Professional Documents
Culture Documents
by http://www.reddit.com/user/glabius
Hey guys, I've been meaning to write something like this for a while. I've been interested in Myers Briggs for about 3 years, and its something that has always been on my mind. I've been working on this post for a few days (and for a long time as I've thought about it). I find MBTI interesting, useful, and eye-opening for a few reasons 1. Knowing that different people are different and why can help you relate better to others. 2. You can understand yourself better, and how you function. 3. You can use the information to get what you or a group wants by compromising to what people want (because you actually know what people want now) Now for some people are going to be skeptics. I've heard it all before, "A personality test cannot define me!" "MBTI is just horoscopes!" and to a certain extent this is true. The tests that you will find online are BAD Furthermore, the stereotypes you will find online are simply that, stereotypical. Of course the stereotype that relates to your type will be easy to fit into, but honestly a lot of the stereotypes will be easier to see yourself as because they are generally positive reviews. But the basis for MBTI, the function analysis, is very useful. And although people will say "these personality tests are bull, everyone is different," I have personally NEVER found anyone who does not fall into one of the 16 function orders. The fact of the matter is MBTI is NOT a specific test. It measures TWO things, and two things only. 1. How do you perceive information from the world 2. How do you use that information to make decisions, in what way. Since most people (all mentally stable individuals) fall into one of the 16 orders, you CAN make "stereotypes" that will sound like those individuals, but there is DEFINITELY more to your personality and character than that. But, the function order that MBTI gives us can REALLY help us learn more about specific people. In this I'm going to break down what the "letters" mean, and what each function means. You can't learn JACK about MBTI until you have learned the functions. People get all caught up in the letters when really they mean nothing. For example, people will say "Am I an ENTJ or ENTP?" when an ENTJ and ENTP are almost complete opposites.
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Judging (or decision making) Functions Te: Extroverted Thinking Ti: Introverted Thinking Fe: Extroverted Feeling Fi: Introverted Feeling. Page 2 of 10
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See now why it makes no sense that someone would be in conflict between "Am I an ENTJ or ENTP?" the types are TOTALLY different in terms of functions, and that is what is most important. Your "personality" is determined by your function order.
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Perceiving Functions:
Ne Extroverted intuition: (NPs more pronounced, first or second function, and SJs less
pronounced, third or fourth function) Ne is outside of the box. It's ideas, and connecting them, and creating new ones from existing ones. These are your people that have extreme entrepreneurial spirit and most likely radically different and unique views on subjects. Ne dominants or auxiliaries (second function) will be extremely good at understanding new environments. These people are bored easily, and won't stick to something unless it can mentally challenge them. here's some quotes: "extraverted intuition types might think they need to take a trip or begin a completely new activity or make a lifestyle change to overcome a persistent feeling of psychological discomfort, when in reality, getting a good meal and a good night's sleep would likely suffice." And "extraverted intuition types enjoy meeting people who have unusual life experience or novel thinking patterns and probing them for insights and inside information. They have a mental "catalog" of their friends' and acquaintances interests and easily match up people who share common interests and would enjoy learning from each other." Ne doms will be able to juggle multiple ideas in their head with the possibility that they are all true. It is an improvisation function, brainstorming function. etc. To create these new ideas from new ideas and from pervious old ideas.
Ni Introverted Intuition (NJs more pronounced, first or second function, and SPs less
pronounced, third or fourth function) Introverted intuition might be the hardest function to explain. It is intuitive similar to Ne, so it will deal with more abstract ideas. Instead of creating new ideas through brain storming, Ni takes different ideas and compares them (abstractly). The relationships between ideas tend to eliminate ideas, rather than generate new ideas. With several competing ideas, the process ail often leave only one "real" idea that passes. Here's a good quote I found explaining Ni Ni can also leave one with zero ideas: none of the ideas are "true." In this case, Ni starts investigating the nearby "space of ideas" for similar ideas to those being investigated, looking for an idea that is suggested by the original ideas, but will actually turn out to be true. In this case, Ni has determined that all of one's assumptions are at least slightly false, and thus looks for a new, true assumption. Ni "gives you premonitions" by using the process as I outline above to look at what is true now and in the past, and uses the relationships between many ideas to suggest a limited set of
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Se Extroverted sensing (SPs more pronounced, first or second function and NJs, less
pronounced, third or fourth function) Se is a function that is used to fully experience the outside world. Se takes in relevant facts in a concrete context from the outside world. Se users are very in touch with things that are literally happening within their senses. Touch, taste, smell, sight, hearing. Se users are constantly trying to get in more information from the physical world (similar to Ne, who are constantly trying to get information from the abstract world). These people live completely in the moment.
Si Introverted Sensing (SJs more pronounced, 1st or 2nd function and NPs, third or fourth
function) Introverted sensors take up about 60ish% of our population. Introverted sensing is the function that takes relevant senses, and compares them with previous occurrences. This is why your SJ types (introverted sensors) are the traditionalists. They are constantly comparing things and how they used to be or how they should be. They say, "how does this compare to how it was before" constantly. Good video describing Si vs Se
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Te Extroverted Thinking (TJs more pronounced, first or second function, and FPs less
pronounced, third or fourth function.) The extroverted decision making functions are going to be about manifestation in reality. Extroverted thinking is more: how can I make this work, how can I do this efficiently, what steps can I use to do this in the best way. Te is about the results and how to achieve them. Te is about using reliable methods to get predictable and noticeable results.
Ti Introverted Thinking (TPs more pronounced, first or second function, FJs less
pronounced, third or fourth function.) Introverted thinking is much more about consistency, analysis of all the little ideas, and comparing them to other ideas and processes to determine what is valid and what isn't. Ti is looking for the actual deep logical truth, to get to the very core of what something is logically. Ti is about finding the exact word or phrase or thought processes to explicitly explain what something is and why. Ti will look at different sides of an issue and determine where the logical inconsistencies are. Here is a good video comparing Ti and Te
Fe Extroverted Feeling (FJs more pronounced, first or second function, and TP s less
pronounced, third or fourth function.) Deals with emotions, but in an outward way. Fe will show in its need to have other people around them to be happy. Fe users will be happy when the people around them are happy. These are people that are likely to be quite good with group situations, working together, or in situations where they are helping people. Extroverted feelers (especially FJs). Fe will manifest itself in ways such as cheering people up, making compromises to make everyone happy, Fe is more like sympathy whereas Fi is more related towards empathy. The differences between Fe and Fi are similar to Te and Ti. Fe is more practical and efficient about feelings. It's about seeing tangible results in others and yourself in a group being happy. Fi on the other hand will be more absolute, and about internal feelings and consistency.
Fi Introverted Feeling (FPs most pronounced, first or second function, TJs, less pronounced,
third or fourth function.) Fi is more about ethics, internal emotions, and how they relate their internal feelings and harmony with the world. It will be more absolute. Just how Ti checks the logical constancy with
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So now that we've given a pretty apt description of the functions. How can we use this to type people, relate to people, etc. etc.?
The good thing is that the BEST way to type people is function by function. Read all the stereotypes you want on the internet, this might help somewhat just because its more knowledge about the system, and just lets you learn more in general. but if you really want to be able to type people accurately, you need to learn the functions So what are good ways to discover peoples functions??
Learning the functions is the #1 important thing, and with typing people it only gets easier because you can start to notice how functions manifest more and more.
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