Myers-Briggs Test: Is it Informative or Garbage?

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The discussion revolves around the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) test, with participants sharing their experiences and results, often oscillating between different personality types such as INTJ, INFJ, ENTJ, and INTP. Many find the test insightful, noting that it reflects their preferences and behaviors, while others express skepticism, likening the results to horoscopes. The conversation highlights the perceived rarity of certain types, particularly INTJs and INFJs, and discusses how these personality assessments can be useful in workplace dynamics and personal interactions. Participants also mention other personality tests like DISC, with some expressing a preference for these due to their perceived accuracy and applicability. The dialogue touches on the nuances of introversion and extroversion, emphasizing that these traits are about energy sources rather than social behavior. Overall, the thread illustrates a mix of validation and critique regarding the usefulness of personality tests in understanding oneself and others.
  • #31
BobG said:
So of the three rarest personality types (INFJ, INTJ, INTP), there's been 9 in this thread so far.

Of the three most common personality types (ISFJ, ESFJ, ISTJ), there's been 0 in this thread so far.

And 7 fall in one of the other 10 personality types.

I've seen this on other forums, as well. The three rarest types seem to have more internet friends than real life friends.

I say we ban the three most common personality types - they already have a life and there's no reason to let them intrude on ours.

http://www.myersbriggs.org/my-mbti-personality-type/my-mbti-results/how-frequent-is-my-type.asp

I wonder where ENTP's go, since they're rare both in real life and on the internet.

Wow! : There's tons of INTJ's on this forum.

Uh, :rolleyes: bye, guys.

BobG, I really enjoy your sense of humor. :approve:

DaveC426913 said:
I have always found http://www.davesbrain.ca/aura/index.php" to be a much more interesting test. But then again, I'm biased. :biggrin:


(BtW, despite appearances, there is nothing woo-woo about it. It is strictly a personality test and, in fact, maps pretty well onto MB types.)

I'm definitely intrigued. Gah! I'm supposed to be doing other things! *grumble*

I'm really quite surprised at how interesting this stuff is to me. When my wife mentioned it, I was like, "Meh, sure I'll take it." I had no idea that such tests are used by companies and schools, nor did I realize that they could be so helpful in honing study methods, interaction with others, etc.
 
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  • #32
Slight I
Moderate N
Slight F
Slight J
 
  • #33
DaveC426913 said:
I have always found http://www.davesbrain.ca/aura/index.php" to be a much more interesting test. But then again, I'm biased. :biggrin:(BtW, despite appearances, there is nothing woo-woo about it. It is strictly a personality test and, in fact, maps pretty well onto MB types.)

I took the test twice. The first time through, I got Physical Tan. The second time through, I tried to be a little more decisive; there were a few questions to which I had just answered "sometimes," when I should have entered a stronger reply. I also found a couple questions that I'd incorrectly answered due to not reading the question/statement properly. The second time through designated me a Mental Tan.

To me, this test seemed to be much more precise than the humanmetric test, and I liked the thoroughness of the questions. My only gripe is the typos, which don't really have anything to do with the analysis, they're just a bit distracting/confusing in certain places.

Thanks for the link!

Edit: There actually aren't that many typos, and I suspect some of the issues I'm seeing to be formatting/rendering related anyway.
 
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  • #34
I believe the aphorism is "Know thyself!" So, despite natural tendencies and inclinations in one direction, I've tried to push myself in other directions where I thought I could use the improvement. Makes it hard to take these sorts of tests sometimes (go with instinct, or go with training / what you'd actually do, or try to, at least). Probably manifests itself in not being strongly typed (ENTJ):
  • slightly expressed extravert
  • moderately expressed intuitive personality
  • slightly expressed thinking personality
  • slightly expressed judging personality

That or I could just take these tests twice: 'Real'/instinctual me, 'Desired'/intellectual me!
 
