Monday, September 9, 2013

Myers Briggs


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%

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.)

42 comments:

  1. Ha - I'm an INFJ - your introverted counterpart :)

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  2. Ah. So am I! We're really rare, and yet there are two of us right here. :)

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  3. Betsy must attract our kind ;-)

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  4. I think I would find that a bit odd for a boss to ask to take the test after you were already employed and I wonder if she would have really been able to use the results. I was interested in my results and not shocked at all I rated so high on introverted but we do have the same exact percentaged for judging!

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  5. WHAT! I'm an INFJ too!! Can we be best friends? I'm actually excited!

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  6. I'm an INFJ as well! Which is crazy because it's supposed to be the most rare of all the options! x

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  7. Yes. We can be best friends. I think the internet must be our meeting place as we are introverted.

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  8. yeah, it was interesting... I'm not sure that knowing my results would have made a difference, but I guess it's one of those things where you only get out as much as you but into the system? hm.

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  9. I knew we were meant to be. ;)

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  10. Who knew there were so many of us out there & that #Blogtember & Betsy Transatlantically would bring us together!

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  11. I am now following everybody's blogs so I can connect with my people.

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  12. someone should REALLY do a study of bloggers! we are strange people... haha

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  13. wow! that's is totally nuts! And also makes me love you even more! Maybe bloggers are more inclined to be INFJs...I can totally see it!

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  14. I find this stuff so fascinating! I'm a ISFJ!

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  15. :) What is your blog? I want to follow yours too!

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  16. I am suuuuper strongly ISTJ :) http://www.personalitypage.com/ISTJ.html

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  17. I actually don't have one. I keep telling myself that I am going to start one, but I am so boring. It's basically me and my cats all day long- not that interesting.

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  18. Unlike you, I LOVE personality tests. I would seriously take any and all even those stupid ones we used to take that would say what city fit you best or what animal you were. I love them.


    I particularly enjoy Myers-Briggs. I did the real one (much longer with much more follow-up for training) with an office, and I found it fascinating. I am an ISFJ. I'm actually right on the line between S and N so I often read descriptions for both INFJ and ISFJ. I think it describes me so much. At the training we did with my office, the trainer did a lot of work with how to understand those in your office and their needs/personality, and how we could work best together. It was actually extremely informative and helpful. It just made us all aware. For example (this is a silly example), as a J, I need lunch plans. I am not spontaneous. My friend at work was the opposite. It could be stressful to me to not know where we were going (again a silly example), and we would work more together to understand. :)

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  19. I'm highly suspicious of this stuff. Every time I get curious (prompted by reading things such as your post!) I go take a test, and it's always a different result, and/or such low percentages that it doesn't mean much. Also, self-reporting is only half the picture, right, because other people might experience you differently. Also, the questions are very directing. *sigh* Sorry. I just thought there was so much positivity in the comments, I just wanted to add some skepticism. :)

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  20. so on the one hand I should really do my research before dismissing things out of hand. Your explanation makes a lot of sense and I can totally see how it would help with team building.


    on the other hand, I still sort of feel that these are things that you need to learn organically about each other? because the experiences that teach you about your colleagues are the ones that truly make a lasting impact. right?


    or am I making life a lot harder for myself than it needs to be... which is totally possible!

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  21. yeah, it's the self-reporting that makes me a little uncomfortable! that's why I flip flop between ENTJ and ENFJ I think - it depends how I see myself that day and what I've done recently. But it is fun to get curious :)

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  22. "While they generally take things very seriously, they also usually have an offbeat sense of humor and can be a lot of fun - especially at family or work-related gatherings."


    Yup, that's you!

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  23. so what I'm finding interesting is that SO many people here are Introverts - and yet they're so alive online!

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  24. The parts about taking on too much and not being able to say no to things, and also the part about expressing love through actions not words are probably what resonate most strongly for me. It's a cool test! I actually think it can give you a lot of insight into why you feel certain ways in situations when everyone around you reacts differently, etc. Very interesting!

