[MBTI General] Typing kids

[Immaculate Cloud]

I was just wondering whether kids/teenagers could be typed by watching their behaviour, the things they say, etc...

Also how accurate is it? I mean, after all, type is supposed to be dynamic, right?

Have you ever interacted with or observed kids over a long time and a pattern emerges that they might be ... aha!... INTJ or say, INFP or INFJ?

Or the rowdy ones, ESFP

Or the sweet social but dreamy and starry-eyed ones, budding ENFP?

 

[Nihilen]

When I was a kid, I was more like INFJish...So I'm guessing some of their functions would be obvious, some would later develop.

 

[Kasper]

Personality page has some write ups for kids aged 7-12.

To answer your question, yes, at least to recognise NT/NF/SP/SJ.

 

[Chris_in_Orbit]

Personality page has some write ups for kids aged 7-12.

To answer your question, yes, at least to recognise NT/NF/SP/SJ.

Aw, beat me to it. An awesome resource but know that it is pretty hard to fully type a kid since they really only use their primary function... I think its all explained on that website actually.

 

[INTJMom]

I was just wondering whether kids/teenagers could be typed by watching their behaviour, the things they say, etc...

Also how accurate is it? I mean, after all, type is supposed to be dynamic, right?
...

Welcome to the forum.
I have 3 kids.
I bought the book: Nurture By Nature by Barron and Tieger to help me parent them.
I highly recommend it.

We begin to develop our primary function around age 6 and our auxiliary function around age 12.

Once we have a basic foundational type developed, that remains our core type throughout our lives, barring a physical accident that causes brain damage.

 

[Poki]

My wife doesnt really look into typing people, but she agrees that my son is just like me. I am explaining some of the stuff I am learning and it is making working with him so much easier. He is very SP and in the moment so out of sight out of mind. So when we take away some of his toys as a punishment we keep it in sight so he remembers and thinks about why it got taken away. He is about to be 5 so it is possible to notice at a young age. We also have to explain things to him logically and if he doesnt agree with the logic he tells us "that just doesnt make any sense". Mind games to get him to do what we want him to doesnt work very well with him unless it makes sense. He will also do what he wants. He judges the punishment with how bad he wants to do it and sometimes he feels like the punishment is worth it and other times he doesnt, it depends on how he feels.

 

[milti girl]

Well, from myself I know that I have been INFP consistently throughout my life, although I must have used only my first two functions up to the age of 11.

 

[Wild horses]

LOL i do love istp children, they actually end up making me feel more secure which is a bit messed up! And I love the way they do think about whether a punishment is worth it... and never try to frighten them as it just won't work hahaha

I do think you can see personalities in chidlren I don't think they are without persona until they become adults. whether it is right to do so not sure just because if we type them (possibly wrongly) we may put certain things onto them, as we do with adults who we believe to be a certain type. It can be argued that its just life but vecause we actually have far more control over children if we get it wrong and act on it it may be more destructive.

 

[Nonsensical]

Being a "kid" (sorta) myself, I think the types are relative with us as well...maybe not compared to more mature types, but I think kids as a whole can reflect types in one another.

 

[Wild horses]

I was thinking more young kids actually but yea I suppose it still applies