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Is MBTI Type Inherited?

EJCC

The Devil of TypoC
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Aug 29, 2008
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ESTJ
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sp/so
Hellllll noooo
This. :laugh:

I know of too many exceptions to the rule, to think that it's inherited. "Nature" is involved too much for it to be a direct result of parenting, and "nurture" is involved too much for it to be entirely hereditary.
 

cascadeco

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I really don't think so. The brain is such a complex machine, its structure resulting from the interaction of an extremely large amount of genetic material.

I think the only one that is likely to be inherited in a reasonably direct way is introversion. The other ones seem to go in any random pattern, depending on the family (see: all the family and type threads).

Yeah, there are a lot of threads that get into this topic or try to correlate things.... there are so many patterns that it seems pretty clear to me there's no simple correlation. What seems cut and dry for one family doesn't hold true for another family.

But in the sense that who we are is very much the product of our genetics (because, um, it is - we each have a unique combo of genes) - yes, our personality is inherited. But even assuming the cog. functions are legitimate entities, I don't think it would be as simple as there being a single gene for each cog. function. Many genes which, interacting together, code for a primary preference of cognition that we label as Ni or Te or Fi? Sure. Another set of genes that instruct on our next-in-line preference? What about hormones or other things that might play a role in these things? And so on. And whatever the genes are, that's a blueprint/starting point...and nurture will play heavily in some things.

So, there are many genes & chromosomes at play. That, and the chromosomes that we inherited from our mother and father already had their genes reshuffled from the original chromosomes that were their starting point, so they don't match that of our parents- So I don't think it's a surprise that personality could/would jump across generations and often may not readily align with our parents, and that in the end you can't really make heads or tails of a pattern - because there probably isn't a clear one. Too many variables.
 

Rasofy

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No. Btw, I think instinctual variants are very connected with parenting, but that's neither mbti nor inheritance.
 

UniqueMixture

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I think that most kids tend to adopt the "positive" traits of each parent and ignore the "negative" ones and then slap on a gender profile. For example my infj buddy has intj and es/nfj parents. I think he took his dad's badassness but softened it w his mom's social skills. By pos/neg I mean in the cultural context from the CHILD's pov. Plus this tends to work best for the firstborn because they don't have sibling social dynamics to contend with
 

KDude

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Plus this tends to work best for the firstborn because they don't have sibling social dynamics to contend with

My mom and brother are the same type (he's the firstborn, I guess.. although he's a half brother). They're both tyrants (still love them though). The only thing I inherited is my mom's irritability.. but it has nothing to do with controlling others. It's about controlling my own space. They OTOH have no sense of space.

They're both very stoic STs (more than me.. I'm a comedian in comparison), but there are completely different functions at work.
 

Cellmold

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I cant think of any correlation for this....but you never know.
 

Santosha

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I do. I think DNA inheritance, hormones, neurological fetal development etc. is all highly connected, and I think there are a number of studies that reveal this in other ways, through temperament, psychological disorders, etc. And I think that when you find offspring very different from either parent you are only seeing more recessive traits that have combined to be a dominant DNA in that particular offspring. Just because we can't pinpoint the connection doesn't mean it doesn't exist. Of course it doesn't prove it does, but I believe it does.
 

Esoteric Wench

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I'm surprised at how many people on this thread have said they don't think cognitive functions are inherited. How could they not be inherited? Where do we get them if they aren't dictated by the genes we get from our mothers and fathers.

Just because people can't decipher a pattern in their own immediate families doesn't mean that JCFs aren't a product of genetics. The way we inherit them could be much more complex than a simple A or B gene choice. Look at eye and hair color which is a result of multiple, competing genes. So it could be with the inheritance of cognitive functions.
 

Halla74

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Do you think MBTI type is inherited?

Like many other traits, both physical and psychological, I believe that a pre-disposition for developing them (to some form of severity for spectrum disorders, as well as "all or nothing" characteristics) is transmitted genetically from parents to offspring.

If so, do you think it leans towards particular functions being more likely as dominant and auxiliary (like Ni, Si, or Fe) or do you think it is more aligned with the letters - e.g., Intuitive parents are more likely to have intuitive children but no more likely Ne or Ni.

