Are you an introvert or an extrovert?

I don’t think I’ve seen a Meyers-Briggs thread on here before. That said, I am interested in the psychological make-up of the forum. If you have done Meyers-Briggs, would you be willing to post your type?

If you haven’t done M-B, try this test. [It is made up of 72 yes/no questions that will take 5 minutes to complete.]

I am INTP.

ISTJ
Introvert(78%) Sensing(25%) Thinking(88%) Judging(1%)

Sounds about right

I honestly can’t remember my designation, but was surprised to find myself an extrovert.

Which I kind of agree with having educated myself further on the subject and redefined my understanding of the terms used.

Last time I looked I was ISTJ – Guardian / Inspector.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISTJ

Introvert(56%)
Sensing(25%)
Thinking(38%)
Judging(56%)

Not nearly as introverted as I expected actually, but then I do pride myself on convincing people (including myself) that I’m more extroverted than I am.

I’m not really an introvert, it’s just that with half the population being below average intelligence, I prefer not to risk getting in to conversation with idiots.

Before taking the test, you might want to read this criticism of it.

ISTJ
Introvert(11%) Sensing(1%) Thinking(88%) Judging(56%)

similar to northernmatt although I judge him to be more of a bed-wetting introvert

I flit between ESTJ and ENTJ

72 questions?

I don’t need to take a test. The voices in my head tell me that I’m perfect, and that anyone who disagrees should feel the divine wrath of my righteous retribution

I’m a badass

INTJ
Introvert(67%) iNtuitive(50%) Thinking(50%) Judging(33%)

I got to Q14 and got bored; not sure what that says.

Apparently I’m ENTJ.

Extravert(11%) iNtuitive(50%) Thinking(1%) Judging(11%)

But kind of marginal on most things it seems…
What does this actually all mean though?
Am I a balanced individual or a general purpose nutbar?

Before taking the test, you might want to read this criticism of it.

Do you find this convincing criticism Mike?

I was genuinely interested and neutral on the subject, but most of his points “against” it seem to be about individuals’ attitudes toward it rather than the substance of the test – backed up by what appears to be a vague resentment of its success.

(Or a desire to gain attention, to make an unqualified psychological observation).

PS. Just remembered I came out as an ESTJ, so I would say that eh?

ISTJ.

INTJ

Nice biased opinion article in the grauniad there.

Any fool knoweth these things are but an indictor and a clumsy one at best.

ENFP

Extravert(78%) iNtuitive(62%) Feeling(19%) Perceiving(33%)

Some of questions are a bit strange. Hard to answer yes or no.

Not sure how much use it is?

@miketually: that Guardian piece is interesting and makes some valid statements, but doesn’t really address the genuine nature of the MBTI. For example, when it says

…the MBTI seems to rely exclusively on binary choices.

For example, in the category of extrovert v introvert, you’re either one or the other; there is no middle ground. People don’t work this way, no normal person is either 100% extrovert or 100% introvert.

it fails to account for the fact that each category is indicated by a percentage precisely because nobody is 100% anything.

A thorough response to the piece would warrant a correspondingly long post, but suffice it to say that there is much the author does not seem to understand about the MBTI.

I always describe myself as a closet-extrovert.

I got to Q14 and got bored; not sure what that says

This…

INTP
Introvert(11%) iNtuitive(38%) Thinking(75%) Perceiving(44%)
You have slight preference of Introversion over Extraversion (11%)
You have moderate preference of Intuition over Sensing (38%)
You have distinct preference of Thinking over Feeling (75%)
You have moderate preference of Perceiving over Judging (44%)

Doesn’t sound too far off, TBH.

I view these things as a bit of fun, filed under the same category as the “which Game of Thrones character are you?” tests that pop up with tedious regularity.

The problem I have with tests like the MB (aside from the fact that some people, like employers, actually take them seriously) is that too many of the questions are vague or carry of an answer of “both” or “it depends.” Do I prefer reading a book or going to a party? Well, I’d enjoy both of those things. Is it a Saturday night or a Tuesday lunchtime?

ISTJ
Introvert(78%) Sensing(1%) Thinking(38%) Judging(78%)

EDIT: just had a read of the definition of ISTJ AND INTJ. Some characteristics of both on the S and N, but otherwise nail on the head.

similar to northernmatt although I judge him to be more of a bed-wetting introvert

Thanks

Intp or istp depending on mood. There are a lot of js turning up. Could explain some of the posts on here. I would have categorised the average user in here as istp or isfp.

Strongly extroverted (89%)
Moderate preference of intuition (50%)
Moderate preference of thinking over feeling (38%)
No preference of judging over perceiving (1%)

Interesting, as if I think about the answers to the questions with my non-cyclist head on, I come up as very extroverted, but get almost exactly the opposite if I answer based on experience from cycling.

