54 Comments to “Who’s Talking about the Myers Briggs Tonight?”

1. January 12th, 2007 at 9:55 pm
   cat said

   Hi Liz,

   I was researching this for an article I’m doing on personality types and running a design business.

   I went with this test –>> http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/JTypes2.asp

   Aparently I’m a Counselor Idealists (iNFj)
   http://keirsey.com/personality/nfij.html

   “Counselors have strong empathic abilities and can become aware of another’s emotions or intentions — good or evil — even before that person is conscious of them.”

   This is so true and a real pain to live with. I can physically feel the vibes/emotions of people around me. Sometimes it gets in the way of communicating because I automatically try to connect what I know is there (all the undercurrents), to what they are saying. The two don’t always mesh.

   http://typelogic.com/infj.html

   “sometimes mistaken for extroverts because they appear so outgoing and are so genuinely interested in people … INFJs are true introverts … at intervals INFJs will suddenly withdraw into themselves …”

   Again, true. If around people too long I’m like a baby handled too much by too many well meaning sweeties at their christening.

2. January 12th, 2007 at 10:00 pm
   ME Strauss said

   Hi Cat,
   Self awareness is a good thing. Most creative people I know have that NF combination in the middle — the intuitive feeler — I’m sure it helps in the process of getting in touch with one’s creativity.

3. January 12th, 2007 at 10:04 pm
   cat said

   Ok Liz, what’s yours?

4. January 12th, 2007 at 10:17 pm
   cat said

   (bad sentence structure alert - is it the well meaning sweeties having a christening, or the baby?)

5. January 12th, 2007 at 10:19 pm
   ME Strauss said

   I didn’t even notice that sentence thing. Those are allowed you know. We all do it.

   I’m off to finish retaking the test for you.

6. January 12th, 2007 at 10:25 pm
   ME Strauss said

   I wanted to see where I came out this time. It’s been a very long time since I took the test. I’ve actually gotten all four of these answers . . . I AM an IDEALIST. . . . Go figure. The four are
   Healers (INFP) | Counselors (INFJ) | Champions (ENFP) | Teachers (ENFJ)

   Most of my real-life friends will tell you that I’m a P at home and a J when there’s a schedule involved. An E when there’s a presentation or a microphone.

7. January 12th, 2007 at 10:27 pm
   cat said

   But, I just spent over a week on a ‘Designer, learn to write’ resolution on DWB.

   What WILL people say?

   But truthfully, I’m trying to pay attention to how I write. It’s good practice and goodness knows I need to make sure I stick to my resolve … I like ‘resolve’ better than ‘resolution’, don’t you? I’m not a resolution type of person anyway.

   Waiting for those results …

8. January 12th, 2007 at 10:29 pm
   ME Strauss said

   I agree resolve is a MUCH better and more fitting word.

9. January 12th, 2007 at 10:32 pm
   cat said

   “Most of my real-life friends will tell you that I’m a P at home and a J when there’s a schedule involved. An E when there’s a presentation or a microphone.”

   I’m with you there. It all depends on the situation and time of day. In the morning (before caffeine kicks in) I have a different personality then in the afternoon as my brain doesn’t connect. In the evening it changes again. When I’m with a lot of people and have to ‘be’ then I’m outgoing. When I don’t have to ‘be’ I carefully place myself with back to the wall, safe, no doors or open space behind. At that time I turn into a watcher, not a doer.

10. January 12th, 2007 at 10:34 pm
    ME Strauss said

    I’m like you. I love the party, but I sure need to be alone after.

11. January 12th, 2007 at 11:43 pm
    Drew McLellan said

    Hey Liz,

    Drew the ENFJ reporting for duty! Don’t you love this sort of self discovery?

    Drew

12. January 12th, 2007 at 11:55 pm
    Sheila Scarborough said

    I took this test a few years back: I’m an INFP. Strongly N/intuitive and strongly F/feeling.

    It was amazing how much clarity this brought to my career and other things. Aspects of my personality now made sense when they hadn’t before.

    Some are also surprised that I’m mostly an introvert, but I do enjoy my own company and don’t like mindless cocktail chatter and “working a room” (although I’ve learned to do it successfully when needed.) I like public speaking and very much enjoy making lively, real personal connections, so people just assume I’m an extrovert.

    I highly recommend such self-analysis if you’re giving any thought to career change, small or large. “Do what you are.”

