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Mistyping, how and why?

Dwigie

New member
Joined
Aug 25, 2008
Messages
658
MBTI Type
INFP
I read ENFJ...it's not impossible but I'm not energized by being around people at all, it's actually draining in the long run. I can't count how many times I'd simply tune out and go do something on my own or mostly listen to conversation. I love people, just not for long if I don't get my time alone I'm a big fat crank.
This description fits me better for the infj part too:
INFJ - The Mystic
The Profile by Sandra Krebs Hirsch and Jean Kummerow is the most "accurate portrait" in my opinion. I mean the other one is too sugary in my opinion.
(I read almost all the descriptions of the types and immediately ruled out Ts and cruised around the Fs. I then cut out the SJs because I had gotten the NF temperament and read a lot about it , SJ was clearly not my type. So I was then in a dilemma over SFs and NFs, I couldn't accept not being S(I admire them :p) but I read up on those and saw that I was more of an NF(aw crap...oh well).
So yeah all that was left was pretty much infp and infj. So I went and looked for material, I'll be going again today :D(I love Barnes and Nobles :)). I think that coming to the States had affected my personality because I used to eat up books as a child and lost interest during my middle school years (usual teen crisis -.-, we're busy trying out things) now it's all coming back to me, feeling better these days.
 

wolfy

awsm
Joined
Jun 30, 2008
Messages
12,251
How many times have you mistyped yourself?

Quite a few first as INTP/ENTP then for a while ISTP now ISFP.
It's been a wild ride.

Why?(misunderstanding of the functions, "dishonest answers?")
I am really interested in the future. In the strengthfinder test futuristic was in my top five. I can see that in myself but having studied MBTI functions a bit more I realised I am not N. F/T I think was because most of the stuff you read about feeling is really about Fe.

Have you reached a conclusion?If so, what helped you determine your type?

Yes ISFP. Reading examples of ISFP in Do what you are and reflecting on when I was a kid. And of course you lovely people. :wubbie:

Do people tell that your type doesn't fit but you do or the opposite, you tell people that this isn't your type but they insist that it is?

My wife thinks I am ISTP. The description of ISFP I showed her had people pleaser in the description and she laughed at that! Immersed in present interests in the ISTP swayed her to that one. No one has claimed I am some other type. Not even on here I feel kind of left out. :cheese:
 

Virtual ghost

Complex paradigm
Joined
Jun 6, 2008
Messages
19,769
I don't know why so many people have this problem. Can it be that so many people are balanced?
 

Dwigie

New member
Joined
Aug 25, 2008
Messages
658
MBTI Type
INFP
I don't know why so many people have this problem. Can it be that so many people are balanced?

Hm, well after the bias for esfj was cleared (and the meaning of the functions was a bit improved )I scored high on Introversion and Intuition, not extremely high, moderately intuitive and distinctively introverted (at first I thought introverts were the stereotype of no friends, no fun, reserved person.:shock: Who wants to be labeled as that?xD) and I fought the feeling function meant "people who cry easily and are extremely emotionally expressive.Yeah not me at all". Many many misconceptions on the functions :p.
I guess I'm fairly balanced..just slightly "infj" more than the rest I guess.
Yeah I agree with Wolfy, usually you read the description and something comes jumping in your face and you just know it's you :newwink:.(for me it was the "they may believe they are always right", they may not care about how they come off and this set of adjectives that fit me to a T(found on the infj forum) and basically 98% of the "personal growth" part:

"Abstract thoughts. Loves reality and abstract. Intelligent and clever. Changing personality. Attractive. Temperamental. Quiet, shy and humble. Honest and loyal. Determined to reach goals. Loves freedom. Rebellious when restricted. Loves aggressiveness. Too sensitive and easily hurt. Gets angry really easily but does not show it. Dislikes unnecessary things. Loves making friends but rarely shows it. Daring and stubborn. Ambitious. Realizing dreams and hopes. Sharp. Loves entertainment and leisure. Romantic on the inside not outside. Superstitious and ludicrous. Spendthrift. Tries to learn to show emotions.
 

