meet people, they get sorted almost immediately into either "like" or "don't care for 'em". I don't have to know what it is I don't like about someone to know immediately that I don't like them. I'm constantly assessing (ahem, mentally judging) people based on their behavior, mannerisms, or views. But this doesn't directly translate into my behavior towards them. I can be equally friendly or ambivalent towards someone who I don't care about as I can be towards someone I genuinely like. But regardless of whether I like someone or not, I almost never initiate meaningful interaction with someone. I don't pursue relationships, friendships or otherwise. I don't make plans, people make plans with me. And if they don't, I don't particularly care, because I'm just as happy alone as in the company of other people. I'm notoriously bad at returning phone calls, texts, emails, etc. The exception is when I need information or something--I have no hesitation when it comes to contacting people or even cold calling. I'm not the type of person who rehearses conversations prior to contacting someone--I just pick up the phone. I'm not really the avoidant type and not nervous when it comes to social interaction. I can walk right up to a stranger and talk to them, but I won't without a compelling reason to do so. All that said, the people who tend to stick it out with me are the ones who are persistent.
I've been told many times that I come off as intimidating and unapproachable to strangers, despite being 5'2" and baby faced. I'm actually extremely easy-going (read: ambivalent) and make a conscious effort to never be a negative nancy, a downer, or complain about anything ever. Complainers bug me, and I have nicknamed them "boner-killers". I think the "intimidation" factor has to do with having a very calm and cool outward demeanor. My friends and people who really know me all find me really funny though. I cut to the quick with sarcasm and one-liners, and unless I have something funny or useful to say, I don't say anything at all.
I have a tendency to be reeeally crass in my humor. Not for the sake of shock value, but because to me a response that is horribly off color but follows the logical train of a conversation is funny. Think "That's What She Said".
As even tempered as I tend to be, it doesn't mean that I'm completely non responsive. When I truly dislike someone I'll almost always express it sarcastically, because it makes the biggest splash for the least amount of confrontation. Not that I'm afraid of confrontation, but confrontation is a lot of mental work with basically no reward. If someone staunchly disagrees with me, or asks me to explain my contrary views, I usually don't bother because it's almost never worth the effort. If someone asks me a question that's too personal or otherwise there's no reason to answer, I have been accused of "playing dumb" to avoid answering. But when I have serious, escalating confrontations with people, I never back down. I don't avoid conflict, danger, etc. But while the other party might get more and more visibly upset, I involuntarily get more and more outwardly calm and matter-of-fact, even if I'm seething inside.
The other side of the placid demeanor is that people tend to come to me with their problems because I'm like a bottomless well for them to vomit all their woes into and I will just listen and listen. I give great advice, because no one really wants you to tell them what to do. They want you to confirm that you heard what they said. So a lot of people feel comfortable coming to me with their problems because I don't patronize them or try too hard to tell them what to do. I merely give them verbal and non-verbal cues that I'm hearing exactly what they're saying in exactly the way they intended for me to hear it. I also tend to give unbiased feedback from a different perspective, or explain possible motivating factors pertaining to other people involved. This isn't a role that I resent, but it's a big part of my interaction with other people. I don't know if it's because it's not in my nature to initiate conversation, that the dynamic turns into them telling me all their problems, or if that's just what everyone does to each other (and it's foreign to me), or if I attract the kinds of people who spill their guts. No idea.
Soooo that's me! Let me know what personality types you think describe me. Or ask me questions. Thanks!
