The first time I'd ever heard of the Myers Briggs Type Indicator, the official name of the personality test that Jenni suggested we take today for Blogtember, was when a former boss years ago asked me if I'd taken it - she wanted to know what my results were so she could manage me effectively. I hadn't, and, honestly, it sounded like a strange concept. You know how I feel about these sort of tests, dear readers, so I didn't go out of my way to look it up and she ended up leaving our organization before I had a chance to explore it further.
But then, one night last autumn, Bethany and Gesci were tweeting about their types and the historical figures that shared their results and my curiosity got the better of me. I took the test then and again last night and: drumroll, please...
E N F J
33% 38% 12% 89%
33% 38% 12% 89%
extraverted
Is anyone shocked by this? No, I didn't think so. I am a little confused that I apparently have only a moderate preference over introverted, but let's move on.
intuitive
Now this was definitely more of a surprise, once I understood the two options for the second letter. Wikipedia says, "ENFJs tend to be more abstract than concrete. They focus their attention on the big picture rather than the details, and on future possibilities rather than immediate realities." Jon would totally disagree; he learned the hard way as we went through 15 months of wedding planning that I can't let go of concrete details and the immediate realities of what needs to be done. But maybe I really am intuitive rather than sensing - maybe this is a hint that, deep down, I should let go a little more?
feeling
Again, I'm not sure I would have guessed this. From Wikipedia: "ENFJs tend to value personal considerations above objective criteria. When making decisions, they often give more weight to social implications than to logic." However, the first time I took the test, I got T for this letter - thinking, rather than feeling. (I guess that's why I'm only 12% F this time around.) If I went by that result, I'd have gotten "ENTJs tend to value objective criteria above personal preference. When making decisions, they generally give more weight to logic than to social considerations." Either one sounds right depending on my mood, actually!
judgement
"ENFJs tend to plan their activities and make decisions early. They derive a sense of control through predictability." No kidding! You know, it's possible that, because I'm so strongly J - 89% - it affects the previous two letters, making me think I'm less N and F than I really am. It could be that one result weights another, right?
I think it must, because the complete profile for my Myers Briggs personality sounded incredibly familiar. All the pieces do add up to a picture of me! Did yours for you? (By the way, I like the Van Der Grinten map. Obviously.)
