GuineaWarthog
New member
- Joined
- Apr 27, 2014
- Messages
- 3
Hello. I've been familiar with MBTI for years, and have typed myself. But I'm really doubting my self-diagnosed type. The more I read about the cognitive functions, the more confused I get.
So I filled out this stupid questionnaire in the hope that someone would bother reading it and put me in one of the sixteen boxes. Anyone here wants to have a go? If you don't like reading all of the stupid shit, but still want to type me, feel free to ask questions of your own.
I've tried to be as honest as possible answering these questions, which has resulted in stream-of-consciousness, vague answers that sometimes don't really answer the questions themselves. Oh well.
0. Is there anything that may affect the way you answer the questions? For example, a stressful time, mental illness, medications, special life circumstances? Other useful information includes sex, age, and current state of mind.
24 year old male. Recently moved to a foreign country, preparing for a career-deciding exam that I fear will go badly. Does low self-esteem count?
1. Click on this link: Flickr: Explore! Look at the random photo for about 30 seconds. Copy and paste it here, and write about your impression of it.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/southernskies222/14018805664/in/explore-2014-04-26/lightbox/
I got to a page with various photos, chose this one. It instantly reminded me of Stonehenge. I can imagine an ancient druid walking about, performing some ritual or ceremony. I fantasized about being there, touching the stone and feeling the magic of the place. The colors are amazing, too.
2. You are with a group of people in a car, heading to a different town to see your favourite band/artist/musician. Suddenly, the car breaks down for an unknown reason in the middle of nowhere. What are your initial thoughts? What are your outward reactions?
Well, something vaguely similar happened once to me and my friends. We were in a bus, on our way to a rock festival. There was insane traffic congestion, though, so we were going at a snail’s pace while the festival had already started. To top it off, the bus had to stop for some stupid reason. So we decided to take our stuff, get out of the bus and walk the remainder of the way there, because we actually weren’t that far from the festival site.
It took us a couple of hours walking, and after an hour or so it didn’t really seem like a smart decision. It was a really hot day and I was sweating out of every pore – I left a salt stain on my black t-shirt. The trip alternated between quiet resignation, moaning and bitching ("we'll miss the concert"), and a few optimistic voices. I was actually one of the optimists. I wanted to keep the morale high because I really wanted to get to my favorite band’s concert on time.
Maybe an important detail: I spent the first 9 years of my life in the town where the festival was held, so I was supposed to be the one who knew his way. My orientation skills are non-existent, though, and at one point I announced we had arrived at the town when I thought I recognized the church tower. Only to realize that it was a different one, which was quite embarrassing to have to explain to my already exhausted friends.
I’m sorry I didn’t exactly answer the question. Of course, leaving your own car behind is more difficult than just leaving a bus. In that kind of situation, I would probably panic a little, although I would try to keep an optimistic exterior. I’d probably look to one of my more practically-minded friends to come up with a solution.
3. You somehow make it to the concert. The driver wants to go to the afterparty that was announced (and assure you they won't drink so they can drive back later). How do you feel about this party? What do you do?
Funny thing is, in my story, we did indeed make it to the concert and had a fine time. We stayed there for the next concert even though we were really tired, and I bought some fries and a sausage only to realize that I was actually feeling too sick to eat.
In this hypothetical scenario – it depends. If I haven’t seen my friends for a while, I’d probably gladly take the opportunity to have some fun with them. But I always try to know what kind of party I’m dealing with. If it’s really intense, dance-y, booze-y, and there is zero potential for conversation, I’m probably not in the mood for it, especially when I’m tired. The more potential for relaxing, chummy conversation, the better.
But in the end, I let the majority decide.
4. On the drive back, your friends are talking. A friend makes a claim that clashes with your current beliefs. What is your inward reaction? What do you outwardly say?
It really depends. On how much I value the person saying it (if it’s a dear friend, it’ll be disappointing, but I can brush it off – if it’s someone I don’t like as much, I’ll be less inclined to like him/her now.). And how much I value the belief (if it’s something I really care about, it’ll sting like hell. But usually if it’s about politics or whatnot, it’s more of a shrug.) It also depends on the tone with which it’s said: if it’s really dismissive, flippant, or mean-spirited, I might feel a sting.
My response depends on how much support I have. If I go against the majority opinion, I’ll go about it carefully and apologetically, because I’m a coward. I like to play devil’s advocate – presenting the other side of the debate like it’s a not-too-serious suggestion.
The more I care about it, though, the less successful I’ll probably be at not sounding hurt. In such a situation, I’ll maybe even keep quiet to avoid being hurt.
5. What would you do if you actually saw/experienced something that clashes with your previous beliefs, experiences, and habits?
What, you mean like if I saw a reptilian alien descend from the skies or something? I really don’t know. I’m a muggle, so I’ll probably just think of a semi-logical explanation and shrug it off.