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  • #35
DaveC426913 said:
I have always found http://www.davesbrain.ca/aura/index.php" to be a much more interesting test. But then again, I'm biased. :biggrin:


(BtW, despite appearances, there is nothing woo-woo about it. It is strictly a personality test and, in fact, maps pretty well onto MB types.)

Nurturing Tans are the pillars of their community. They are helpers, volunteers, believers in brotherhood, dedicated, tenacious, service-oriented, unselfish, self-effacing, communicative and mental.

Nurturing Tans are another of the Eclipse Colors in the Personality Spectrums system. The color closest to their body is Mental Tan. Outside the Mental Tan and completely encircling their body is a band of Blue. These two colors combine many of the characteristics of both the Mental Family of colors and the Emotional/Spiritual Family of colors. However, a Nurturing Tan has a distinctly different motivation from either of these two colors alone, with personality and character traits unique to this color.

The driving force of the Nurturing Tans, the mission that gives their lives meaning, is the concept of brotherhood. They demonstrate their commitment to this mission by rendering service to the family, the neighborhood, the city, the nation, or the world. They put the needs of others before their own, teaching humanitarianism by example.

The lesson that Nurturing Tans need to learn is to identify and serve their own personal ego needs as well and to satisfy their own longings and desires in such a way as to make existence something worth living for. Nurturing Tans need to learn that it is acceptable to give something to themselves while serving others.


How cliché. But it sounds roughly accurate.
 
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  • #36
I scored as an ENTJ, but could flip-flop with INTJ. When in a group, I just can't stand to see things so badly mismanaged (as seems the norm to me), so end up leading. things just go better that way :wink: I manage programming teams and I often think the only reason I'm the one in charge is that 'E'.
 
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  • #37
The experience I most strongly identify with is the sense that group interaction feels largely meaningless; people seem to talk about absolutely nothing. Hello, we've got a world! We've got problems to solve! How about we talk about something constructive, meaningfull? Nope, apparently not. I'm not antisocial by any stretch of imagination, but interacting with groups of "ordinary people" tires me out very quickly; it's as if people just do their best to act like each other, and it all gets very, very stale. I generally try to mix things up as much as possible, deliberately saying "out of place" things, or very strongly opposing something people automatically agree on. It really createst interesting reactions in people; Some respect the confidence to do it, some are "afraid", and some hate me because I screw up the inherent hiearchies.
 
  • #38
BTW, introverted versus extroverted does not mean what we usually think it means. It's not about talkative versus quiet.

Introverts get their energy from solitude. eg. In a workshop meeting with other colleagues, they will need to return to their desks and process the meeting mentally before they are ready to proceed.

Extroverts get their energy from interaction. eg. In the same workshop, they will be at their best when directly interacting with people, and may come out the of the meeting feeling they've accomplished what needs to be done.
 
  • #39
DaveC426913 said:
BTW, introverted versus extroverted does not mean what we usually think it means.

Introverts get their energy from solitude. eg. In a workshop meeting with other colleagues, they will need to return to their desks and process the meeting mentally before they are ready to proceed.

Extroverts get their energy from interaction. eg. In the same workshop, they will be at their best when directly interacting with people, and may come out the of the meeting feeling they've accomplished what needs to be done.

Ah, that makes sense.
 
  • #40
TubbaBlubba said:
The experience I most strongly identify with is the sense that group interaction feels largely meaningless; people seem to talk about absolutely nothing. Hello, we've got a world! We've got problems to solve! How about we talk about something constructive, meaningfull? Nope, apparently not. I'm not antisocial by any stretch of imagination, but interacting with groups of "ordinary people" tires me out very quickly; it's as if people just do their best to act like each other, and it all gets very, very stale. I generally try to mix things up as much as possible, deliberately saying "out of place" things, or very strongly opposing something people automatically agree on. It really createst interesting reactions in people; Some respect the confidence to do it, some are "afraid", and some hate me because I screw up the inherent hiearchies.
How odd then that you came up as a Nurturing Tan.

Nurturing Tans are the "Teachers". The most common thing heard from an NT's mouth is "Are we all in agreement? Does everyone feel that way?"

