Greetings all, I've been torn on this topic for a fairly long time and after snooping around the internet with little results on this conundrum, I feel you all are qualified and helpful enough to help me figure this anomaly out once and for all.
I've taken the official MBTI and other unofficial versions many different times in my life and when i was younger (high school age) I always ended up INFP.
Now that I'm older and out of college, someone had me take the test again as part of a team-building exercise. I nearly protested the retake since I had always been INFP but now it appears I test as a INTJ.
I was a bit surprised, and went off to take some other unofficial tests and again ended up INTJ. Is this normal?
I feel like these types are quite different and there doesn't appear to be a lot of other people with confusion on the two. I don't really know if I fall into one or the other or neither of them -- INFP always seem to be characterized as overly sensitive and unrealistic people who have an inability to delineate even the most fundamental of ideas.
INTJ on the other hand always felt... well kind of autistic. It's almost like they appear to be distant, emotionless or apathetic robots with a hard-on for logic and a distain for passion. Never felt like that kind of automaton either.
So what I really don't know is if I'm INFP who thinks like INTJ or a INTJ who emotes as INFP! I can see where I was more Byronic in my youth and now I'm more pragmatic and driven in my adulthood, but I still don't know if I'm operating with authenticity or if I've outgrown the passions of my younger years. Hopefully you can help!
Here's a questionnaire I've filed out that I found in the sticky.
(If there's a better one that I should use, please let me know!)
1) What aspect of your personality made you unsure of your type?
I've taken the official MBTI and other unofficial versions many different times in my life and when i was younger (high school age) I always ended up INFP.
Now that I'm older and out of college, someone had me take the test again as part of a team-building exercise. I nearly protested the retake since I had always been INFP but now it appears I test as a INTJ.
I was a bit surprised, and went off to take some other unofficial tests and again ended up INTJ. Is this normal?
I feel like these types are quite different and there doesn't appear to be a lot of other people with confusion on the two. I don't really know if I fall into one or the other or neither of them -- INFP always seem to be characterized as overly sensitive and unrealistic people who have an inability to delineate even the most fundamental of ideas.
INTJ on the other hand always felt... well kind of autistic. It's almost like they appear to be distant, emotionless or apathetic robots with a hard-on for logic and a distain for passion. Never felt like that kind of automaton either.
So what I really don't know is if I'm INFP who thinks like INTJ or a INTJ who emotes as INFP! I can see where I was more Byronic in my youth and now I'm more pragmatic and driven in my adulthood, but I still don't know if I'm operating with authenticity or if I've outgrown the passions of my younger years. Hopefully you can help!
Here's a questionnaire I've filed out that I found in the sticky.
(If there's a better one that I should use, please let me know!)
1) What aspect of your personality made you unsure of your type?
I feel very confident in my Introversion and iNtuition personality traits. The others, F/T and J/P I am not the least bit confident in. I can rapidly oscillate between each pair and do not have trouble using the trait when the situation calls for it. So I don't really know my true type.
2) What do you yearn for in life? Why? Good question. Not too sure I have that figured out to be honest. I yearn for happiness and strive to be the most perfect version of myself
3) Think about a time where you felt like you were at your finest. Tell us what made you feel that way. I don't think I ever have been at my finest. I'm too self-critical to realize it if I ever was.
4) What makes you feel inferior?Lack of autonomy or power to shape my life/the world as I see fit.
5) What tends to weigh on your decisions? (Do you think about people, pro-cons, how you feel about it, etc.) I'm overly calculating when it comes to even the simplest of decisions. I make sure to explore every mundane detail and possibility with regards to one decision over others. Most of the time I pre-decide with intuition and then after exploring the choices internally for a while, I come to validate that intuition by arguing for it on the grounds of how it will benefit me, others, and my emotional state.
6) When working on a project what is normally your emphasis? Do you like to have control of the outcome?My emphasis is in the large scale planning and fastidious organization of any given project. I'm all too enthusiastic for outlines, schedules, and due dates. I prefer working alone but when I'm in a group setting I cannot help but become the person to check up on the others involved to keep them on track. If only so I don't receive undue scolding from a superior.
7) Describe a time where you had a lot of fun. How is your memory of it?Once I threw a big party at my house during a long weekend when the other housemates were away. I am by all means an introvert but really enjoy going out/socializing more often than you'd expect from me (or so some people have said). I had so much fun that night because it was thrilling to get to be in charge of my own house for once (the two who were gone basically made the place feel unwelcoming) and everyone also had a great time. It made me feel even better when afterwards the attendees told me how much fun they had as well.
