How do you determine someone's type?

[Gabe]

How do you? Do you look for cognitive processes/ archetypes? Work on the dichotomies (E/I, F/T, S/N, J/P)? Compare type guess to temperment/interaction style models? (I never quite understood the interaction style one)

 

[INTJMom]

How do you? Do you look for cognitive processes/ archetypes? Work on the dichotomies (E/I, F/T, S/N, J/P)? Compare type guess to temperament/interaction style models? (I never quite understood the interaction style one)

My knowledge is in the "dichotomies" as you call them.

I have to remind myself why I want to know someone's type. My goal is to understand them well enough to associate with them without having conflict. I want to get along with people and since I am naturally inept at it, I use my understanding of MBTI to help me, so I won't experience so much failure.

So for me, just understanding if they prefer E or I, if they use S or N, if they're T or F, and whether they prefer J or P, is enough information for me to work or associate with someone generally successfully. I just observe their behavior and carefully listen to the things they say.

If they want to know they're type, then I use some online resources.

Interestingly, Jung said, "Every individual is an exception to the rule." Accordingly, I don't put people in boxes they can't get out of, but a general understanding helps me.

 

[Magic Poriferan]

I tend to look for contrast with the dichotomies as well.
But there are also weird little tests you can put people through to figure it out.
I read about this hilarious study where they had two rooms: one full of N's and the other full of S's. The two groups where both told to draw their "spiritual journey". The end results was that the two rooms drew radically different kinds of pictures.
The S's often with an identifiable, pictogram style to them, and the N's with almost completely abstract art. The two rooms did not relate to eachother's art.

Every now and then, there are bright, flashing signs about someone's type that send you in the right direction.

 

[Totenkindly]

But there are also weird little tests you can put people through to figure it out. I read about this hilarious study where they had two rooms: one full of N's and the other full of S's. The two groups where both told to draw their "spiritual journey". The end results was that the two rooms drew radically different kinds of pictures. The S's often with an identifiable, pictogram style to them, and the N's with almost completely abstract art. The two rooms did not relate to eachother's art.

That is not a bad start. In general, though, the SPs and NTs will muddy the water. (i.e., SJs and NFs would clump near the extremes). N + T means abstract BUT impersonally reasoned (structure), while SPs want detail and identifiability in general and yet are so free-flowing, they go where the picture leads them. So there is some crossover.

if all else fails, get out the Magic MBTI 8-Ball, shake, and read the little message in the window.

 

[Splittet]

I look at dichotomies and cognitive processes, but more and more cognitive processes, really.

 

[quietgirl]

I tend to look at cognitive processes & interaction styles. I mainly want to know the interaction style so I can better communicate & attempt to relate with others.

I can usually pick up on one dominating cognitive process and start to decipher that way.

I'm not the best at determining the exact type though. People tend to surprise me.

 

[FDG]

I use visual identification, and socionics relationships. Over time, I've become pretty good at the first and can easily distinguish the first three letters of a person. For the last, I look at their friends and decide. If an ESTx is friends with INFps and ISTjs, then it's likely that he's an ESTp over an ESTj. The same applies to ENTx, ISFx, etc

It's also rather easy to distinguish between interaction styles of ExTx, ExFx, IxFx and IxTx (except for IxTx women that can superficially look like IxFx, especially INTps)

 

[DaRick]

Cognitive process + dichotomies. I used to look exclusively at dichotomies, but that approach wasn't really successful.

 

[snegledmaca]

I don't use dichotomies, cognitive processes, visual identification, relationships, interaction styles or anything other objective, non personalized method like that. I use a personal system of judgment. This only sometimes relates to a jungian type, most people by this system don't have a determined type. And I prefer it over typology.

 

[wildcat]

How do you? Do you look for cognitive processes/ archetypes? Work on the dichotomies (E/I, F/T, S/N, J/P)? Compare type guess to temperment/interaction style models? (I never quite understood the interaction style one)

A multiple meaning or origin?
Neither.

 

[arcticangel02]

How do you? Do you look for cognitive processes/ archetypes? Work on the dichotomies (E/I, F/T, S/N, J/P)? Compare type guess to temperment/interaction style models? (I never quite understood the interaction style one)

I tend to look at the dichotomies, and I can normally pick out 3/4 fairly well... then I'll get the person to look at a couple of different descriptions of their possible types, and they'll usually have one that stands out. Of course, I've only tried to type friends and family that I know fairly well so far.