OK, I’ll try a more realistic scenario. I often notice that people who have a tendency to make racist or discriminatory remarks have had some bad experience with a person of another race or nationality. Let’s say they have been mugged multiple times by people of a certain race, thus declaring them to be thieves and scum.
I haven’t really had such experiences, so my belief is of course that racism is wrong, that such experiences constitute anecdotal evidence, and that they actually don’t really have to do with race, but more with culture, socioeconomic factors, etc.
But I actually don’t know what effect it would have on my beliefs if I were to have several of these bad experiences. Would I develop personal resentment? Would I be able to dismiss these bad experiences as merely anecdotal, as is the logically correct thing to do?
In my mind, it’s sort of related to the question: what would you have done if you lived in Nazi Germany? Of course, everyone answers that question with: I would’ve joined the Resistance, probably helped out some Jews. But I wonder if I would’ve just been a coward, primarily interested in keeping a low profile and saving my own skin. It’s really hard to know if you’re a good person until you’ve had experiences that prove it.
OK, so that’s the first thing that came to my mind when looking at this question.
6. What are some of your most important values? How did you come about determining them? How can they change?
Values? I mean… I don’t know. I’m reminded of a Miss World contestant talking about world peace. It all sounds so good, so easy, so obvious, but what does it all mean?
Maybe I’m too intimidated by the word “valuesâ€. Because that word has a sort of big, epic connotation to me. Like, if it’s not about world peace, or championing the poor and the sick, don’t even bother. Of course I want there to be world peace. But what am I doing to achieve that, other than being nice to people in the supermarket or something?
I don’t really go about life thinking about my values. I want to do stuff that makes me happy. I want to find myself. What do I value? Nothing specific. Everyone has their own quality. Some people are especially honest. Some people are especially kind.
Maybe that’s my “valueâ€: striving for empathy. Trying to see the good in everyone. Trying to see where they’re coming from. I don’t know if I’m very good at that, but I want to be. I want to write, so in order to create a good character, you have to know where that character’s coming from. Everyone’s a hero in their own story, bla bla.
How did I come about determining my values: well, apparently by trying to answer an online questionnaire.
How can they change: hmm. When do values change? Probably when life takes a shit on you for trying to live according to those values.
7. a) What about your personality most distinguishes you from everyone else? b) If you could change one thing about you personality, what would it be? Why?
7a. I’m really hard-pressed to answer this question. Maybe I don’t have a personality. To continue with the theme, maybe my knack for trying to understand people. Which doesn’t really help me in social situations. Because usually, when someone is complaining about another person, they don’t want to hear: “Well, he or she could’ve had legitimate reasons for their behaviorâ€. They want you to say: “You’re right, screw that bitch.†Which is perfectly understandable.
7b. Letting stuff overwhelm me. Because I get overwhelmed by stuff, and it makes life a bitch.
8. How do you treat hunches or gut feelings? In what situations are they most often triggered?
I don’t trust my gut feelings, because for every gut feeling I have, I usually have an equal and opposite gut feeling. Now I have to choose between the two of them.
When are they triggered: I don’t know. Could happen anytime. I’ve probably gotten so good at ignoring them that I don’t feel them happening anymore!
9. a) What activities energize you most? b) What activities drain you most? Why?
9a. Surfing the interwebs, looking for interesting stuff, following my current flights of fancy. Watching my favorite tv shows and movies. Listening to music.
I’ve noticed that I find certain useless, procrastinatory (that’s a word now) activities relaxing. These include: making lists or rankings of my favorite movies (even if I think that that’s the wrong way to enjoy movies, but w/e). Trying to type people, fictional characters and myself. Mental masturbation, really.
9b. Social interactions, studying & other chores, partying.
10. What do you repress about your outward behavior or internal thought process when around others? Why?
Repression comes natural to me when around people. It usually comes in the form of extreme self-consciousness, where I’m hyperaware of every thought in my head and every fiber of my being. “You’re holding your limbs really awkwardlyâ€, my mind will tell me. It’s difficult to get out of that mindset once you’re stuck in it, in the same way that it’s difficult to resume automatic breathing when someone’s reminded you about “manual breathingâ€.
This doesn’t happen around some people. Those people usually manage to show interest without seeming threatening, i.e. like they’re out to judge me. In such situations, I won’t filter myself that much, and a waterfall of speech will erupt from my mouth.
Like always, it depends on the context. I do tend to adapt to the people I’m around. One of my friends has a really specific type of humor, and I know that if I say certain things, he’ll reply with a conversation-killing pun or something. So I either avoid saying those things, or I just go all the way with it.
It’s ultimately a difficult question to answer, because I legitimately want to be honest about my feelings and thoughts and who I am. I want to express myself, I don’t want to repress anything. But around others, it becomes a battle between that part of me and the part that cares entirely too much about how well-liked he is, the part that wants to avoid embarrassment at all costs.