Frankly, I trust my own judgment of people's colours more than the test.
 
  • #41
DaveC426913 said:
How odd then that you came up as a Nurturing Tan.

Nurturing Tans are the "Teachers". The most common thing heard from an NT's mouth is "Are we all in agreement? Does everyone feel that way?"

Frankly, I trust my own judgment of people's colours more than the test.

Well, my view is more "Why do you feel that way?"
 
  • #42
DaveC426913 said:
BTW, introverted versus extroverted does not mean what we usually think it means. It's not about talkative versus quiet.

Introverts get their energy from solitude. eg. In a workshop meeting with other colleagues, they will need to return to their desks and process the meeting mentally before they are ready to proceed.

Extroverts get their energy from interaction. eg. In the same workshop, they will be at their best when directly interacting with people, and may come out the of the meeting feeling they've accomplished what needs to be done.

Exactly...I can't tell you how many people I've tried to explain this to. Introvert <> shy!
 
  • #43
DaveC426913 said:
BTW, introverted versus extroverted does not mean what we usually think it means. It's not about talkative versus quiet.

Introverts get their energy from solitude. eg. In a workshop meeting with other colleagues, they will need to return to their desks and process the meeting mentally before they are ready to proceed.

Extroverts get their energy from interaction. eg. In the same workshop, they will be at their best when directly interacting with people, and may come out the of the meeting feeling they've accomplished what needs to be done.

These are excellent examples.

My wife received ENFP on the humanmetric test. Parties and social gatherings literally give her energy, while I will usually feel tired and drained after such events. I wouldn't say that either of us talks more than the other, but as you've pointed out, it's more to do with how we respond to interaction, than with how many words either of us produces. She enjoys talking with multiple people at the same time and is quite adept at tracking multiple conversations/topics concurrently, while I'll usually snag someone and head to a corner somewhere to talk one-on-one.

We are both sending the same amount of traffic, it's just that she multicasts and I unicast. :smile:

On calls at work, I usually get uncomfortable when people start talking about their personal lives, or what they did with their families over the weekend. I used to think that it was somewhat unprofessional, and it might be, but perhaps it's because I want to keep things on topic, making sure that I don't have to mentally process information that I don't need. I want to use brain cycles on my work, not what so-and-so did at Disneyland for spring break!
 
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  • #44
lisab said:
Exactly...I can't tell you how many people I've tried to explain this to. Introvert <> shy!

I can't count how many times I've been told something along the lines of: "I thought you were shy, but as soon as someone brought up <insert nerd topic here>, you lit up like a firework!"
 
  • #45
Dembadon said:
I can't count how many times I've been told something along the lines of: "I thought you were shy, but as soon as someone brought up <insert nerd topic here>, you lit up like a firework!"

I can't help but tease people with things like "THAT REMINDS ME OF THE TIME WHEN I GOT MY NEWEST GIANT ROBOT FIGURE..."

I love watching their reactions.
 
  • #46
I would guess that the most common reaction is confusion? As for the aura test... I will say that there is nothing quite as emasculating as seeing this:
Blues are the caregivers. They are nurturing, feeling, crying, intuitive, sensitive, thoughtful, emotional, selfless, compassionate and social. They are usually female.
Maybe I should have projected more my scientific side. They didn't seem to take into account my answer that I never cry and that I am seldom social.

EDIT: Now that I think about it, though, I can usually force tears into my eyes by thinking of something extremely sad...
 
  • #47
Tedjn said:
... As for the aura test... I will say that there is nothing quite as emasculating as seeing this:

Maybe I should have projected more my scientific side. They didn't seem to take into account my answer that I never cry and that I am seldom social. ...

I am actually envious of you. It's not emasculating at all.

I'll tell you what's emasculating - Struggling to meet the emotional needs of one's partner, and failing...
 
  • #48
Tedjn said:
I would guess that the most common reaction is confusion? As for the aura test... I will say that there is nothing quite as emasculating as seeing this:

Maybe I should have projected more my scientific side. They didn't seem to take into account my answer that I never cry and that I am seldom social.

