How well do you fit one of the 16 types?

[Ilah]

This is inspired by the MBTI is almost totally useless thread. I am trying to get a feel of how many people feel they are "exceptions" people who don't fit into one of the 16 types.

[Jack Flak]

Many people don't think they do. There may possibly be those who really don't, but I haven't seen one yet. :) I fit.

[Uytuun]

The interplay and intensity of the letters can make for a lot of different "exceptions" - we should re-evaluate the tenability of non-exception, I guess. You can chalk me up for spilling out over the edges of the INTJ box. I izz jelly.

[InaF3157]

I don't think I fit any of them exactly. For a while I was confused because I got hung up on function ordering, too. But when I read the descriptions, one fits better than the rest (INTP>ENTP>ENTJ). When I take (non-function) MBTI tests online, its mostly INTP over INTJ by a little. The comparative approach is the only way I get to pick one of the 16 types.

[Jack Flak]

Your type is just something about you. One aspect of your personality. People think if they make it to work on time they're breaking the rules of being a P. There are no ****ing rules. /rant

[substitute]

Whilst the ENTP, Ne/Ti description fits me pretty damn well, the further down the function list you go the more inaccurate it gets for me. As an ENTP I'm not supposed to have as good Te as I do, and Fi is meant to be better than Si, yet it's my inferior. The professional that tested me said that I was like an ambidextrous person where left hand was ENTJ and right was ENTP, and because it's just easier to be right-handed, that's what I 'chose' most of the time, but I can still write with my left hand better than most people.

Don't blame me, it's not my analogy. I would've thought of a better one lol

["?"]

This is inspired by the MBTI is almost totally useless thread. I am trying to get a feel of how many people feel they are "exceptions" people who don't fit into one of the 16 types.Jung and Myers-Briggs says there are no pure types, but it does not preclude people from making attempts at boxing themselves into a specific mode in particularly dichotomous modes. You are not pure on those levels because the cognitive functions are fluid.

I did not come to appreciate type until I determined my best fit type, not from a forced choice test but from having to do some real self analysis. I have said it before and will continue to say the easiest and most accurate means of determining your best fit type is to first determine your temperament then determine your interaction style. It leads to one and only one choice. Whether I feel social does not change that I prefer introversion. Having an appreciation for the abstract does not change that I prefer sensing. Considering the human element does not discard that I prefer thinking and J/P merely a joke that simply means you're not discussing type when you focus on it.

[Jack Flak]

^Well said, question mark. (even if I only 99% agree)

[Jeffster]

I fit pretty well. There are isolated elements of some descriptions that I don't agree with (and as much as I think Keirsey is dead-on about a lot of things he says about SP's overall, I think he doesn't understand ISFP's very well, so he's very vague in his descriptions of us) but overall I think I could be a good example of an ISFP. The funny thing is I have read some contradictory stuff on ISFPs than when I thought about it, they could both be true. Like one said we aren't competitive at all, and the other said we can get very competitive. And the truth is I have times where both are true. Like most other things, it kinda goes in phases.

[evan]

I think that I'm technically an INFJ because I'm an Ni dominant and a Ti/Fe user. But I believe I'm more Thinking focused than Feeling focused. I do approach the outer world with Extroverted Feeling, but Ni+Ti processing takes precedence.

[Thursday]

i've always thought i fit the ENFJ profile
i read several profiles before, and a light went off in my head.
thats probably because its so dark in there........

[whatever]

I have too high of Se to be a good NT, but more Ne than Se, so I'm stuck as a freakish N I fear :(

[lastrailway]

I've never been really sure of my type.
At the first test I ever took I scored INTJ, read the type description, laughed and dismissed the whole MBTI thing.

Then I read some more type descriptions and INTP seemed to fit so well that I was surprised. While trying to understand the whole system a bit better, I realised that the similarities I have with the INTP description are more often than not, superficial ones.