So I filled out this stupid questionnaire in the hope that someone would bother reading it and put me in one of the sixteen boxes. Anyone here wants to have a go? If you don't like reading all of the stupid shit, but still want to type me, feel free to ask questions of your own.
I've tried to be as honest as possible answering these questions, which has resulted in stream-of-consciousness, vague answers that sometimes don't really answer the questions themselves. Oh well.
0. Is there anything that may affect the way you answer the questions? For example, a stressful time, mental illness, medications, special life circumstances? Other useful information includes sex, age, and current state of mind.
24 year old male. Recently moved to a foreign country, preparing for a career-deciding exam that I fear will go badly. Does low self-esteem count?
1. Click on this link: Flickr: Explore! Look at the random photo for about 30 seconds. Copy and paste it here, and write about your impression of it.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/southernskies222/14018805664/in/explore-2014-04-26/lightbox/
I got to a page with various photos, chose this one. It instantly reminded me of Stonehenge. I can imagine an ancient druid walking about, performing some ritual or ceremony. I fantasized about being there, touching the stone and feeling the magic of the place. The colors are amazing, too.
2. You are with a group of people in a car, heading to a different town to see your favourite band/artist/musician. Suddenly, the car breaks down for an unknown reason in the middle of nowhere. What are your initial thoughts? What are your outward reactions?
Well, something vaguely similar happened once to me and my friends. We were in a bus, on our way to a rock festival. There was insane traffic congestion, though, so we were going at a snail’s pace while the festival had already started. To top it off, the bus had to stop for some stupid reason. So we decided to take our stuff, get out of the bus and walk the remainder of the way there, because we actually weren’t that far from the festival site.
It took us a couple of hours walking, and after an hour or so it didn’t really seem like a smart decision. It was a really hot day and I was sweating out of every pore – I left a salt stain on my black t-shirt. The trip alternated between quiet resignation, moaning and bitching ("we'll miss the concert"), and a few optimistic voices. I was actually one of the optimists. I wanted to keep the morale high because I really wanted to get to my favorite band’s concert on time.
Maybe an important detail: I spent the first 9 years of my life in the town where the festival was held, so I was supposed to be the one who knew his way. My orientation skills are non-existent, though, and at one point I announced we had arrived at the town when I thought I recognized the church tower. Only to realize that it was a different one, which was quite embarrassing to have to explain to my already exhausted friends.
I’m sorry I didn’t exactly answer the question. Of course, leaving your own car behind is more difficult than just leaving a bus. In that kind of situation, I would probably panic a little, although I would try to keep an optimistic exterior. I’d probably look to one of my more practically-minded friends to come up with a solution.
3. You somehow make it to the concert. The driver wants to go to the afterparty that was announced (and assure you they won't drink so they can drive back later). How do you feel about this party? What do you do?
Funny thing is, in my story, we did indeed make it to the concert and had a fine time. We stayed there for the next concert even though we were really tired, and I bought some fries and a sausage only to realize that I was actually feeling too sick to eat.
In this hypothetical scenario – it depends. If I haven’t seen my friends for a while, I’d probably gladly take the opportunity to have some fun with them. But I always try to know what kind of party I’m dealing with. If it’s really intense, dance-y, booze-y, and there is zero potential for conversation, I’m probably not in the mood for it, especially when I’m tired. The more potential for relaxing, chummy conversation, the better.
But in the end, I let the majority decide.
4. On the drive back, your friends are talking. A friend makes a claim that clashes with your current beliefs. What is your inward reaction? What do you outwardly say?
It really depends. On how much I value the person saying it (if it’s a dear friend, it’ll be disappointing, but I can brush it off – if it’s someone I don’t like as much, I’ll be less inclined to like him/her now.). And how much I value the belief (if it’s something I really care about, it’ll sting like hell. But usually if it’s about politics or whatnot, it’s more of a shrug.) It also depends on the tone with which it’s said: if it’s really dismissive, flippant, or mean-spirited, I might feel a sting.
My response depends on how much support I have. If I go against the majority opinion, I’ll go about it carefully and apologetically, because I’m a coward. I like to play devil’s advocate – presenting the other side of the debate like it’s a not-too-serious suggestion.
The more I care about it, though, the less successful I’ll probably be at not sounding hurt. In such a situation, I’ll maybe even keep quiet to avoid being hurt.
5. What would you do if you actually saw/experienced something that clashes with your previous beliefs, experiences, and habits?
What, you mean like if I saw a reptilian alien descend from the skies or something? I really don’t know. I’m a muggle, so I’ll probably just think of a semi-logical explanation and shrug it off.
