[MBTI General] Are circumstances making me more "P" than usual?

[SilkRoad]

What do you think? For the last several months, I have been temping and I literally haven’t had two weeks the same. Since my contract (maternity cover) ended in October, I’ve temped in three different departments of the same company, and am also temping in another company which is separate, but shares the same office space and the same sales team (all publishing.)

I am still looking for a permanent job but it’s been tough – there’s always lots of competition in publishing and obviously these are difficult economic times. I am glad I’ve been able to continue in publishing and getting more experience, but it’s unsettling too.

I have noticed that recently, taking different MBTI tests online (though I realise these are not always accurate) I have been tending to have quite close J/P splits (though usually still a bit stronger on J). Or I have even tested INFP a few times. I always thought I was a very strong J but it seems that recently this has been my closest split. I still relate far more to the INFJ description than to INFP, though.

I wonder if circumstances are forcing me to be more P, keeping my options open etc. In a way this has been a good experience for me. I was freaking out in Oct because I thought I was going to be totally out of work, but temp work has always come up at the last minute within the company (at first it wasn’t really enough financially, but lately it has been pretty much full time work.) I do find myself saying things like “we’ll just have to see how it goes” or “I’m not worrying too much what will happen” (which is kind of true and kind of a lie, hehe.) But I feel like I’m more relaxed about what happens next, in a way, because things do seem to work out not too badly – even if it’s always a bit uncertain. Thus the P?

Does that make sense? What do you think? I'm sure the dominant/secondary/etc functions would have something to say to this - but I have only recently started learning more about how the functions work in that way so am not really qualified to comment yet.

 

[BlueFlame]

I definitely think the *P* is just coming out because of your circumstances and the nature of the questions involved in the testing. 'Your type wouldn't actually be changing - your answers to P/J questions would just be altering your results a little. I'm always split pretty closely down the middle, sometimes more P, sometimes more J, but I'm definitely more of an ENFJ, cognitive function-wise.

 

[Thalassa]

It's really all about Fi/Ne vs. Ni/Fe, IMO.

Do you really feel more comfortable knowing that things will change? I know that when things are open ended (but if at the same time I have the assurance I'll be physically okay, it's not like I don't care about tomorrow at all) I feel more relaxed. I love the feeling of my life lacking structure to a certain extent. Again, not the the extreme - I like having a steady place to live, for example - but I know I'm a P because I thrive on that open feeling. It used to be a lot worse when I was younger - I remember being 19 or 20 and being terrified to commit to anything including a cell phone contract. I grew out of that, but my P-ness is pretty evident.

At one point I did think I was an INFJ, but I didn't know much about MBTI at that time.

 

[Tycho]

I almost never worry about the future. I anticipate on it, perhaps more than P-types, but it doesn't keep me from being emotionally stable. Especially in your situation, you can't do very much more than you do now, I think it's wise that you take it easy. I don't see why Fe would somehow "object" to that.

The point in being "p-ish" or "j-ish" rests on the assumption that if the most important extroverted function is a rational one, you'll typically want your life to be structured.

 

[SilkRoad]

Yeah - as you all more or less said above I am pretty sure it's the circumstances. Basically, I am handling all the uncertainty better than I would have thought, but I don't prefer it. I'd hazard a guess that a "P" would hypothetically feel more constrained by a permanent job, etc. I feel more constrained by not having one - because from my perspective it makes it harder for me to plan things (like, I'm not sure if I should plan anything more than a weekend away, because I don't know if I'll get something more permanent in the meantime, if I'll have enough money, blah blah blah.)

I do sometimes feel a sort of reluctance to commit but I wonder if that is more explained by being e6 or just generally over-analyzing. I second-guess and worry a lot so that can make it hard to make decisions. (Major decisions take me a long, long time and I have to feel really comfortable about what I'm going to do.) But I don't exactly LIKE the second-guessing and worrying.

 

[fireandwater]

I have noticed that recently, taking different MBTI tests online (though I realise these are not always accurate) I have been tending to have quite close J/P splits (though usually still a bit stronger on J). Or I have even tested INFP a few times. I always thought I was a very strong J but it seems that recently this has been my closest split. I still relate far more to the INFJ description than to INFP, though.

Either way, it's good to achieve balance. I'm very borderline on I/E personally, which is a good place (for me) to be.

 

[Spamtar]

Haha I initially read this as " Are circumcisions making me more "P" than usual?"