All I'm sure about is that I'm not E or J. I think I am T but I'm not sure, I always score N but I'm having trouble to describe myself as an iNtuitive and I've even had doubts on the I/E part at some point.
I can't help but wonder - regardless of whether I understand the MBTI correctly - how far can really this theory go. I'd say cognitive processes give more depth to the system, but I'm not very sure.

[Randomnity]

I've doubted each of my letters before, and I don't really fit into ISTP all that well, but I fit into the other types even worse, so it remains.

I think it's just too vague and ambiguous for me.

[phoenix13]

I fit extremely well. Now, if you're referring to the type descriptions, then not completely... but those aren't supposed to fit everyone anyway. It's about the functions, man!

[Haphazard]

I guess I fit INTJ pretty well.

But I'm not quite so misanthropic and laugh a lot more. And no, not all of the laughter is maniacal laughter, actually.

Then again, I could be completely wrong...

[edcoaching]

I know INFJ fits me best, but one of the things type trainers say is that you're like every person who shares your type, and like no other person who shares your type. In other words knowing another person's type tells you a little bit about them but they still have unique experiences, family background, education, training, culture that influences their behavior, the skills they develop, and their values and principles--all things that make them unique.

For example, the one "accusation" I get from others is that I sometimes act as Te as I do Fe. Well, duh, I have 4 older brothers (our culture trains boys to act T), went to a math/science high school, have an MBA in finance and spent 10 years working as a bank examiner/controller. I can do T but believe me, my first inclination when making a decision is thinking of the impact on others and how the community will react, not the logic and precedents I'm setting.

And I do think that past the first two functions, people develop in no set order. There's at least 4 theories wandering around on type development and they seem to be influenced more by the personal experiences of those who uphold them than they are likely to admit in any venue...

[Hexis]

Sometimes I feel im the epitome of a male ENFP, I would say at most only 5% of any ENFP descriptions dont fit me. I most definitely fit...:devil:

[evan]

I can do T but believe me, my first inclination when making a decision is thinking of the impact on others and how the community will react, not the logic and precedents I'm setting.

Would you say this is a rule for INFJs? Or are you just trying to say that you happen to fit the prototype?

[edcoaching]

Would you say this is a rule for INFJs? Or are you just trying to say that you happen to fit the prototype?

I'm saying that type is about preferences and my preference is to use Fe in decisions--that's where my mind naturally goes. But...I've had lots of training and wonderful opportunities that have helped me develop skills with Te and Ti. People sometimes see me using those skills and say, "Oh you must be INTJ." No, because I actually prefer Fe I'm INFJ. If my mind went first to the Te considerations I'd prefer Te.

INFJs certainly do exist whose childhoods were so anti-Fe that they haven't been able to develop the skills for their preferred decision making style, so they would really struggle to use it and might not feel like they fit the prototype very well.

One set of descriptions (not available on line) only deals with what each type values, not with behaviors. Descriptions of the 16 Types by Gordon Lawrence. It helps a lot of people work through these kinds of nature-but-influenced-by-nurture (or lack thereof) issues that cloud type development.

[cascademn]

In my subjective experience, I don't feel I fit any of the types well. However, outside observers all tell me I fit INFJ well, so I've kind of decided mbti is more useful for outsiders wanting to label other people as they see them, than it is for myself wanting to label myself. So in terms of how I come across to others, sure, I guess INFJ fits me best. But personally I have a hard time seeing Fe being my dominant in terms of decision-making. Amongst other things.

[edcoaching]

In my subjective experience, I don't feel I fit any of the types well. However, outside observers all tell me I fit INFJ well, so I've kind of decided mbti is more useful for outsiders wanting to label other people as they see them, than it is for myself wanting to label myself. So in terms of how I come across to others, sure, I guess INFJ fits me best. But personally I have a hard time seeing Fe being my dominant in terms of decision-making. Amongst other things.

One of the ways I found I used Fe was that I often realized how I felt about something only when I started talking with others about an issue. By myself I kept spinning on possibilities or different scenarios. But when I'd start extraverting those ideas I'd begin realizing which one was really best.