High level cyclist are usually the most introverted personalities around, with the odd exception. So it’d be interesting to see the results of some top pros on this test.

each category is indicated by a percentage precisely because nobody is 100% anything

But most people don’t remember (or state) the percentages. Any time I’ve taken that test I’ve come out as introvert so that’s all I remember. Do employers who use it take account of the percentages, or do they just categorise people according to the letters?

A thorough response to the piece would warrant a correspondingly long post, but suffice it to say that there is much the author does not seem to understand about the MBTI.

I’m sure there’s some evidence of the effectiveness of the M-B test that you could point me toward? In the meantime, I’m going to assume it’s pseudoscientific nonsense and file it alongside learning styles and left-right brain dominance.

I’ve always been INTJ but was ENTJ last time I did one – will try later.

Lots of info out there on what they mean:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/INTJ

I’m an introverted extrovert.

Just add beer……

INFP

Introverted 11%
Intuitive 25%
Feeling 38%
Perceiving 11%

I have precisely no idea what that means

I am also an INFP – took the test with work years ago.

All the different personality types had stick man drawings to illustrate them.

INFP was shown lying in a hamock, day dreaming about pots of gold. Which sums me up pretty well.

All the introverts – I recommend you read the book Quiet by Susan Cain to understand yourself and how you fit into the world a bit bettter

I did this when I was at university. I was ENTJ. same as Margaret Thatcher apparently.

It’s not great to be honest.
The Myer-Brigg’s indicator is based on Jung’s 1920s theories, which typecasts subjects into a system of 16 categories. The questionnaire, and hence conclusions drawn from it, can be criticised on the basis that it is ipsative, it places people into discreet types and its psychoanalytic roots render it unsuitable for providing quantitative data that can be related to job performance or general personality rating.

look at the list of INFPs 🙂

result of the named individual taking a personality type inventory.
Isabel Myers[14]
Diana, Princess of Wales (who reportedly self-identified as an INFP)[15]
Fyodor Dostoyevsky[16]
Albert Camus[17]
Frank Lloyd Wright[18]
J.R.R. Tolkien[18]
Edgar Allan Poe[18]
William Blake[18]
John Lennon[18]
Jim Morrison[18]
Kurt Cobain[18]
Ian Curtis[18]
Tim Burton[18]
Johnny Depp[18]
Björk[18]
David Lynch[18]
Lisa Kudrow[19]
Jim Henson[20]

Do you find this convincing criticism Mike?

I was genuinely interested and neutral on the subject, but most of his points “against” it seem to be about individuals’ attitudes toward it rather than the substance of the test – backed up by what appears to be a vague resentment of its success.
Try this then:
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/give-and-take/201309/goodbye-mbti-the-fad-won-t-die
or even this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myers-Briggs_Type_Indicator#Criticism

I’m an aquarious, BTW, and I’ll still be an aquarious next month – the same can’t be said of an MBTI result.

For once I’m actually qualified to speak on something! Speaking as someone with a psychology degree, and who is currently studying a masters in Occupational Psychology, Myers Briggs is utter garbage. In simple terms it’s made up nonsense, there’s no science to it at all.

Yep – I agree.
See my post a couple of mins ago.

But most people don’t remember (or state) the percentages. Any time I’ve taken that test I’ve come out as introvert so that’s all I remember. Do employers who use it take account of the percentages, or do they just categorise people according to the letters?

Good point, considering lots of people seem to default to using the four character shorthand (which of course loses those key percentages) I’m sure lots of employers think an office full of “extroverts” is ideal meaning a dynamic, vibrant place full of fresh idea’s, positive communication and Can Do attitudes, I wonder if the percentages and the other three scores are given as much weight?

Also how much can an individuals MBTI profile change over time, could taking the test on a Monday morning Vs a Wednesday afternoon significantly skew the results, what about sitting it before Vs after the interview, someone may well adjust their responses depending on their perception of the person the company is looking for…

“Psychometric” testing of any sort is quite limited in what it can really tell you IMO,
TBH I would say rely more on an interview to tell you what you need to know, your instincts for judging personality may be harder to quantify, but they are based on personal experience and understanding, people are generally not bad judges of other people…

In simple terms it’s made up nonsense, there’s no science to it at all.

Aye. It’s probably a nice idea taken too far.

It’s not a great leap (or indeed, requiring a deal of science) to ask a question like “do you prefer reading to partying?” and then conclude, hey, you’re an introvert / extrovert! Extend that by asking the same question repeatedly with slightly different wording and you’ve suddenly got a percentage scale. It’s not hard to see how you might then get a degree of accuracy in the results, but it’s got all the scientific basis of a quiz in a weekend tabloid’s colour supplement.

(But then, as an INTP I’m bound to think that.)

Properly constructed psychometric tests can be very powerful, when used in the right way. On the other hand, interviews (especially unstructured ones) are barely better than chance when it comes to predicting success in a role.