13. January 13th, 2007 at 5:58 am
    Karin said

    Can’t resist tests like that
    Turns out I’m an ENFJ - Teacher Idealist. Now I have to find out how I can use that extra bit of info to know myself better

    Kent Blumberg recent post talks about another type of test (going to replace the Myers one?) http://kentblumberg.typepad.com/kent_blumberg/2007/01/five_things_to_.html

14. January 13th, 2007 at 6:14 am
    ME Strauss said

    Hi Drew,
    I do like finding out this kind of information. (Despite the fact that some think of it as hocus pocus voodoo feelie stuff.) It helps me understand what I’m doing when I think I’m doing something that everyone would do and I find out that I’m not.

15. January 13th, 2007 at 6:17 am
    ME Strauss said

    Hi Sheila,
    I think most folks are confused into thinking that an extrovert is measured by how many words he or she talks, when it’s far more complicated than that. Knowing whether the thinking involves the reflective process before talking or the interactive process to solidify itself — especially during stressful times — is more of a key to our introversional tendencies. And of course, everyone is both.

16. January 13th, 2007 at 6:19 am
    ME Strauss said

    Hi Karin,
    ENFJ, yes that’s a great teacher profile. You make sure that kids and grownups know what your teaching and that they understand if fully before you move on.

    The MBTI is by no means the end all and be all, but it does reveal some telling points in working with others on project teams. I’ll post about those on Monday.

17. January 13th, 2007 at 6:23 am
    Karin said

    Hi Liz

    Like your thoughts on “It helps me understand what I’m doing when I think I’m doing something that everyone would do and I find out that I’m not.”
    When I read that I wondered if it shouldn’t be: you find out they are not?

18. January 13th, 2007 at 6:35 am
    Char said

    I took both tests and both times I got ISTJ - not one bit surprised either. I took this test about 20 years ago and got the same result.

19. January 13th, 2007 at 6:37 am
    ME Strauss said

    Hi Karin,
    Maybe it should be, but growing up functioning 98% (now about 70%) right brain in a left-brain world lead me to learn a whole about how the rest of the world works. I can usually figure out when other folks are misbehaving, what and why that is . . . but sorting what is a Liz-thing and what is an everybody-thing used to be a confusion at times.

20. January 13th, 2007 at 6:39 am
    Karin said

    Hi Liz
    Recognise that, as in feeling/thinking in certain situations I ‘put my foot in again’ oh dear.

21. January 13th, 2007 at 6:39 am
    ME Strauss said

    Hi Char,
    You must be very much in demand in your field! No wonder you have so many great organizing tools that combination of sensory and thinker, keeps you grounded in a way I have to pay attention to get to .

    You and I should go into business together.
    We would get a whole lot done and have ever base covered.

22. January 13th, 2007 at 6:45 am
    Mark McGuinness said

    Hi Liz, belated happy new year!

    Fascinating. I’ve not done this for years either - I used to be INTJ but I’ve now come out as ENFJ. Looks like all that effort to be more outgoing and emotionally aware has paid off!

    I agree with others that the MBTI varies due to context - put me in front of an audience and I’m pretty extroverted, but am pretty introverted at home with a book.

    The personality system I’ve got most out of is the Enneagram - it’s very powerful as it’s built around your core values, plus it’s very flexible - as well as telling you where you are now, it points you in the direction you need to move to develop.

    There’s a quick Enneagram test here: http://www.9types.com/newtest/homepage.actual.html

23. January 13th, 2007 at 7:08 am
    ME Strauss said

    Hi Mark!
    Great to see you! Best wishes on the new year!
    I do think that we develop other preferences in regard to the type indicators. In my own case, I think I finally learned to quit pushing to be an extrovert when my natural state is that of an introvert. (They didn’t call be “Bashful” as a child because I talked and interacted so much.)

    Coming face to face with the fact that I was trying to hard to fit into an extrovert profile changed the way that interacted, actually got me to relax a bit. AND as a result folks around me did too.

    I’ve never done an enneagram. Every time I’ve gone near the test has seemed really complicated. Maybe you’d want to do a guest post explaining it?

24. January 13th, 2007 at 7:24 am
    Mark McGuinness said

    Yes the Enneagram can look a bit complex - fundamentally it’s very simple, but once you combine the simple elements, there’s an emergent complexity - a bit like the universe! (Which isn’t really surprising as the Enneagram is a model of the universe.)

    I’d be happy to do a guest post to introduce it - I’ll drop you an e-mail.

25. January 13th, 2007 at 7:26 am
    ME Strauss said

    Thank you, Mark, for making me feel better about my perception.

    That would be wonderful if you would share what you know!

26. January 13th, 2007 at 7:29 am
    cat said

    Mark,

    I’d love to read your views on it. I have two books from about twelve / fourteen years ago. I could go through the types and with certainty, pinpoint the people in my life.