[Tallulah]

INTP fits me extremely well. I've never tested as anything else, though sometimes my T/F scores are more balanced. I've learned to be social, or at least to appear social when I have to, so I don't know that someone would pick me out of a crowd and shout, "INTP!" I also tend to like to dress up and wear makeup a little more than I understand INTP girls are supposed to. And I have a strange love of emoticons, but some of that comes from the knowledge that my tone can be misunderstood in print.

I do identify with the INxPs, especially Jennifer. I think our thought processes are incredibly similar, though she's much wiser than me. :smile: Also, something heart said in the INTP/INFP thread about being an INFP struck me hard:

But it's going to be a hell of an internal war between wanting harmony with other people and wanting to be true to self and not wanting any constraints. Continual angst over this issue. The only relief found in introverting and getting away from the pressures that other people provide.

I feel this pressure quite often. It's like there's a war between the INTP flexibility and need to let everyone think for themselves, the "live and let live," and feeling some sort of guilt because I'm not sure I've been true to myself by remaining silent. And it is one of the main reasons why people absolutely exhaust me. The push and pull that it creates internally as I figure out my place in this world.

[Lateralus]

A couple types are kinda close, but it's really difficult for me to say I'm one type or another. I'm so balanced between T/F that it just messes everything up. Lately, I've decided to settle with the idea that I'm an ENTJ with strong Fi. That's probably as close as I'm going to get.

[Xander]

Hypothesis zero INTPs aren't like me in mannerisms really.. not judging by those I've spoken to. However the internal workings of an INTP are very much like my own and it's that which the MBTI refers to. I think that particular golden rule is often overlooked.

[INTJMom]

I didn't find the poll option I was looking for, i.e. something along the lines of, my type description fits me pretty well, but not totally.

No type description fits anyone 100%.

So... what percentage is "very well" as in the poll question?

[evan]

I'm saying that type is about preferences and my preference is to use Fe in decisions--that's where my mind naturally goes. But...I've had lots of training and wonderful opportunities that have helped me develop skills with Te and Ti. People sometimes see me using those skills and say, "Oh you must be INTJ." No, because I actually prefer Fe I'm INFJ. If my mind went first to the Te considerations I'd prefer Te.

INFJs certainly do exist whose childhoods were so anti-Fe that they haven't been able to develop the skills for their preferred decision making style, so they would really struggle to use it and might not feel like they fit the prototype very well.

The bolded part completely applies to me :)

I'm curious, though. You speak of developing your Te. From my understanding, Te-like behavior in INFJs seems to be due to Ni+Ti interplay expressed through Fe. Te itself seems like it would pretty much directly contradict Fe in most situations.

One set of descriptions (not available on line) only deals with what each type values, not with behaviors. Descriptions of the 16 Types by Gordon Lawrence. It helps a lot of people work through these kinds of nature-but-influenced-by-nurture (or lack thereof) issues that cloud type development.

Interesting. I personally think this is a much better application of type than talking about behavioral correlations. Behavior is so muddled up with nurture that using those correlations seems likely to send people running down the wrong path (especially with mistyping).

[Ilah]

I didn't find the poll option I was looking for, i.e. something along the lines of, my type description fits me pretty well, but not totally.

No type description fits anyone 100%.

So... what percentage is "very well" as in the poll question?

I think the percentages would very with each person. How much difference would it take before you started to doubt? How much difference would it take before you felt that you were an exception that didn't fit into any of the types?

Some people might doubt if even one thing was off. Some might be okay with 95% or 90%. Some people may not doubt the system even if they only matched 75%.

If it fits well enough that you don't doubt it then that is "very well."

Ilah

[Ilah]

Many people don't think they do. There may possibly be those who really don't, but I haven't seen one yet. :) I fit.

In "the MBTI is almost useless" thread I posted several questions about type exceptions.

One of them was:
For the people who don't feel they fit into any type, is it because they don't understand the system, they don't know themselves well or because they actually don't fit into any type. [not a quote, my original words may have been a little different]

To that I could add and how can you tell.

