Still, I can't help being curious that perhaps my dislike for definitions about my personality is simply ornery pride. Perhaps if I actually knew what my personality profile was it might be a useful tool that would help me understand the differences between how I look at the world and how others do.
So a month or so ago I sat down and took some online personality quizzes which utilize the Myers-Briggs method. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the results varied. It appears I am a strong E and a strong P, but the other two letters are up for grabs. Here are some of my results, linked to the quizzes from which they came:
ESFP | 56 1 25 56
(I actually took this one a couple years ago. I was unhappy with the description of the profile.)
ENFP | 56 25 25 44
ENTP | 39 65 37 53
ENTP | 96 68 55 68
ENFP
After completing all these, I found another quiz which only asks four questions to determine your profile. My results from this quiz were ENTP, and after reading the descriptions of the different types and considering all my results I think it's the one I'm most comfortable with.
So there you have it. ENTP. Now that I know this audacious code (professing to separate all of mankind into sixteen categories), I'm off to meet the world and find out just how useful or detrimental it will prove to be. I would welcome your comments on whether you think it's right for me.
(Pictured: Doc Brown, famous ENTP.)
I think you raise an interesting question - who or what am I and do I like myself? These tests are difficult to take because we all have parts of ourselves that we want to change - even though the test may be accurate. So when we are answering questions without others to keep us honest, we may even be deceiving ourselves, we can skew the results. You could take the test twice. The first time, answer all the questions how you would like to be, and the second try to answer them as you are. This is my life; I am dissatisfied with who I am so I reject my own identity. On the one hand, this is the essence of the human spirit; always striving, yearning to be something more. And on the other hand, shouldn't we accept who we are? The truth may be somewhere in the middle. I want to accept all of the admirable traits I have, and remove all my destructive habits. But I guess I am an INFP - so that's coming from an idealist.
ReplyDeleteWell, now I've got you pegged and figured out. It was so ENTP of you to post this.
ReplyDeleteBTW, myers briggs is supposed to have questions to counter self skewing.... Your mom is an ENTP, What do ya know! I barely score on the E side though. Your dad is an INTJ but he now claims he's a P and I say he's an F....alas. In his more recent years he's definately moved to the P side of life. Myers B is the most helpful inventory I've found. Comparing scores helped bobby and I a lot to understand each other more.
ReplyDeleteOne thing I've heard recently is that when the numbers are toward the middle, you should determine which trait is more culturally reinforced in your context. If you skew barely toward the reinforced trait then chances are likely that you have learned that over time and you are more naturally the non-reinforced trait. For instance, Americans often value the E, so if you are barely an E, you might have learned that to get ahead in the business world, you should be an E so you have forced yourself in that direction. Or, perhaps you are barely a T. Rational thought is highly valued more than intuition, therefore you will naturally try to assimilate. Food for thought.
ReplyDeleteEvan Hansen, ENFP.
PS. ENFP's, I've been told, heavily resist categorization and generally hate these tests. :)
It's helpful in understand yourself and others, but it's definitely not like people with the same types are extra similar. Here's the proof:
ReplyDeleteJustin and I are the same personality type. See all comments on my blog :)
Thanks for your thoughts, everyone!
ReplyDeleteI love personalities and personality tests! How did you feel about what it said about "ENTPs in Relationship"? I have found that info to be quite helpful in understanding people a tiny bit more. I think mine is pretty spot on - INTJ.
ReplyDeleteI find these things so interesting, even if they do have their many limitations. Even though I'm less of an E than I used to be, I think I'm still mostly an ESFJ. Major people pleaser. You seem very ENTP to me!
ReplyDeleteJuli - I thought it was cool how accurate most of the relationship stuff was. A lot of sentences stood out as particularly true to me, like this one: "ENTP's love nothing better than engaging in a good debate with someone who can hold their end of the conversation." The "ENTP as lovers" section didn't really apply to me, though, in my opinion. For better or worse I don't spend a lot of time thinking of ways to improve my relationships.
ReplyDeleteThe careers section was also good. I loved seeing "acting" and "engineering" as possibilities!
Carolyn - Cool, thanks!
ENTJ. but my E is a 1. Sometimes I'm a I...like my Dad.
ReplyDeleteCool. I would have guessed ISTJ for you.
ReplyDelete