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[ENFJ] The US's (as a nation) Myers-Briggs Profile is ENFJ (Huffington Post article))

ziltoid

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Nov 18, 2009
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9
MBTI Type
ENTJ
I don't see the ENFJ in Obama at all? How is he an F? Or a J for that matter? Obama doesn't seem deeply rooted in any particular or specific position. I know deep down inside there are goals and achievements he would like to reach but I know he doesn't have an incredibly specific agenda for policy. He's more of a social maneuverer than anything else. He doesn't actually come out in support of anything until he knows where everyone else stands and then he only does so because it's clearly viable (P?). I'd say he's definitely an ENTP. They're excellent at moving crowds and often have that charismatic nature. Obama may come across as very idealistic at times in his speeches, but he's also been labeled as pragmatic, which is very NT I think. He's just a balanced T.

Anyone recall the media getting at Obama for not being emotional enough about the oil spill in the gulf? Really? An NF, much less an EXTROVERTED NF, that is being criticized for not being emotional? Yeah he's not an NF.
 

Haphazard

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I'm going to go and say that the US as a nation is NOT an ESJ because then we would be practical. I'd have to go with some kind of ESP.
 
R

ReflecTcelfeR

Guest
Anyone who says SJ (me included) did you say so because of moral/religious values that most hold in the U.S.? I did. I still think SJ ranks over SP, but SP is very close second.

My reasoning for SJ, besides the aforementioned is because when politicians are trying to get elected one of the biggest groups they campaign to is the middle to middle lower class. The diligent, uncomplaining hardworkers. This is mostly stereotyped as SJ's, introverted more specifically.
 

Haphazard

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Probably ESFP... the idealism is still there, but it tends to get pushed aside for opportunism.
 
R

ReflecTcelfeR

Guest
Opportunism? Oh, you mean Capitalism ;). I agree. Who can reach the ideal first?! It's a race.
 

Aleksei

Yeah, I can fly.
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ENTJ
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Anyone who says SJ (me included) did you say so because of moral/religious values that most hold in the U.S.?
Partly, but not only that (otherwise I would have guessed ESFJ). The US has a culture that upholds traditional values, honor, and rugged autonomy. It's very much a tough, paternal, "make your own way in the world, but be useful" sort of culture. ESTJ.
 

Aleksei

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I'm going to go and say that the US as a nation is NOT an ESJ because then we would be practical. I'd have to go with some kind of ESP.
The US is very practical. One of the values upheld in the US (politics especially) is tough pragmatism. That's why the US is a right-wing nation, compared to the rest of the developed world.
 

Aleksei

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Oh, one thing I missed: Gorby was far, far from the first NF head of state ever. Jimmy Carter was NF (INFJ), and there have been quite a few before him.
 

TrueHeart

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Dec 23, 2007
Messages
85
MBTI Type
INFP
One thing I am sure about is that he's an extravert. I mean, have you ever seen a president - ever - who talks this much? It seems like every day. In addition to the news conferences, he's on Larry King, Letterman, a Barbara Walters special - the guy likes to communicate.

I don't know about that. First, let's not mistake the demands of one's position for one's personal preferences. Second, google found me this:

Historian Martha Joynt Kumar of Towson State University, who compiles data on presidential media appearances, said the figures reveal that Obama tends to utilize formats where he can expound at greater length. She breaks down presidential exchanges with the news media into four categories: primetime news conferences; news conferences held alone or jointly alongside a foreign head of state; brief Q-and-A sessions, which typically transpire in the Oval Office, the Cabinet Room, or similar settings; and one-on-one interviews.

Adding up those four categories, Kumar finds this president, through May 20, has faced reporters’ questions on 280 occasions in the first 485 days of his term. That compares with 275 such instances for George W. Bush, 454 for President Clinton, and 198 for George H.W. Bush.

While that total figure reflects almost exact parity between Obama and his immediate predecessor, a more detailed breakdown reveals a stark difference in the way the two men approached their interactions with reporters. Where George W. Bush held 186 brief Q&A's – the daily bread and butter for the White House press corps, particularly wire service reporters – and gave only 56 personal interviews, Obama has done almost exactly the opposite. He has held only 56 Q-and-As, and granted 188 personal interviews.​

Unless I am mistaken, almost every description of an introvert mentions the preference for one-on-one communication, no?
 

