Need help buttoning down my type

[MaybeINTJ]

Hi everyone,

Eversince someone first introduced me to MBTI, I have been intrigued by the system. First time I took the test I typed as INTJ. I felt at the time that the typing fitted quite a few aspects of me. We had just been through some major problems at work, and for most of the problems I had carved out detailed written contingency plans well before we experienced the problems. Hence the person who introduced me also felt that I fitted the INTJ typing well.

However recently when I have re-taken the test I have gotten different results. INFJ, ISTP, ENTJ amongst others. I have since tried to read a bit up on the various types, and I nod a bit to them all but then also think they all have traits that is definately not me.

Here are a few facts about me:

- Many of the first years of my life I lived on my grandmother's homestead without many children around. So I spent a lot of time alone or with just one friend.
- Most of my free time was spent on building projects (rafts, clubhouses, soap box cars), or playing war games outside like cowboys and indians. Played lots and lots of Lego. Also spent much time in serene papercrafting
- When I was around 10 years old we moved into a more urbanised area, and I got more friends, the games were similar as before, but was also reading a lot. Mainly detective stuff like Famous Five, etc.
- In nursery I was more mature than the other kids, and I considered myself a notch above the rest both intellectually and physically. I always knew what wanted to do and never waited to be activated.
- I did above average in primary and secondary school but with minimal effort. I wasn't much of a trouble maker in primary , but found school mundane and boring. In secondary I became more difficult and found a delight in being consistently late, defying the male teachers and making the female teacher run crying out of the classroom. Got into a lot of fights with other students in primary school.
- I left school after secondary and was working, first as a fisherman, and then as a mechanic, for a few years before I figured out that I had a lot more brain power than my colleagues, and wasn't as apt with my hands as they were, and I then went to university and got a master's degree in engineering.
- My off time the years when I was working were pretty much spent drinking and making trouble. Got arrested a few times. Never for anything serious though. Mainly for being a trouble maker and drunk driving.
- I never did well with women. I was always the biggest strongest and most fearless of my group, but the other guys got laid more. (That's until now. Now I get laid a lot, but I think that comes down to money and status)
- After getting the engineering degree, I started a job but quit after 3 years and started working as an independent consultant. The main reason I quit was that I couldn't stand my incompetent boss. I have since figured out that the independent consultant role fits me well, because by the time I cannot hide my discontent for my boss anymore, the project is normally over, and I can leave without slamming the door.
- My job is either as a planner (typical INTJ) or as a project manager (typical ENTJ). One of my bosses once wanted to put me into a department in an area where I had no technical expertise, because he said the department needed a 'doer'. But I always considered myself a 'thinker'
- I am a very positive and happy fellow, and whistle and humm a lot of the time. I love cracking jokes.
- Unlike the stereotypical NTJ, I have compassion for people, and always try to lift them to a higher level, and I am quite happy spending time and money doing so. However I have very little passion for general pity concepts such as hungry children in Africa. Somehow I feel that if I cannot make a serious change I am not bothered about it.
- I protect my loved ones with my life, and I willingly invite others into my sphere of protection. But if they decide to join I tend to consider them my property, and expect them to follow my expectations which are more strict than in the society at a whole.
- I almost never watch television
- I cry like a baby when watching sad movies.
- I think I try to avoid conflict, but I quite often end up in conflicts where I find it impossible to back off, and just have to fight it to the bitter end.
- In a discussion I will usually take the opposite stance. Just because I enjoy the discussion, and also because I feel that if we all agree it is usually because everyone just agrees with the leader. Even if I am the leader and everyone agrees with me I will change my argument to the opposite. If they then agree with me again, I typically just give up and go and ask someone else to get a proper discussion.
- On the other hand I am also often getting accused of when there is something I really want to do and the group is against me,I just go and ask someone else, and keep asking someone else until I find someone who agrees. Then I go back to the one with the weakest argument of the previous group and convince him, and sofort, until everyone agrees.
- I don't like to give orders, but always try to get people to adopt my belief as their own.

So as you can see I seem to be a garbled up bag of everything and I would be delighted if anyone would have the inclination to try to type me.