    Once you have the basics of their type, it’s a matter of seeing where they lean, right?

27. January 13th, 2007 at 7:36 am
    Mark McGuinness said

    Hi Cat!

    It’s a small world isn’t it? (Liz - Cat and I ‘met’ each other this morning via our own blogs!)

    Yes I agree it can be uncannily accurate when you see which point people are at. I think it’s because it helps you identify their core values, so their decisions and actions start to make more sense.

    Re the leaning do you mean the wings or the stress/security points? (Sorry for jargon everyone, I’ll explain it in my post.)

28. January 13th, 2007 at 7:39 am
    ME Strauss said

    It’s the fun part of blogging, Mark — that we run into each other all over the world inside our computers.

29. January 13th, 2007 at 7:49 am
    cat said

    Hi Mark!

    This is a small world. I was getting my MyBlogLog fix and came across Marks blog - Wishful Thinking. I loved it so much I added it to my netvibes, then emailed Mark to see if he’s be on for a DWB feature.

    “Re the leaning do you mean the wings or the stress/security points?”

    I believe so (it’s been a looooooong time). I’m not sure if I have a copy here (I’ll check in a minute). It’s where different stresses happen and the main personality leans into the surrounding personalities.

    What was interesting to me was how each one developed under work/life/stresses.

30. January 13th, 2007 at 7:53 am
    cat said

    Ok, both are here.

    I have:
    ‘Personality Types’ by Don Richard Riso
    ‘The Enneagram’ by Helen Palmer

31. January 13th, 2007 at 8:06 am
    Mark McGuinness said

    OK Cat I’ve got you, it’s the stress/security points. So we have a basic personality type but under stress we exhibit traits of a different type, which is ‘next along’ on the Enneagram diagram; and when feeling secure, we’re able to move against our habitual compulsions and take on the characteristics of the type ‘next along’ in the opposite direction.

    E.g. Someone at Point 8 (the Leader) likes to be the boss and in control of a situation. If their authority is successfully challenged, they retreat into themselves, taking on characteristics of the introverted Point 5 (the Thinker). On the other hand, if they are feeling secure in themselves they can move beyond mere dominance and use their gift for leadership to serve others by moving to Point 2 (the Helper).

    The Riso and Palmer books are both good, I particularly like Palmer’s approach.

32. January 13th, 2007 at 8:10 am
    ME Strauss said

    Hey, Mark, It’s sounding to me like there’s going to need to be visuals. Let me know whether you’ll need help getting some together. I bet I could find you some help for that.

33. January 13th, 2007 at 8:14 am
    cat said

    At the time of getting these books I was in a different place in life (well into a long illness). What I chose back then as ‘me’ may not actually be correct for me now. Or rather, there’s been movement.

    So I’ll be waiting to read what you have to say on the matter.

34. January 13th, 2007 at 8:17 am
    ME Strauss said

    Yeah, Cat,
    I have feeling that Mark is going to be making one popular series of posts. He’s got the credentials, the knowledge, and the skills at communicating what he knows.

35. January 13th, 2007 at 8:19 am
    Jesse said

    I am still, and have been since high school, an ISTJ - Inspector. I have come closer to the axis on the ratings in a couple of areas, but grown more distinct in one area, as I become more entrenched in my way of being.

    As Dr. Phil would say, “How’s that working for you?” Overall, the migrations have been for the good.

36. January 13th, 2007 at 8:20 am
    Mark McGuinness said

    Liz - yes, we’ll definitely need visuals, and help would be much appreciated!

    Cat - I wouldn’t be surprised if there had been movement since then, one of the nice things about the system is it encourages growth and change - often in unexpected directions.

37. January 13th, 2007 at 8:21 am
    cat said

    Liz, I agree. Recently I limited the sites I can look at everyday by switching from bloglines to netvibes. I was so impressed with his, I added him to my ‘allowed’ folder.

38. January 13th, 2007 at 8:22 am
    ME Strauss said

    So, Jesse, that would say you are very solidly grounded in reality and that what we have to offer you is a sense of wonder and imagination, a chance to get in touch with the intuitive detail that is part of your living experience so that you can use those as well.

39. January 13th, 2007 at 8:24 am
    ME Strauss said

    Hi Cat,
    Mark is definitely the real deal. I did a B.A.D. blogger call with him right after he finished his doctoral dissertation on working with folks in the creative industries. Way cool!

40. January 13th, 2007 at 8:25 am
    Mark McGuinness said

    Shucks Liz, you’re very nice, you’ve even given me a promotion - it was just a Masters, I’m not a Doctor as yet!