8) When you want to learn something new, what feels more natural for you?Reading about the topic first, understanding its place within the larger confines of its discipline, knowledge, and society. Once I have it indexed and compiled into my system of though, I have to move onward to experiential learning instead of visual/interpretive. I hope that's not too abstract of an answer.
9) How organized do you think of yourself as? I'm a slave for organization and hierarchy of ideas, practices, rituals, and composure. If there's one thing I hate it is being unprepared. If there's another thing I hate it is being unpunctual. In a perfect world my living space would be completely pristine and anal, but more often than not I get lazy and do not keep my space as tidy as it should be. Although I do think there is a difference between being cluttered and messy.
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'm almost always skeptical of new ideas and theories. I tend to start out in the big picture and then dial inward to the details if I think the idea deserves to be explored. It it's an idea that resonates with my perception of the world I then look for more information in support of the idea. If not, I seek out information that logically defies it.
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?This is one of the harder points for me to differentiate. I am at heart very sensitive to conflict with other people and strive to find cohesion among those I interact with. At the same time I often overextend myself and leave out my own needs/authenticity. But when I act in pure self-interest at the expense of another's comfort I can't help but feel guilty. As I've gotten older, I'm more confident in making sure I'm acting true to myself and feel as if that's more important than making everyone else happy.
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?Both. I'd like to be more contemplative in my speech but at the same time being too withdrawn/passive leads to marginalization. I definitely prefer one on one conversations because you can do more thinking before speaking. I'm also fine in group conversations but generally only if the topic is something I'm particularly interested/knowledgable in. In those situations I can control the room and create/diffuse animosity at will, which is something I enjoy.
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? Actions do speak louder than words, and that is why I am very hesitant to act. As someone who enjoys deep thought, I always analyze the situation before getting my hands dirty.
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?I'll tell them that I'll meet up with them in an hour. If I was about to engage in a particularly satisfying activity I'd indulge for a little bit but then pull myself away so I could go out and have fun. I would look forward to resuming the activity as a way to recharge from going out.
15) How do you act when you're stressed out? On edge. I'm not really the person to snap or show my colors but I do tend to withdraw from others for their own good and for mine as well. I do whatever I need to destress (typically that entails an intimate encounter or extended period outside in the woods - both if I'm lucky) and then once my composure is regained I resume activities and relationships as they were normal.
16) What makes you dislike the personalities of some people? I really don't like impulsive people. Things like tattoos or piercings or loudly colored hair irk me. Abrasive personalities play into those characteristics from my experiences and I generally avoid them for their flakiness and lack of perspective. Although I'm sure they would say the same about me.
17) Is there anything you really like talking about with other people?I really like talking about big, abstract ideas like truth or justice or aesthetics, but only when I'm conversing with someone who also is as into these topics as I am. I am very good at reading people, and can instantly tell if they are the type to discuss these topics with. If they aren't I engage in smalltalk or whatever they seem passionate about. Other than that, I love to discuss pieces of art, music, and literature with others.
18) What kind of things do you pay the least attention to in your life?Popular culture/mainstream appeal. I'm politically apathetic and can't understand why anyone buys into current affairs. I'm quite hesitant to adopt technology as I've gotten older. Oddly enough I was pretty big computer nerd back in the day, but I think that was because of my social group at the time.
19) How do your friends perceive you? What is wrong about their perception? ? What would your friends never say about your personality ?They perceive me as oftentimes crotchety and stubborn (I have been told that I was "the youngest old man in the world") which if I can be honest, is true at times. My friends could also see me as overly critical and confrontational. That isn't so true, at least I don't see it that way. If I engage in an argument with my friends, it's generally from a place of pure intellectual curiosity and defense of my deepest ideals. I really never mean to offend or cause discomfort. I don't think they would ever call me free-spirited or whimsical, although on the right day I definitely can be.
20) You got a whole day to do whatever you like. What kind of activities do you feel like doing?I'd pack a picnic and go on a drive and hike, go to town and see a museum/art gallery. Have a nice dinner and a few beers with my friends then go to a music venue. I'd get back and make music for a while with the inspiration from that night out then go to sleep.