EDIT: Now that I think about it, though, I can usually force tears into my eyes by thinking of something extremely sad...
I know several male Blues.

The thing is that it's not so much that male Blues are rare, it's that Blue is a very common colour and there are lots of female Blues - it's probably the most common colour for women.
 
  • #49
Your Type is
INTJ
Introverted Intuitive Thinking Judging
Strength of the preferences %
11 50 38 11

I usually show up as either INTJ or ENTJ. My level of introversion/extroversion is usually quite balanced with the need to balance solitude with social interaction is evident in my life. If I spend too much time at one, I crave the other.
 
  • #50
INTP: Introverted Intuitive Thinking Perceiving: 44-12-12-44
You are:
*moderately expressed introvert
*slightly expressed intuitive personality
*slightly expressed thinking personality
*moderately expressed perceiving personality
*overall a great, hard-to-find kinda guy personality

"Mathematics is a system where many INTPs love to play, similarly languages, computer systems--potentially any complex system. INTPs thrive on systems. Understanding, exploring, mastering, and manipulating systems can overtake the INTP's conscious thought. This fascination for logical wholes and their inner workings is often expressed in a detachment from the environment, a concentration where time is forgotten and extraneous stimuli are held at bay. Accomplishing a task or goal with this knowledge is secondary."
 
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  • #51
EnumaElish said:
INTP: Introverted Intuitive Thinking Perceiving: 44-12-12-44
You are:
*moderately expressed introvert
*slightly expressed intuitive personality
*slightly expressed thinking personality
*moderately expressed perceiving personality
*overall a great, hard-to-find kinda guy personality
LOL!

I came out an INTJ again, but the percentages are different. It depends on my mood when I take the test.

Introverted Intuitive Thinking Judging
Strength of the preferences %
56 12 50 1
 
  • #52
Your Type is
INTJ
Introverted Intuitive Thinking Judging
Strength of the preferences %
67 38 38 22

You are:
distinctively expressed introvert
moderately expressed intuitive personality
moderately expressed thinking personality
slightly expressed judging personality

Of course I would be the 'J' type.
 
  • #53
I still test INFJ, I've had people tell me (unrelated to the test) that my personality was rare so that might be right. What do we do with the information, is it to place us in boxes or can we use it to our advantage? I know some employers require the test (as was discussed earlier in a similar thread), but can they really take action based on it? Like promote one person over another based on the test result?
 
  • #54
Monique said:
What do we do with the information, is it to place us in boxes or can we use it to our advantage?

We can use it as ice breakers when we try to pick someone up at a bar. It's not as cliche as asking about Zodiac signs, plus there's 16 personality types and only 12 Zodiac signs - so it's got to be better.
 
  • #55
Your Type is
INTJ
Introverted Intuitive Thinking Judging
Strength of the preferences %
44 62 75 78

always turns out the same way
 
  • #56
I always get INTJ whenever I take one of these
 
  • #57
Nice :smile: we have a crazy number of INTJs here!
 
  • #58
BobG said:
We can use it as ice breakers when we try to pick someone up at a bar. It's not as cliche as asking about Zodiac signs, plus there's 16 personality types and only 12 Zodiac signs - so it's got to be better.

That might complicate things, http://intjforum.com/showthread.php?t=2909" :smile:
 
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  • #59
Monique said:
That might complicate things, http://intjforum.com/showthread.php?t=2909" :smile:

My favorite quote :smile::smile:

Man, sometimes you INFJ's really need some bitchslapping. Don't you have any respect for yourself?

It almost sounds like the guy fell in love with an inexperienced vampire.

But I've changed my mind. There has to be some use for this, but I don't really know what yet.
 
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  • #60
BobG said:
My favorite quote :smile::smile:



It almost sounds like the guy fell in love with an inexperienced vampire.

But I've changed my mind. There has to be some use for this, but I don't really know what yet.
A match site for geeks?
 

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