I enjoy knowing people's types, so I can understand what each type is like, especialy when I want to discuss them here. I find it very hard to understand/imagine what a type is like in real life unless I know someone who I identify as that type.

 

[Dansker]

A combination of dichotomies, temperament and cognitive processes, but I find now that I rely more and more on cognitive processes.

 

[Gabe]

I use visual identification, and socionics relationships. Over time, I've become pretty good at the first and can easily distinguish the first three letters of a person. For the last, I look at their friends and decide. If an ESTx is friends with INFps and ISTjs, then it's likely that he's an ESTp over an ESTj. The same applies to ENTx, ISFx, etc

It's also rather easy to distinguish between interaction styles of ExTx, ExFx, IxFx and IxTx (except for IxTx women that can superficially look like IxFx, especially INTps)

Sorry to correct you here (it's honestly not what I made this thread for), but _STJs have been known to be married to _NFPs (you don't just have to take my word for this one, any type expert and statistic agrees with that). Two types with all different letters are not "type opposites"- STJ and NFP both prefere Ne-Si and Fi-Te, if in different orders.

 

[FDG]

Sorry to correct you here (it's honestly not what I made this thread for), but _STJs have been known to be married to _NFPs (you don't just have to take my word for this one, any type expert and statistic agrees with that). Two types with all different letters are not "type opposites"- STJ and NFP both prefere Ne-Si and Fi-Te, if in different orders.

I'm using socionics, and supposing that:

1)People are typed correctly
2)An ESTJ and an ISTJ are very different types
3)Due to 2), an ISTJ is predicted to get along great with an INFP and badly with an ENFP, supposedly that both the ISTJ and ENFP have been typed correctly
4)Types with all different letters are complete opposites if you suppose that they have been typed correctly. ESTPs can easily mistype as ESTJs whenever their coscentiousness is not truly low. INFPs can mistype as INFJs, however vice versa is much rarer. ENFJs can mistake themselves for ENFPs, however again vice versa is much rarer. The first mistype of the triad is because emphasized E+S+T give rise to a personality that is more J in behavior than E+N+F even if the ESTP has Se+Ti as main function and the ENFJ has Fe+Ni. Now I could go on for each type but I don't really have any willigness to.

 

[INTJMom]

Sorry to correct you here (it's honestly not what I made this thread for), but _STJs have been known to be married to _NFPs (you don't just have to take my word for this one, any type expert and statistic agrees with that). Two types with all different letters are not "type opposites"- STJ and NFP both prefere Ne-Si and Fi-Te, if in different orders.

Just to corroborate:
My INFP sister has been married for over 20 years to her ISTJ husband,
and I have heard of many such combinations recently, including RansomedByFire on this forum - an ISTJ married to an INFP.

 

[snegledmaca]

No, that would go. An ESTJ married to an INFP would be a no go.

 

[autumn]

"How do you determine someone's type?"

I usually draw a strip of paper out of a hat.

Seriously, I find it a tricky endeavor to try to type someone unless I already know them very well, or unless they come to me wanting to know more about their type and offer enough pertinent information for me to give them a good estimate. Really, the best way would be to have the person take a reliable exam (MBTI, KTS) in a comfortable environment with a knowledgeable administrator, and to chat with them beforehand about how the questions are to be answered (according to natural inclinations and not learned habits, or what they think people want to hear, etc.) in order to promote a more accurate result.

If I do want to figure out someone's type, just for fun or to try to understand them better, and I already know them in more than a casual manner, and it's not practical to sit them down and give them an exam , it helps to try to start broadly with Keirsey's temperaments. If you can narrow down what their temperament might be, even if you can narrow it down to one of two possible temperaments, that will be quite helpful. Then you may be able to think about how to fill in the missing letters, as it were. Some people are much harder to type than others, even if you've known them for years. I generally regard any typing that I have done unofficially with a grain of salt, as it is possible that I have done it incorrectly, since I am only an observer of any other person.

 

[Usehername]

No, that would go. An ESTJ married to an INFP would be a no go.

but there are lots of ISTJ ENFP examples. I personally know a couple like that. They're not married, though.