If I had to guess I'd go with parental behaviors (aka "nurture" vs. "nature") as being the trigger for any given inherited pre-disposition to be expressed toward developing behavioral traits that are at one pole of a cognitive function vs. the other.

In short, a child with a pre-disposition toward being iNtuitive that is raised by two Sensor parents might wind up being more balanced on N/S than strong "N."

Just like Mendel's experiments with bean plants, genes that express height are additive, so that the TOTAL number pf height alleles contributed by each parent ultimately determines the potential height of the offspring; I think that components of "nature" and "nurture" can also interact additively, even if figurative in comparison to "pure" genetic inheritance.

BTW, my family's MBTI info is below:

Papa Halla = ESTJ
Mama Halla = INFJ
Halla74 = ESTP
Halla's Big Bro = INTJ

Yeah, yeah - I'm the black sheep because I'm the only perceiver in the family, Ha Ha Ha. :tongue10: :laugh:
 
S

Society

Guest
I'm surprised at how many people on this thread have said they don't think cognitive functions are inherited. How could they not be inherited? Where do we get them if they aren't dictated by the genes we get from our mothers and fathers.

Just because people can't decipher a pattern in their own immediate families doesn't mean that JCFs aren't a product of genetics. The way we inherit them could be much more complex than a simple A or B gene choice. Look at eye and hair color which is a result of multiple, competing genes. So it could be with the inheritance of cognitive functions.

i think it's best to assume that the functions are simplification that make it easier for us to recognize, name and understand certain patterns in our internal processes, but are probably derived from many other things, and not something that stands on their own.

as such it is possible and even likely that some of the factors behind them are inherited, but those factors can be shared between multiply functions and even be related to things completely unrelated to the MBTI.

for example - completely pulled out of my behind - its entirely possible that there's a certain gene for a certain neurological structure that depending on it's place on a chromosome relatively to other genes, might become a musical talent, a well developed Ni, cause an increased chance of Alzheimer, or any combination thereof.

that's being said, the fact that i'm an ENTP, my mother is an ENFP and my father was an INTJ, while my adopted sister is the black sheep of the family - ESFP...
 

Phthalate

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I've yet to read a study that backs this up with sufficient evidence. My mom is an ISFJ, and my dad (I think) was an ENFP. They had an ENFJ daughter and me (INTP).

One of my friends is an ENFP. She has an ENFP sister, and an ISFJ one. They have an ESFJ mother and an ISTJ mother... so...
 
G

garbage

Guest
As has been posted before, studies seem to indicate heritability of MBTI preferences is around 40% to 60%, which is roughly consistent (if you squint) with the heritability of Big Five traits.

Of course, it's almost certainly more complicated than X% comes from environment, Y% comes from genes. Still having a rough approximation is nice.
I mean, yeah. Thank you for actually posting some evidence. :hifive:

How do you figure out how much of an effect the environment has? You could administer the test at different points in time (assuming that MBTI isn't widely variable already, which, well, it is).

i think it's best to assume that the functions are simplification that make it easier for us to recognize, name and understand certain patterns in our internal processes, but are probably derived from many other things, and not something that stands on their own.

as such it is possible and even likely that some of the factors behind them are inherited, but those factors can be shared between multiply functions and even be related to things completely unrelated to the MBTI.
Oh, yeah, and also all of this. For all we know, what we classify as cognitive functions could very well have at least some 'environmentally-developed coping mechanism' thrown in.
 

FireShield98

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My parents are both SJs (ESTJ dad, ISFJ mom), and none of us (the kids) are SJs (ISTP older brother, INTJ me, ENTP younger brother). So I don't think it's inherited.
 

chickpea

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i really doubt it. but my mom is an enfp and my dad is an intp, so i ended up a blend.
 

exact

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Dec 16, 2011
Messages
59
MBTI Type
ENTP
Some people will react divergently to parental influences and genetics.
Some people will react convergently.
Some won't give a damn.
 

BlackCat

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Doubtful. My dad was an INTP and my mom is ENFJ.
 
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