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  25. I got a lot of the same results, although the difference between ENTJ and ENFJ with me was only 1%, so apparently I have no preference between objective and subjective criteria. Which makes sense the more I think about it. There have been so many times where I've had something laid out in black and white in front of me, but there have been other much less concrete things that have weighed in and pointed me in another direction.


    I'm still giving the sidelong look to this test, though. I struggle with wanting everything to be organized and categorized, and absolutely hating it when we do it to ourselves and other people. I'm looking forward to writing that up, but I really am trying to de-rant-ify it first!

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  26. I think it would be useful to know if you're managing someone whose personality has some characteristics that are polar opposite to yours, especially when it comes to how you get things done so you don't just ENTJ an ISFP. Okay, so I'm reaching. It's not good practice to ENTJ up in anyone's face, and you can better tailor projects by just taking the time to get to know the people you're working with, too. I think the MBTI is a good self-knowledge thing, but not something I would have everyone in my office do.

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  27. The one thing I really like is how the profiles DO make you feel that sense of familiarity, don't they? It makes me smile. Like, hey, I'm part of a group! We're weird and different together!

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  28. I tried this the other day and I am an ISFJ, which sounds about right. On Ashley's post here, that makes me Aurora LOL http://ashleymcglass.blogspot.com/2013/09/of-course-i-have-least-likely.html. I think there are a lot of us introverts in blogland because it makes it soooo much easier for us to talk to each other. :)

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  29. Mine pretty much exactly describes me in every way. It's actually kind of annoying. Stupid test knows everything about me! And I keep thinking I'm so original.... ;) (BTW, I'm an ESTJ)

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  30. INTJ for me, but I am only 1% T so I guess I could swing over to F too. I think the Internet is a great place to for us introverts to be a little more extroverted with out the social fear.

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  31. I'm an ESTP!... basically, one big kid ;)

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  32. Jay and Melyssa, we're complete opposites... ESTP here! They always say that opposites attract.... ;)

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  33. I actually think we're both right (that might be my dislike of conflict, good ol' ISFJ). :) I actually 100% agree that a lot of the office environment must come organically. Starting off with a myers-briggs training and expecting to know everything about how to interact is somewhat ludicrous. I had worked with that office in particular for at least a year before it was done, and we got along great actually. The test was really fun because in going through the training it was like light bulbs going off everywhere. OH--Luke does that and he's that personality type! So a lot of it was fun. However, I think it was also beneficial because after we could see some of the truth in how we were and how we scored, they helped give tips that we could use to address problems, communicate, and work together more efficiently. Instead of just getting annoyed/frustrated with a situation, maybe our eyes were a bit more open to remembering that so-and-so processes this information differently than I do. Hopefully that makes sense.



    I also think that we can be different ways in different situations. It's important to not always hold tight to a personality trait/test. We also have to grow. I am an EXTREME J, and yet I have to handle students walking into my office and disrupting my work. It is stressful to me because I need a plan. But I have to be flexible, and it's something I have worked on over the years. Just because I prefer being a J and it's less stressful to me, doesn't mean that I can't adjust. (But it also helps my boss to know that when I'm deep in a project, maybe she can help me limit the walk-ins.) I could seriously talk about this all day. :)

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  34. Sorry to budge in (again, can talk about this all day), just because you're an introvert doesn't mean you don't like social interactions or that you're not good at them. Online you're not bombarded with big crowds. As an Introvert, I also love going to parties. However, after a week of busy meetings with lots of students, I would prefer to be alone or with my husband to recharge. I would also prefer parties where I already know some people to limit the small talk somewhat. That's how I re-energize. Allyssa, ISFJ's for the win! :)

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  35. What what, we're close! I'm an ENTJ and A is an INTJ. My dad used to work in HR back in the day and has had me take this test every 10 years. I've always been a true ENTJ with no real shifts as I've grown up.

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  36. Ooh, we are so close! The last time I took the Meyers-Briggs, I was INFJ. I don't put a lot of stock in this inventory, but it's still fun sometimes.

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