So I am curious. What makes you say that those people who think they don't fit into a type are wrong? What is your criteria for making that judgement?

Ilah

[INTJMom]

I think the percentages would very with each person. How much difference would it take before you started to doubt? How much difference would it take before you felt that you were an exception that didn't fit into any of the types?

Some people might doubt if even one thing was off. Some might be okay with 95% or 90%. Some people may not doubt the system even if they only matched 75%.

If it fits well enough that you don't doubt it then that is "very well."

Ilah
Ah. I see.
It is my practical experience that any description only describes anyone to about 85% accuracy.
I don't consider that a "very well" fit.
I would consider 95-100% accuracy to be "very well".
I consider 85% to be a "reasonably well" fit.

[cascademn]

One of the ways I found I used Fe was that I often realized how I felt about something only when I started talking with others about an issue. By myself I kept spinning on possibilities or different scenarios. But when I'd start extraverting those ideas I'd begin realizing which one was really best.

Not sure this applies to me or not. Primarily because from about junior high through my mid twenties, I rarely extroverted anything of meaning, and I tended to not let people in.

As for knowing how I feel about things, or how I feel about an issue, I'm not certain the context you're referring to. With what I'll term life decisions, I pretty much decide all of them on my own, but I do appreciate and want affirmation from others, and can get stressed if I don't get it or do receive disapproval - but I'll still go through with it anyway. With little things, or little issues, I don't really need to talk it out - and I know exactly what I think or how I feel about something without needing to bounce it off others.

It's the grey areas that I'll bounce things off others -- when I decide I'm getting nowhere on my own and I am seeking input.

[edcoaching]

Not sure this applies to me or not. Primarily because from about junior high through my mid twenties, I rarely extroverted anything of meaning, and I tended to not let people in.

As for knowing how I feel about things, or how I feel about an issue, I'm not certain the context you're referring to. With what I'll term life decisions, I pretty much decide all of them on my own, but I do appreciate and want affirmation from others, and can get stressed if I don't get it or do receive disapproval - but I'll still go through with it anyway. With little things, or little issues, I don't really need to talk it out - and I know exactly what I think or how I feel about something without needing to bounce it off others.

It's the grey areas that I'll bounce things off others -- when I decide I'm getting nowhere on my own and I am seeking input.

A specific example--someone in our church's leadership did something incredibly stupid. Some people wanted him to resign, others didn't. Initially I understood how it could have happened, didn't begrudge him, hoped he'd get a second chance, etc. Someone then asked me my views and, as I expressed these very sentiments I realized how $%(*&$ angry I was that he'd caused such an uproar. I really hadn't processed impact on community until I started discussing it....

[TenebrousReflection]

Most of the time, INFP does seem like a pretty good fit to me since Fi is my strongest function, but I think my weakest function is Se, and that would be more indicative of INxJ, and several others have told me that I seem a lot like an INFJ (I think this might be cases where I am showing more Ni than Fi or Ne in how I approach certain things), but I don't relate to most descriptions of Fe, so that just does not seem to make sense to me, and I think my value of logic is too low to be an INTJ (I value reasoning and like seeign that someone has put thought of some kind into their words and decisions but I don't see that as the same thing as logic as it is generaly though to apply to xxTx types) .

I think a lot of my ocasional uncertainty comes down to not being sure if I'm using Ti or Te when I try to approach things impersonaly and if I use both, if I have a favoratism to one. I also find it easier to see when I'm using Ne than when I'm using Ni, but I'm not sure if I use Ni without knowing it and have a favoratism for it (in tests that show process weight, Ni is close to my Fi score and sometimes equal or greater depending on mood). I would also consider the possibility that I don't understand Fe and that I'm using it more often than I realize.

If I were to self weight my processes, I think it would be...

Fi -> Ni -> Ne -> Si -> Te -> Ti -> Fe -> Se
and that does not really match any type, but as I mentioned, most of the time, its pretty easy for me to say INFP is a best (but not perfect) fit for me (if you remove Ni, then the top 4 fall into INFP perfectly).