LucrativeSid

New member
Joined
Oct 20, 2007
Messages
837
How many times have you mistyped yourself?
In the past, I have typed myself as ALL of the four NT types.

Why?

The tests I took were not that good. I was too literal while answering the questions. I believe things about myself that are not even true. I'm pretty balanced with my introversion and extroversion.

Have you reached a conclusion?If so, what helped you determine your type?

My conclusion is ENTP. (But I'm still open.) Mostly what helped me decide was studying the cognitive functions. It's not surprising that I thought I was an INTJ, INTP, or ENTP, because my Ne, Ni, and Ti scores are always extremely high and close to each other. However, after studying the functions, I realized it was absurd to think that Te was my leading function. With me, Te is only average at best. Due to the high Ne and Ti combination, I knew I was either an INTP or an ENTP. Studying Ne more helped me realize it is my leading function. Plus, I can see a lot of differences between me and the average INTP. Maybe even EVERY INTP I've talked to on the internet.

Do people tell that your type doesn't fit but you do or the opposite, you tell people that this isn't your type but they insist that it is?

I've had people question every one of my letters, and sometimes two or three at once. People question the E the most, the N second, the T third, and the P last. Everyone has their own ideas. Within reason, it's easy to rationalize why a person is a different type. A lot of the things I do seem S and F. I believe that better is better and I always aim for more within myself. No limits here.

Most people here definitely think I'm an ENTP, though. In fact, they usually enjoy commenting on how ENTP I am. (So at this point, they'll believe it no matter happens, it's already been reinforced so many times.)
 

Colors

The Destroyer
Joined
Apr 24, 2007
Messages
1,276
MBTI Type
ISTP
Enneagram
5w4
Instinctual Variant
so/sx
I usually test as an INTP. I was waffling for a while between INTP and ISTP. In the end, I just looked at the root meaning- the specific and the general. While everyone uses both, I prefer to look at the specific first, and then the general. I abhor inspecific commentary without real judgmental value. When I'm intiating interaction (in a conversation, for example), I'm looking for a single point of entry.

I don't know why so many people have this problem. Can it be that so many people are balanced?
The descriptions tend to paint cariactures- a very specific expression of a type- which can lead to confusion in most people. Most people are full of contradictions. People use all the functions. It can be hard to recognize their preference for one over another.

Also, MBTI is completely unscientific. People disagree on the meanings of the terms all the time.

Descriptions of N, S, T, and F can lack clarity. Just because you are Te-dominant doesn't mean at all you identify with the Ti-dominant parts of a "T description". Personally, Si is one of my weakest functions, while Se is a great supportive function for me.

Function descriptions describe functions used as a primary function (and on their own). MBTI type in a person involves many functions working in a ranking order- with a flexible relationship (in different roles/situations you'll definitely tend to use your judgement differently).

Is it so bad to be so-called mistyped? If it means you've completely got a false image of who are are in your environment, yes. But if you're realistic about your actions and thoughts and their relationshp to the environment, I don't see why you can't find value in "seeing" yourself from different type perspectives. If you're doing the right thing for self-growth, you should be able to see it is the right thing no matter where you look at it from.
 

kelric

Feline Member
Joined
Sep 8, 2007
Messages
2,169
MBTI Type
INtP
I don't know so much that I'm "mistyped" frequently, as much as it's that I don't fit very well into a single type. Rather, I fit in relatively well with portions of what I read about two different types (INTP and INFP). I'd say that on tests (the validity of which I often doubt anyway), I come up INTP on about 80% of them, INFP on the other 20%. The "function" test, which I *really* doubt (because of the result it gives me as much as anything else), sometimes gives me ENTP.

Reading various descriptions of types, I find that there are many anecdotes and flavors that I can easily sympathize with in both INTP and INFP descriptions - both things that INTP's and INFP's have in common, and some that they don't. If anything, I settled on INTP as I "get" Fe-related thoughts and behaviors, and I don't "get" Fi ones. A minor thing.

