[SP] uses of type, and why I'm leaving

[Amargith]

The thing is I've been thinking along the same lines. We have all these smart people here interested in type and most of the threads on type are filled with superficial indicators of type.

It would be cool if we could put our heads together...

True, but a lot of people like their down-time when they're online, which explains it sorta

 

[wolfy]

True, but a lot of people like their down-time when they're online, which explains it sorta

I know...It's kind of fun. Like the type and directions thread going on at the moment. I get that. But hey you know...

 

[Totenkindly]

The thing is I've been thinking along the same lines. We have all these smart people here interested in type and most of the threads on type are filled with superficial indicators of type.

It would be cool if we could put our heads together...

Go for it.

Any open discussion, you will get quite a range of skill and insight, as well as disagreement on what actually is insightful versus banal. To put it another way, there's always going to be a nice batch of dross amid any gems.

If you can find a way to help organize and sift through a copious amount of input, that would be awesome, thanks for volunteering!

 

[wolfy]

Go for it.

Any open discussion, you will get quite a range of skill and insight, as well as disagreement on what actually is insightful versus banal. To put it another way, there's always going to be a nice batch of dross amid any gems.

If you can find a way to help organize and sift through a copious amount of input, that would be awesome, thanks for volunteering!

Now I've gone and done it...

I just might do that.

 

[wolfy]

I have to clean up that type wiki thread first.

 

[Little Linguist]

Awww damn it, Sarah, don't give up! We luv ya!!!!!!

 

[Jae Rae]

She helped me realize a truth I had been burying...
That's what happened. It probably wasn't a semi-big thing for other people. It happened to be for me.

Me, too.

 

[Colors]

Sarah, I never found you overbearing or oversensitive either. I know it's not your duty to do so though. I feel bad for not doing my part.

Have fun in real life, kay?

 

[Siúil a Rúin]

It's well thought out, and written, but it strongly smacks of short term frustration.. something got to you, and you threw the toys away - rather than a long term change of opinion.

Those two sentences read as incongruous to me. It's difficult to picture getting mad, throwing the toys away in a systematic and well thought out manner. The second sentence is imposing an SP stereotype onto a post that breaks the stereotype.

Now, I may be wrong, but most times I see a post like that, within a month or two, the poster is back. I wonder if this time it will be different (and if it is, best of luck to you).

When people have a habit of posting on a site, that habit isn't usually broken suddenly. It is easier to notice the posters who return after stating they will leave because the ones that don't return are more easily forgotten. This reads as different to me than the exit rant threads that are a reaction to personal disagreement. This thread states an underlying issue that is a problem to many posters. It really isn't about Sarah only. It is a more universal statement - at least in my reading of it.

 

[Wild horses]

I just wanted to add that Sarah's post is most thought-provoking and has sparked alot of reaction. Is it because she is saying a truth that we don't like to admit. Oftentimes it is difficult when someone exposes anything negative within a community such as this one or in fact IRL. I'm not saying her perceptions are absolutely true but they certainly made me take not.. If for nothing else, thank you Sarah for this I wish you well.

 

[Cimarron]

...But If you want to rant about all XXXXs because your older sister might be one and you and she always hated each other, be aware that everyone reading it is going to apply your definitions and descriptions to their understanding of what it means to be an XXXX, which means if most of what’s said is negative, who is going to want to identify with that type, or notice type XXXX preferences in people who aren’t as bad as you claim they all are? I could be wrong, but I think this is the main reason people mistype themselves and others...

I noticed recently that I've done the bolded part in some cases. I've sat there wondering what type a person in my life might be, and didn't really consider certain types because, subconsciously, they didn't identify with what I'd heard about that type. So I had to step back and review what that type really means, and think of the possibilities of its appearance--positive, negative, and in between. Some perspective always seems useful.

 

[Kestrel]

I will certainly be sad to see Sarah go.

But I have seen the recurring type bias over and over. I'll be honest though, I too had initial biases against some types thinking, "that jerk at work MUST be an XXXX, he fits the profile perfectly!"

Lately, I've wondered how anyone can really know they're typing anyone correctly. It took me like a week or more to figure out my type.

I can pretty easily tell if someone is I or E, but beyond that.. I guess the J vs. P is also not *that* difficult to decipher with some observational methods. But, I have found no real way to definitively tell if someone is a T vs F or a S vs N through observation.