Thanks

 

[MaybeINTJ]

Ok, I see others do it a little differently, do I will try the same. I would appreciste if anyone would endeavour to type me:

1) What aspect of your personality made you unsure of your type?
I first typed as INTJ, and that made a lot of sense. However I have since typed as all sorts of othet stuff. Especially INFJ, ENTJ, ISTP. I chanje between an engineers job and a project managers job, and I enjoy the project managers job a lot more. O dont particularly enjoy bossing people around. In fact I always try to moyivate rather than give orders. People usually call me exttavert although i see myself as introvert


2) What do you yearn for in life? Why? I yearn to provide security and protection to those I care for. I very much see the outside world (including governments) as, if not the enemy, then definately not my friends


3) Think about a time where you felt like you were at your finest. Tell us what made you feel that way.
I feel at my finest most days. When I am at work and succed. Or if my team fails and I can encourage them to get up and try again

4) What makes you feel inferior?
When the taxman asks too many questions. When there is someone who is paid by my taxes who can spend all their day on ruining my day, and I cannot defend myself because Im busy earning for that persons salary.
Otherwise I rarely feel inferior

5) What tends to weigh on your decisions? (Do you think about people, pro-cons, how you feel about it, etc.)
The bigger decisions are about how it affects my loved ones. Work decisions are about efficiency, although I always consider how it affects the people

6) When working on a project what is normally your emphasis? Do you like to have control of the outcome?
Yes, I get ver frustrated if I just add a little poece to a big picture. I want to know that my time has been spent well and that the result is as I wanted it to be.

7) Describe a time where you had a lot of fun. How is your memory of it?
I dont have such a memory. I enjoy every situation to the fullest. I enjoy work, I enjoy sleep, I enjoy food, I enjoy joking or battles of wit. I also enjoy socialising, but it has to lead to something, ie a finished product, higher understanding (or sex 😊 )

8) When you want to learn something new, what feels more natural for you?
If I want to learn something new it is usually because I want to make something that requies extra knowledge. I typically research the internet. Maybe build a theoretical model and then play with it.


9) How organized do you think of yourself as?
I am very good at organizing and systemising. But I dont like to be confined by a system so I tupically move between bringing everything in perfect order, and then allowing it to deteriorate

10) How do you judge new ideas? You try to understand the principles behind it to see if they make sense or do you look for information that supports it?
I always go for the concept first, but usually also check if it works i real life

11) You find harmony by making sure everyone is doing fine and belonging to a given group or by making sure that you follow what you believe and being yourself?
I believe there is a best solution and that solution will benefit eveeyone. I am usually able to find that solution. If there are people I consistently cannot find such solutions with, I slowly cut them out. I try to avoid fights unless they are necessary for the greater good


12) Are you the kind that thinks before speaking or do you speak before thinking? Do you prefer one-on-one communication or group discussions?
Think first. Ok with either one on one or group discussions

13) Do you jump into action right away or do you like to know where are you jumping before leaping? Does action speaks more than words?
I try to let my actions speak more than my words. I want to have a general idea of where im going, but dint need all details to be sorted


14) It's Saturday. You're at home, and your favorite show is about to start. Your friends call you for a night out. What will you do?
Im am not a party animal, but I dislike television even more, so would go for night out

15) How do you act when you're stressed out?
I rarely get stressed, but if I do, I tend to lose my lateral thinking, and make rash decisions


16) What makes you dislike the personalities of some people?
If they talk fluff, or even worse betray me


17) Is there anything you really like talking about with other people?
Anything that leads to something


18) What kind of things do you pay the least attention to in your life?
Dont really know

19) How do your friends perceive you? What is wrong about their perception? ? What would your friends never say about your personality ?
I dont have friends. I have people I love. They typically know me very well. I havent noticed that they have any misconceptions about me


20) You got a whole day to do whatever you like. What kind of activities do you feel like doing?
Be with my loved ones

 

[WolfRayet]

You sound very much like an NF and most likely an I. I am relatively sure of that. It's just about checking J/P which depends on a lot of complicated "stuff" if you look at it from the official MBTI classification which we will forego for the time being.

Do you appreciate order or do you like to flow with an open plan?

J is typically rational and stick to structure. They tend to make decisions quickly because they often have strong appreciations for closure. If your boss were INTJ (stereotyped for being dictatorial leaders) you as an INFJ would have little problem following their rules.

P on the other hand do not like to be, "put in a box," if you will. They often prepare them selves for a task in a way that allows them to fully explore the task and they have a tendency to be not-so-great at sticking to deadlines. If you were an INFP you would feel like your hypothetical INTJ iron fist boss was choking you.

For further information on Judging/Percieving here are some links:

The Myers & Briggs Foundation - Judging or Perceiving

Rethinking Judging & Perceiving in IPs & IJs

Judging vs. Perceiving

 

[Punderstorm]

You sound like a well developed ISTP. ISTP's and INTJ's are often confused for each other and you seem pretty developed so that add to the confusion

 

[MaybeINTJ]

Thank you to WolfRayet and Punderstorm for your evaluation.

Your assessments are quite different, but maybe the difference is development. I have definately changed over the years, and I continue to change as life leads me through new experiences.