Liesl

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Jun 20, 2010
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204
Obama is an ENFJ too, pretty cool ;). Peep out the article:

Ed Gurowitz, Ph.D.: The US's Myers-Briggs Profile

Oh my goodness, this is so frustrating. Everyone thinks Barack Obama is an ENFx because of what he wrote in 'Dreams from My Father and 'The Audacity of Hope.' The books were written specifically to appeal to (segments of) the population. You can imitate other type patterns' writing, speech, etc. For example, I could write two books in an inspiring, philanthropical ESFJ tone. Instead of writing about my observations of societal problems that no one else seems to notice and explaining the patterns and cycles that are responsible for these problems, I would just tell a story about how I took someone off the street, housed them, baked them cookies, and then they became a model citizen and went off in the world to lead a highly conventional life. Ok, so that's sort of a joke, but the point is that with a little observation and insight into other types, you can masquerade as another type. When I used to work in scientific research, I would always test INTJ.

There are A LOT of people out there (celebrities, politicians) that project a certain image that they know is going to be appealing to the American people. Projecting that image helps them to complete their 'task' more effectively. The only way to accurately type people is to tease out the UNDERLYING patterns in their life: how do they make decisions, how do they behave around other people, how do they solve problems. If you go based on political ideology, public policy, or ideals that people SAY they aspire to, you're going to get thrown off track. In general MBTI describes behaviors and not beliefs.
 

Skyward

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I'll bet he author is a NF, and is projecting NF values onto american society. US culture is generally considered ESTJ overall, especially work/business-wise.

Ive been thinking that it's EST- in general. Upperclass or white collar business would be ESTJ while the rest would be ESTP.
 

Litvyak

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It's so reassuring to know that some of us are able to read minds like this. And I thought such cognitive processes are only measurable by professional testing, and that you don't have any other choice than making a guess based on visible clues.

Silly me.
 

Aleksei

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Oh my goodness, this is so frustrating. Everyone thinks Barack Obama is an ENFx because of what he wrote in 'Dreams from My Father and 'The Audacity of Hope.' The books were written specifically to appeal to (segments of) the population. You can imitate other type patterns' writing, speech, etc. For example, I could write two books in an inspiring, philanthropical ESFJ tone. Instead of writing about my observations of societal problems that no one else seems to notice and explaining the patterns and cycles that are responsible for these problems, I would just tell a story about how I took someone off the street, housed them, baked them cookies, and then they became a model citizen and went off in the world to lead a highly conventional life. Ok, so that's sort of a joke, but the point is that with a little observation and insight into other types, you can masquerade as another type. When I used to work in scientific research, I would always test INTJ.

There are A LOT of people out there (celebrities, politicians) that project a certain image that they know is going to be appealing to the American people. Projecting that image helps them to complete their 'task' more effectively. The only way to accurately type people is to tease out the UNDERLYING patterns in their life: how do they make decisions, how do they behave around other people, how do they solve problems. If you go based on political ideology, public policy, or ideals that people SAY they aspire to, you're going to get thrown off track. In general MBTI describes behaviors and not beliefs.
I'm so glad I found someone else who didn't swallow up the kool-aid.
 

Chris_in_Orbit

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Jul 7, 2008
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504
MBTI Type
ESTJ
I love the part where he says that the population being mad at Bush makes sense because "he went against our nature."(??)

Seeing as ENFJ makes up, at most, 1/16th of the population?

I guess a nation's type disregards the distribution of the types as a whole.

...Lol
 

JustHer

Pumpernickel
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hmm i can see ENFJ though probably more ESFJ.

Definitely not Te though
 

Aleksei

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I guess a nation's type disregards the distribution of the types as a whole.

...Lol
It kind of does, in the sense that the elite disproportionately influences the nation's direction -- and its type distribution often differs from the general population.
 

Aleksei

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hmm i can see ENFJ though probably more ESFJ.

Definitely not Te though
For the US, or Obama?

Lulz @ either. The US is Te as all fuck.
 

Chris_in_Orbit

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It kind of does, in the sense that the elite disproportionately influences the nation's direction -- and its type distribution often differs from the general population.

I can't understand this at all. If the elite influence the masses, does that mean the elites disliked Bush therefore the majority dislikes Bush?
 

Aleksei

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The elite doesn't think for the people, but it does influence the nation's behavior -- Politicians, and (most importantly) their backers dictate policy, and the media and academia largely shape the nation's opinions. Those on top do not control the entirety of the nation, but they do exert influence far disproportionate to their numbers.
 
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