You really need to go inside their mind or talk to the person in depth about their preferences to be sure about those distinctions. Saying "that person is really dispassionate so they must be a T. Or that person's a great athlete, so they're an S." This doesn't work.

Also another thing has been bothering me. How can anyone know they're typing an unhealthy person properly? All of the type profiles seem to fit a "healthy individual" - but I have a feeling when someone breaks down due to outward stress, they're not going to fit the profile anymore.

So that SP guy that's annoying you at work? He might just be an unhealthy NF.

 

[Siegfried]

Also another thing has been bothering me. How can anyone know they're typing an unhealthy person properly? All of the type profiles seem to fit a "healthy individual" - but I have a feeling when someone breaks down due to outward stress, they're not going to fit the profile anymore.

Yea, thats something I agree with to, its not easy to type someone who is stressed since they will seem a mixture of their real personality and their shadow. Also a lot care needs to be taken due to, people acting different to type, aswell due to other factors developing their other cognitive processes. So the most prudent way is to judge after a long time and even then it should be used only as a general pointer. People should be viewed as individually unique before MBTI.

 

[ptgatsby]

So that SP guy that's annoying you at work? He might just be an unhealthy NF.

Or he might just be an annoying SP. There are lots of annoying people of every type! If you think every SP is annoying however, the problem lies in the eye of the beholder, not the other way around.

Type problems are largely projections. The central use for type is to help you communicate with others, to understand how you can reach out to them and help them understand you. The worst situation is typecasting, where we use type to put up walls around people rather than to help break them down.

 

["?"]

Or he might just be an annoying SP. There are lots of annoying people of every type! If you think every SP is annoying however, the problem lies in the eye of the beholder, not the other way around.

Type problems are largely projections. The central use for type is to help you communicate with others, to understand how you can reach out to them and help them understand you. The worst situation is typecasting, where we use type to put up walls around people rather than to help break them down.

Which is why the forums have become so boring and unproductive for me personally. If people who claim to know about type cannot get beyond this, then what's the point of discussions? I am very understanding of Sarah's reasoning and frankly find it no surprise for anyone wanting to finally get a life once they have determined the basic principles of type and are comfortable with knowing their best fit type.

 

[MacGuffin]

What makes this thread beyond awesome: seeing how the different types respond.

 

[digesthisickness]

What makes this thread beyond awesome: seeing how the different types respond.

eh. i wouldn't call it "beyond awesome" by any means. more like a mixture of validation and information.

 

[anainani]

One of the reasons my husband hates “typing” people or categorizing people in any way is because, as a special ed. teacher, he’s seen the downside of what happens to people’s self esteem as a result of negative labeling. When people are identified with disorders or categories rather than respected as being whole human beings, or when they are called insulting names such as “stupid” or “retard”, it affects the way they treat both themselves and others. It also affects what they feel they are able to accomplish –snap at a person for being “stupid” or “bossy” or “unable to see the big picture” enough times and they may start to think there’s more entertainment value in proving you right rather than doing the difficult and work of trying to change your attitude about them (not to mention that some people take a perverse pleasure in needing to be right in their negative assessment of others, and won’t look at any evidence that points otherwise than what they want to believe). The same applies to how we use type, and I guess I’ve become really sensitive to that over the years, and this is why I can’t just turn a blind eye to unfairness whenever I see it. And I can’t tune it out either.

Yes, Sarah, I think I'm going to take the same approach as your husband, and put typology aside, because I've gotten everything I need from it already.
What gets my blood pumping is when people dismiss others just because they are different than them. And yes, those who say that they are too odd and "deep" and open minded, do it even more.
Moreover, what gets my blood pumping faster is when I imagine that being done to kids. I'm a grown woman, matured and learned some things, but damn, when you're a kid it's tough. I'd be ready to break someone's nose if they'd tell a kid he's stupid because he doesn't think abstractly, or that he's a bad person because he doesn't base decisions on his values and feelings. I'm not saying people on this board have done it,I just imagine that being done in real life, and it's fucking moronic.
And yes, what's the point in even having a discussion when you don't go beyond your stereotypes? Stereotypes are a part of life, and there's some truth in them sometimes, but it just pisses me off when people base their opinions entirely on them, or when they don't bother to get passed it.
I'm all up for voicing opinions, and keeping it real, but don't be a fucking donkey.

 

[MacGuffin]

eh. i wouldn't call it "beyond awesome" by any means. more like a mixture of validation and information.

That's what makes it funny!

 

[Sunshine]

That's what makes it funny!

waiiiittttt.....


lol.