I think that I'm fairly sure about the Introvert, at least in the common understanding of the word. I would be perfectly content being left alone on the North Pole with a gun and some ammunition. I don't need anyone's input to my decisions. I however usually seek it, but mainly from a point of trying to be inclusive and try to develop those around me. My job at the moment is a typical extrovert job and I love the extrovert part of it, but I think the reason is that I see people a bit like white lab rats, and I like to experiment with them and see what happens (yes a bit of a crude exaggeration but you get the point )

Regarding T vs F. I always considered myself T, and I think everything through in details, but on the other hand I have never been able to watch through the entire Bambi movie. Not only do I cry, but I just cannot watch it. (Still now when I'm grown up I cannot). On the other hand I would have no problems shooting Bambi in real life, and I hunt without any qualms whatsoever, so there is some kind of disconnect there. The bigger decisions in life I also make based on feelings. I.e. what's right and what's wrong. Not what's optimal.

Regarding N vs S. I always considered myself living in a conceptual internal world although my external world was always very practical. Living on a homestead kinda pushes you to get practical. I think I always start in the conceptual world, and then I move into the practical world. Right from when I was a little boy and was sitting in the driving seat of my dad's car imagining I was being chased by the police, (or that I was the police) at some point I would realise that the whole thing was futile, because the car wasn't actually driving so there was not point sitting there making engine sounds. Even now, I will plan some project in great detail, and then realise that nothing is happening in reality, and then either kick it into being or just leave it behind. In general I will not continue with anything unless it progresses towards something tangible, but it never starts tangible. It always starts a big unrealistic dream. I have gone through a lot of projects that everyone around me thought was impossible, but after some tinkering I would go ahead and make it work.

As a little anecdote. If we are going anywhere as a family, it will usually be my idea, and I will grab the carkeys and start walking towards the car. My wife will then stop me and tell me we are not ready because there are a lot of preparations that haven't been done. I will then go and do the preparations (although they aren't always necessary), I will then grab the car keys again and start walking towards the car, and sofort until we eventually leave.

Regarding J vs P. I'm not sure. I think it depends on the situation. I will always make a decision. I usually make it quickly, but bigger decisions I tend to make slower than small decisions. I don't necessarily make the decision because I am so sure of it, but rather because I find it is usually more effective to make the wrong decision and then correct it than not making a decision. At least a wrong decision will teach you something.


Once again thanks for your input

 

[MaybeINTJ]

o, I think I figured it out...

I went away from the MBTI, and had a look at the Jungian cognitive fuctions instead. Whilst the MBTI is exclusive in nature, the Jungian appears to be less so. It is possible to be sensitive to input and be thinking deeply about the sensory stimulus you receive. I.e. it is possible to have strong Sx and strong Tx. Likewise it is possible to have both Te and Ti. Te being the broader result oriented brush and Ti more focused on understanding. Being a stock trader would be more Te because you need to be able to understand that there is optimism in the industry, hence the market will go up therefore you need to buy in order to make money, however without the Ti, you would never have gained that understanding. So building Ti baggage will help you exercise your Te.

It is like a toolbox. You may have a hammer, a saw, a wrench and a screwdriver. Tx, Sx, Nx, Fx. You can get through life with just a screwdriver. It can be used to hammer in nails, it can be used to chip off pieces of wood until the log parts, it can be used to hit on a bolt until it losens, and of course it can be used to screw in screws with. I.e. it is possible to be very Fx dominant. However a skilled artisan will use all four tools.

The hammer usually has two ends, one heavy and blunt for hammering in nails, and one formed like a crow bar to pull out nails. Likewise there is Te and Ti. It is possible to hammer in nails with the crowbar, and it is possible to pull out nails using the blunt end. However the skilled artisan will use each end for it's right purpose, and the skilled thinker will sometimes apply his introverted thinking, and sometimes his extroverted thinking. If you are gambling on horses, Te's inductive reasoning may help you understand which horses normally win, whilst Ti's deductive reasoning will never tell you which horse will definitely win. On the other hand using generalised Te arguments on a math exam, will not get you very far, but Ti's deductive reasoning will.

What I am trying to get at is that the Jungian cognitive functions are all different, and although there is some interdependency, they are not by any means mutually exclusive. It is more like some people prefer the right hand, and some people prefer the left hand. Some are ambidextrous. Some are paralyzed. If you are European you cut your food with a knife held in the right hand, and put it into your mouth with a fork held in the left hand. If you are American you cut all of the food up, and then move the fork to your right hand and use that for eating. Same task, but one person uses his genetically weaker hand in order to be able to do two things at once.

It should also be noted that Jung's, being a psychoanalyst and a student of Freud, main focus was to understand and try to repair mental disorders or flaws in people (please don't start nitpicking on what exactly is meant by disorder and flaws. I mean mad people in general). ...Although the personality type part of his work does have a popular slant...

So being able to clearly type yourself doesn't define who you are. It defines who you are not. It defines which functions you haven't developed fully.

I shall thus think that having a well defined MBTI demonstrates a cognitive defect.




And yes, that last comment was just the INTJ's Briggs-given desire to provoke you to voice your counter-opinion