OK, I’ll try a more realistic scenario. I often notice that people who have a tendency to make racist or discriminatory remarks have had some bad experience with a person of another race or nationality. Let’s say they have been mugged multiple times by people of a certain race, thus declaring them to be thieves and scum.
I haven’t really had such experiences, so my belief is of course that racism is wrong, that such experiences constitute anecdotal evidence, and that they actually don’t really have to do with race, but more with culture, socioeconomic factors, etc.
But I actually don’t know what effect it would have on my beliefs if I were to have several of these bad experiences. Would I develop personal resentment? Would I be able to dismiss these bad experiences as merely anecdotal, as is the logically correct thing to do?
In my mind, it’s sort of related to the question: what would you have done if you lived in Nazi Germany? Of course, everyone answers that question with: I would’ve joined the Resistance, probably helped out some Jews. But I wonder if I would’ve just been a coward, primarily interested in keeping a low profile and saving my own skin. It’s really hard to know if you’re a good person until you’ve had experiences that prove it.
OK, so that’s the first thing that came to my mind when looking at this question.
6. What are some of your most important values? How did you come about determining them? How can they change?
Values? I mean… I don’t know. I’m reminded of a Miss World contestant talking about world peace. It all sounds so good, so easy, so obvious, but what does it all mean?
Maybe I’m too intimidated by the word “valuesâ€. Because that word has a sort of big, epic connotation to me. Like, if it’s not about world peace, or championing the poor and the sick, don’t even bother. Of course I want there to be world peace. But what am I doing to achieve that, other than being nice to people in the supermarket or something?
I don’t really go about life thinking about my values. I want to do stuff that makes me happy. I want to find myself. What do I value? Nothing specific. Everyone has their own quality. Some people are especially honest. Some people are especially kind.
Maybe that’s my “valueâ€: striving for empathy. Trying to see the good in everyone. Trying to see where they’re coming from. I don’t know if I’m very good at that, but I want to be. I want to write, so in order to create a good character, you have to know where that character’s coming from. Everyone’s a hero in their own story, bla bla.
How did I come about determining my values: well, apparently by trying to answer an online questionnaire.
How can they change: hmm. When do values change? Probably when life takes a shit on you for trying to live according to those values.
7. a) What about your personality most distinguishes you from everyone else? b) If you could change one thing about you personality, what would it be? Why?
7a. I’m really hard-pressed to answer this question. Maybe I don’t have a personality. To continue with the theme, maybe my knack for trying to understand people. Which doesn’t really help me in social situations. Because usually, when someone is complaining about another person, they don’t want to hear: “Well, he or she could’ve had legitimate reasons for their behaviorâ€. They want you to say: “You’re right, screw that bitch.†Which is perfectly understandable.
7b. Letting stuff overwhelm me. Because I get overwhelmed by stuff, and it makes life a bitch.
8. How do you treat hunches or gut feelings? In what situations are they most often triggered?
I don’t trust my gut feelings, because for every gut feeling I have, I usually have an equal and opposite gut feeling. Now I have to choose between the two of them.
When are they triggered: I don’t know. Could happen anytime. I’ve probably gotten so good at ignoring them that I don’t feel them happening anymore!
9. a) What activities energize you most? b) What activities drain you most? Why?
9a. Surfing the interwebs, looking for interesting stuff, following my current flights of fancy. Watching my favorite tv shows and movies. Listening to music.
I’ve noticed that I find certain useless, procrastinatory (that’s a word now) activities relaxing. These include: making lists or rankings of my favorite movies (even if I think that that’s the wrong way to enjoy movies, but w/e). Trying to type people, fictional characters and myself. Mental masturbation, really.
9b. Social interactions, studying & other chores, partying.
10. What do you repress about your outward behavior or internal thought process when around others? Why?
Repression comes natural to me when around people. It usually comes in the form of extreme self-consciousness, where I’m hyperaware of every thought in my head and every fiber of my being. “You’re holding your limbs really awkwardlyâ€, my mind will tell me. It’s difficult to get out of that mindset once you’re stuck in it, in the same way that it’s difficult to resume automatic breathing when someone’s reminded you about “manual breathingâ€.
This doesn’t happen around some people. Those people usually manage to show interest without seeming threatening, i.e. like they’re out to judge me. In such situations, I won’t filter myself that much, and a waterfall of speech will erupt from my mouth.
Like always, it depends on the context. I do tend to adapt to the people I’m around. One of my friends has a really specific type of humor, and I know that if I say certain things, he’ll reply with a conversation-killing pun or something. So I either avoid saying those things, or I just go all the way with it.
It’s ultimately a difficult question to answer, because I legitimately want to be honest about my feelings and thoughts and who I am. I want to express myself, I don’t want to repress anything. But around others, it becomes a battle between that part of me and the part that cares entirely too much about how well-liked he is, the part that wants to avoid embarrassment at all costs.