Mostly, I think it's just that many type descriptions are collections of behaviors that are frequently associated... but certainly not absolute. They fit some people better than others.
 

cascadeco

New member
Joined
Oct 7, 2007
Messages
9,083
MBTI Type
INFJ
Enneagram
9w1
Instinctual Variant
sp/sx
A few question for you people:
How many times have you mistyped yourself?
Why?(misunderstanding of the functions, "dishonest answers?")

In my early 20's I seriously considered myself an INTJ, and related to the descriptions I read on the net. My basis for deciding this was kind of silly, just the humanmetrics test. I do remember of the 4 functions, T was the weakest, though.

Most of the internet tests don't go off of functions - they just go off of the dichotomies. So a misunderstanding of functions didn't really apply to my results. I was never 'dishonest' either - I answered as truthfully as I could.

Part of the reason behind my 'skewed' results could be a very critical/judgemental view of myself, so I don't perceive my qualities as being what they are - i.e. I might not believe myself to be a very compassionate person (even though in comparison to many others, I might be very compassionate) -- and since I don't view myself as compassionate, I test out as 'T'. That's one small example.

I am also extremely introverted, and many of the 'F' questions on tests tend to be geared towards extroverted sensing feelers, and I didn't identify with many of the examples (this goes for cognitive function descriptions for Fe, too).

Have you reached a conclusion?If so, what helped you determine your type?
Do people tell that your type doesn't fit but you do or the opposite, you tell people that this isn't your type but they insist that it is?

It was my mid 20's when I revisited type stuff, and became more open to INFJ, and saw that as a possibility, and decided that was probably my best fit. The only other one I've pondered at times is INFP, but after getting to know some Fi-dominants, I'm beginning to realize my Fe is rather apparent when I'm side by side with the Fi-dom's.

I think standard personality tests just don't work for me, period. I've tested as all INxx's, depending on my mood, and even ENFJ once, and ISFJ once. And cognitive function tests are equally unhelpful. Again, part of it is just how I approach tests, I think. And my difficulty separating out my true 'preferences' from learned behavior and situational behavior. And finally, my own belief that balance in life is key, so therefore I don't WANT to see myself as preferring one thing over another, and I always aim for balance in my personality.

I also think there is a lot of conflicting, contradictory information on the net when it comes to mbti, and I even find the disagreement amongst mbti 'Experts' rather amusing....and given this fact, the usefulness of all of it really dissipates in my eyes. But that's very likely me wanting to turn mbti into something that's seamless, without any exceptions or whatever, and that's simply not the case.
 

Jack Flak

Permabanned
Joined
Jul 17, 2008
Messages
9,098
MBTI Type
type
You fit into the INFJ mold perfectly, cascade, just like all the rest. You are all interchangeable. No one would notice if you were switched out with another INFJ, at work or in your personal life. Teehee!
 

sade

New member
Joined
Aug 23, 2008
Messages
761
^ Really? Great! I've always wanted a twin so I could switch places when I didn't feel like doing stuff or had an idea in my head. Etc. *setting up INFJ traps*

Cascademn has given a an infj-ish feel, I don't know how to explain it though.
 
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nightning

ish red no longer *sad*
Joined
Apr 23, 2007
Messages
3,741
MBTI Type
INfj
They say you shouldn't over think on the test questions. At the same time, they ask that you understand exactly what the questions mean, other wise your initial testing wouldn't be accurate. But how are you suppose to understand if you haven't study the theories?

An example: Are you likely to be whimsical or matter of fact? Those of us who've studied knows whimsical is N as matter of fact is S. But take an XNTJ, would you call them whimsical? Hardly... they're more matter of fact than anything else due to their Te.

If you know the basics though, then you can figure out exactly how the questions are weighted. Talk about biasing your results... Either way you do it, there's potential for errors by ignorance or pre-expectations. People can't help but mistype themselves.