41. January 13th, 2007 at 8:27 am
    ME Strauss said

    Hey Mark,
    Let me talk to them about that Masters thing. I’ll set them straight.

42. January 13th, 2007 at 8:28 am
    Jesse said

    Yes, I completely agree with that assessment. I was thinking this morning that even my faith is based on my sense of reality and the way things are. I have a hard time getting my emotions wrapped around stuff.

    We had a very dear friend die on New Year’s at MD Anderson cancer center in Houston. It was a 3 year battle with multiple myeloma, and I was amazed at how emotional their faith was, even though we are identical in beliefs.

    I am wondering/pondering today if that is more based on personality rather than genuineness of belief. I sure hope so. *hmmm*

43. January 13th, 2007 at 8:33 am
    Jesse said

    Mark, Doctor and Master both have the same number of letters. Are you sure someone didn’t just make a typographical error and you REALLY are working on your Doctor’s. I enjoy your blog, too.

44. January 13th, 2007 at 8:41 am
    Mark McGuinness said

    Liz - thanks, cheque’s in the post (or do you spell it ‘check’?)

    Jesse - sorry to hear about your loss, sounds like a tough start to the new year for you. Re the typo, that would be nice, I’ll check (not cheque) the certificate carefully at graduation!

45. January 13th, 2007 at 8:43 am
    ME Strauss said

    Jesse,
    I think that you’re on to something, in that you’re thinking and pondering the difference in how you and your friend’s family responded to the tragedy through faith.

    We all deal with grief in different fashions. That doesn’t me that we feel it less than someone else. It only means that we deal with it differently. Understanding our own user’s manual is how we get to understranding and generosity for folks who aren’t the same as we are.

    Keep pondering. You’ll find the road is an interesting one to wander. You’ll find yourself at so many places along it.

46. January 13th, 2007 at 1:21 pm
    HART (1-800-HART) said

    Hmmm.. Obviously this test doesn’t take everything into account, like.. how brilliantly handsome and suave I am!~ Yet .. I think I would fit in their box.

    E=7 Extraversion
    I=4 Introversion
    S=8 Sensing
    N=12 iNtuition
    T=11 Thinking
    F=8 Feeling
    J=3 Judging
    P=16 Perceiving
    You are an ENTP

    ENTP - Entrepeneurs, lawyers, psychologists, photographers, consultants, sales represenatives, actors, engineers, scientists, inventors, marketers, computer programmers, comedians, computer analysts, credit investigators, journalists, psychiatrists, public relations, designers, writers, artists, musicians, politicians. Very freedom-oriented, they need a career which allows them to act independent and express their creativity and insight.

47. January 13th, 2007 at 2:08 pm
    ME Strauss said

    Hey HART,
    Finally someone somewhere has you pegged! All right for them! Here have a cold one on me!

48. January 15th, 2007 at 8:54 am
    Liz Strauss at Successful Blog - Using the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator as a Personal Productivity Tool said

    [...] –ME “Liz” Strauss Related articles Who’s Talking about the Myers Briggs Tonight? [...]

49. January 15th, 2007 at 5:25 pm
    Sandra Renshaw said

    Hi Liz,

    Thanks for the post on this topic. Another of my favorites. My result is INFP. Sometimes it’s a J.

    Writers, artists, counselers, social workers, English teachers, fine arts teachers, child care workers, clergy, missionaries, psychologists, psychiatrists, scientists, political activists, editors, education consultants, journalists, religious educators, social scientists.. Driven by a strong sense of personal values, they are also highly creative and can offer support from behind the scenes.

    A series with Mark sounds fun. I love the Enneagram.

    Sandy

50. January 15th, 2007 at 5:29 pm
    ME Strauss said

    Hi Sandy!
    Sounds like we have a lot in common!
    Mark said he needs some time but the series is on its way.

51. January 16th, 2007 at 6:03 am
    Mark McGuinness said

    Hi Sandy, thanks for your interest - series in the pipeline…

52. January 16th, 2007 at 7:04 pm
    Sandra Renshaw said

    Hi Liz and Mark,

    Yea! Sounds very good - I’ll watch for it.

    Liz,
    Yes we do have a lot in common.
    This has been a great discussion with lots of comments. Think I’ll go write on the next post…
    Sandy

53. January 16th, 2007 at 7:06 pm
    ME Strauss said

    Hi Sandy,
    There’s still one more to come.

54. January 18th, 2007 at 9:03 pm
    Liz Strauss at Successful Blog - Myers-Briggs: Vacation and Work with your PJs said

    [...] Related articles Using the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator as a Personal Productivity Tool Who’s Talking about the Myers Briggs Tonight? [...]