• You are currently viewing our forum as a guest, which gives you limited access to view most discussions and access our other features. By joining our free community, you will have access to additional post topics, communicate privately with other members (PM), view blogs, respond to polls, upload content, and access many other special features. Registration is fast, simple and absolutely free, so please join our community today! Just click here to register. You should turn your Ad Blocker off for this site or certain features may not work properly. If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact us by clicking here.

A simple way to test the "Forer effect" on typology

Bush

cute lil war dog
Joined
Nov 18, 2008
Messages
5,182
Enneagram
3w4
Instinctual Variant
sp/so
For those of you who aren't in the know, the Forer effect takes place when one's been given a 'type' description that resonates so much with him/her, that they identify with it through and through. Some are of the mind that typology suffers from this, that one can identify with a description of a type because the description is generic enough to fit him or anyone else, so the categories become meaningless.

Fair enough. But if one thinks that he's falling victim to this, then what about reading descriptions of other types to see whether they don't resonate as much? Carving out 'not me' is also part of the search for identity, or at least categorization.

This in no way validates or invalidates typology (I'm remaining neutral on that here) but it's food for thought. Maybe.
 

Hitoshi-San

New member
Joined
Jun 26, 2014
Messages
1,078
MBTI Type
esfp
Enneagram
???
Instinctual Variant
sp/so
I agree that the Forer effect helps people figure out their type - the first time I tested I think I remember being an ESTJ, then an ESFP. It was weird because neither of the descriptions really matched me all that well. There were a handful of traits from both that made sense, but some that also made me scrunch up my nose and think, "Really? That's like me in an alternate universe."

Then I read some better descriptions and took the test again since I better understand the questions being asked and realized I was an ESTP. :happy2:
 

reckful

New member
Joined
Jul 6, 2013
Messages
656
MBTI Type
INTJ
Enneagram
5
I think anyone who points to the MBTI as a good example of the Forer effect can't be very familiar with the MBTI. For my thoughts on the subject, see the first spoiler in this post.
 

Jaguar

Active member
Joined
May 5, 2007
Messages
20,647
Whether it's the MBTI or the enneagram the same problem exists: The types are described differently depending on what source one may use. Some people don't identify with any of the MBTI descriptions since they are frequently based only on two functions. To me, that's the equivalent of asking a guy who plays the drums, guitar and keyboards to pretend he plays only two instruments and expecting him to find that useful.


"Naturally curious, ABCD's have an undying thirst for knowledge and usually continue to educate themselves throughout their lives." That's me. (And how many millions/billions of others?)
"ABCD's spend a lot of time in their heads where ideas come to them naturally and without effort." That's me. (And how many millions/billions of others?)

I can feel the Forer in the air tonight, oh Lord
And I've been waiting for this moment for all my life, oh Lord
Can you feel the Forer in the air tonight, oh Lord, oh Lord . . .
 

Mal12345

Permabanned
Joined
Apr 19, 2011
Messages
14,532
MBTI Type
IxTP
Enneagram
5w4
Instinctual Variant
sx/sp
The Forer effect doesn't prove or disprove anything about a personality system's truth-value. James Randi prepared a one-page astrology-like description, making its description so general that it could apply to anybody. He then asked a class of high school students what their astrological sign is, and then pretended to hand them their astrological sign personality portraits. Everybody thought the same description described them, thus "validating" the truth of astrology. That's the Forer effect.


Nobody in typology wants to validate their system via type descriptions. Or if they do, they will be very much criticized for it.
 

Mal12345

Permabanned
Joined
Apr 19, 2011
Messages
14,532
MBTI Type
IxTP
Enneagram
5w4
Instinctual Variant
sx/sp
And astrology is far more complicated than other typological systems. Once you account for all the trines and squares, ascendants and houses, the horoscope becomes very long and complex. So it doesn't just describe one out of twelve people - or even one out of 16 people as with the MBTI.
 

INTP

Active member
Joined
Jul 31, 2009
Messages
7,803
MBTI Type
intp
Enneagram
5w4
Instinctual Variant
sx
For those of you who aren't in the know, the Forer effect takes place when one's been given a 'type' description that resonates so much with him/her, that they identify with it through and through. Some are of the mind that typology suffers from this, that one can identify with a description of a type because the description is generic enough to fit him or anyone else, so the categories become meaningless.

underlined is not forer effect, only the bolded is
 

Coriolis

Si vis pacem, para bellum
Staff member
Joined
Apr 18, 2010
Messages
27,230
MBTI Type
INTJ
Enneagram
5w6
Instinctual Variant
sp/sx
For those of you who aren't in the know, the Forer effect takes place when one's been given a 'type' description that resonates so much with him/her, that they identify with it through and through. Some are of the mind that typology suffers from this, that one can identify with a description of a type because the description is generic enough to fit him or anyone else, so the categories become meaningless.

Fair enough. But if one thinks that he's falling victim to this, then what about reading descriptions of other types to see whether they don't resonate as much? Carving out 'not me' is also part of the search for identity, or at least categorization.

This in no way validates or invalidates typology (I'm remaining neutral on that here) but it's food for thought. Maybe.
The highlighted is a large part of why I have confidence in my self-typing. When I read the other profiles, they don't sound like me at all. I might be able to identify with some small piece of it, but that is all. When I read INTJ profiles, however, there is almost nothing I don't identify with. Still, I also consider MBTI questionnaire scores (official and online), and input from people who know me well and understand typology.
 

Jaguar

Active member
Joined
May 5, 2007
Messages
20,647
Descriptions of the same type frequently contradict, depending on what source one uses. Case in point:

"They don't like to study for study's sake or even going through the learning experience at all."
"You love to learn and acquire new skills."


Both of those quotes are from different descriptions of the same type which clearly contradict the other. I've seen that type of contradiction in type descriptions for decades. Knowing that as I do, how could anyone be expected to "rule out" anything when the descriptions can differ to the point of opposition? If I hadn't mentioned that what I quoted came from descriptions of the same type, I have little doubt many people would have thought the quotes were describing different types.
 

Chad of the OttomanEmpire

Give me a fourth dot.
Joined
Jun 9, 2013
Messages
1,053
MBTI Type
NeTi
Enneagram
478
Instinctual Variant
sx/so
Hey now. I test as ISTP, and when I first read that, I was like, "Myers-Briggs is lame".

Turns out I'm actually an ENTP, and the descriptions of that often do resonate. Not every word--descriptions often place us as hyper-bubbly spazzes, which I'm not. It would be more fitting, however, to say that I fit the profile of Ne--I saw my habits on every word of it, and catch myself doing Ne stuff a lot in my daily life. Call it the Forer effect if you wish. I think it's a great tool for reigning some of my more annoying Ne tendencies.
 

Chad of the OttomanEmpire

Give me a fourth dot.
Joined
Jun 9, 2013
Messages
1,053
MBTI Type
NeTi
Enneagram
478
Instinctual Variant
sx/so
The Forer effect doesn't prove or disprove anything about a personality system's truth-value. James Randi prepared a one-page astrology-like description, making its description so general that it could apply to anybody. He then asked a class of high school students what their astrological sign is, and then pretended to hand them their astrological sign personality portraits. Everybody thought the same description described them, thus "validating" the truth of astrology. That's the Forer effect.

Nobody in typology wants to validate their system via type descriptions. Or if they do, they will be very much criticized for it.

It's funny, because when I read the description they allegedly used, I didn't think it described me that well. If I'd gotten that as a result, I would have thought astrology was crap, honestly. I have a hard time imagining everyone thought the description described them well.
 
Top