Answering questions:
How many times have you mistyped yourself?
I've been asking myself that question far too often. What is my type? I don't know... it hovers around INXX.

Why?(misunderstanding of the functions, "dishonest answers?")
Why INXX... because I get variable test results. My answers were honest, the questions just didn't fit the whole picture of me very well.

Have you reached a conclusion?If so, what helped you determine your type?
INXJ is probably about where I draw the line. I flex along T/F quite a bit. People who've met me in RL though insists I'm INTJ.

Do people tell that your type doesn't fit but you do or the opposite, you tell people that this isn't your type but they insist that it is?
I've some people online saying I'm more P than J... INFP to be precise. I suppose I'm a lot more playful online. :newwink:
 

Orangey

Blah
Joined
Jun 26, 2008
Messages
6,354
MBTI Type
ESTP
Enneagram
6w5
How many times have you mistyped yourself?

Well, supposing that INTP is my true type, I've mistyped myself once as INFP.

Why? (misunderstanding of the functions, "dishonest answers?")

I don't really know. I try to answer the questions honestly, but I always feel like I'm not being completely honest because the intent behind most of the questions is fairly easy to figure out, even if you don't know the theory real well. It's not like I can just close my brain and pretend not to know what the questions mean. After reading up on functions, though, I'm at least almost sure of INXP. It's the T/F that throws me off, and the simplistic test questions aren't enough to help very much.

Have you reached a conclusion? If so, what helped you determine your type?

I am fairly satisfied with INTP now because I have had the opportunity to work with some people recently who I'm sure are INFP's, and the contrast between us is great. Without that type of reference point it is difficult to determine your own level of T/F, since a lot of it is relative to other people (especially if you're not a 99% F or T person).

Do people tell that your type doesn't fit but you do or the opposite, you tell people that this isn't your type but they insist that it is?

No one seems to object to my being INTP. I had a few objections to INFP before, but not many (on the basis of my not being as sensitive as the descriptions said). I think that if the obvious points like introversion and intuitiveness are outwardly distinguishable, then most people won't object to any INXX type that you adopt.
 

Thursday

Earth Exalted
Joined
Mar 14, 2008
Messages
3,960
MBTI Type
ENTJ
Enneagram
8w9
Instinctual Variant
sp/sx
How many times have you mistyped yourself?

first as INTJ - then INFJ

Why?(misunderstanding of the functions, "dishonest answers?")

not dishonest - misunderstood

Have you reached a conclusion? If so, what helped you determine your type?

my actions as i was searching - my interactions with INFJs on the forums and my style @ work - remembering who i was a kid/how i acted under stress - infj or infp - my natal chart - Night and Lauren Ashely

Do people tell that your type doesn't fit but you do or the opposite ; you tell people that this isn't your type but they insist that it is?

of course
some insist INFJ - others INTJ - seldom INFP
 

ZiL

New member
Joined
Nov 27, 2007
Messages
511
MBTI Type
ENTP
Enneagram
567?
A few question for you people:

How many times have you mistyped yourself?
Once, for like a year :D

Why?(misunderstanding of the functions, "dishonest answers?")
I had social anxiety and had been living for years in a less-than-optimal social environment that kept me from realizing my E potential. I thought I was an introvert, but I was really just withdrawing because I was depressed, not because I liked it that way.

Have you reached a conclusion? If so, what helped you determine your type?

Yeah, I think I've reached a conclusion. Well, coming on this site helped - I
started a thread and got some good feedback. I also started college and found a new, more variable and inviting social environment; I started observing myself in this new environment and realized that when I'm around others or when I'm in an idea-sharing situation, I become super kinetic and I get a lot of energy from that. I don't need to be around people all of the time or anything, but I'm definitely more oriented toward the "outside."


Do people tell that your type doesn't fit but you do or the opposite, you tell people that this isn't your type but they insist that it is?

I haven't heard anything yet.
 
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