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NOTE: This post was written several months ago, but I lost interest in all of this and thus did not post it in a timely fashion. This, as many of my other posts, does not have a conclusion. Then again, if I could come up with a conclusion I would have my answers. I do hope that I’ll do more timely postings in the near future. I still have no answers, and still have the same questions.

Recently I’ve been thinking about how I fit the descriptions related to the Myers-Briggs types I have associated with myself. If you have read any of my past postings you will remember that I consider myself to be an INT/FP, that is, an Introverted Intuitive Thinking/Feeling Perceptive type. However, of late I have been thinking that I may be more a Judging type than Perceiving.

According to Myers-Briggs, a “Judging” person likes “a more structured and decided lifestyle”;

whereas, a “Perceiving” person likes “a more flexible and adaptable lifestyle”.

A part of me wants to be flexible and adaptable, but then the term “wants” is something I should clue in on because my type should be based on what I “am” not what I want to be.

Reading about the Myers-Briggs types, they are always referred to as preferences. Like most other personality tests, the Myers-Briggs relies on your integrity and truthfulness as a test-taker. It requires an honesty and clear insight into yourself. First, since the types are “preferences” it is possible to take the test, get a result, and decide that result is not accurate and select a new type. This, in part, is what I’m pondering: if I should toss out the test results and select a type based on the most acceptable description—what feels most like the person I am—or want to be. Second, as I stated before, the results of the test do depend on how in-tuned I am with myself. If I was truly in-tuned with who I am I would not be taking the tests to learn about myself.

I will not contest that I am an Introvert, and that I’m more Intuitive than Sensing (please read the Myers-Briggs description of the two preferences). On all of the initial tests I always got the result of Thinking versus Feeling, yet when I kept reading the description of the type with Thinking as an preference I had a hard time relating it to myself. When I looked at the similar type only with the Feeling preference substituted the description sounded more like myself. However, there are aspects of both that are me (please read the Myers-Briggs description of Thinking/Feeling preferences). I do look for logical explanations and inconsistencies, as noted for Thinking types. I may distance myself from my emotions and the feelings of others as a way to protect myself from becoming overwhelmed. On more recent tests my score for this preference has been quite close, so I border on the Thinking/Feeling line with maybe a leaning toward the Feeling side. I say this because all types that have the Thinking preference speak about being interested in “systems” and trying to understand systems.

Maybe the best way to describe myself is as an Introverted Intuitive Thinking/Feeling Judging/Perceiving type.

I have looked closer at the descriptions on a favorite web site for Myers-Briggs descriptions, similarminds.com Jung Type Descriptions.

INTP

loner, more interested in intellectual pursuits than relationships or family, wrestles with the meaninglessness of existence, likes esoteric things, disorganized, messy, likes science fiction, can be lonely, observer, private, can’t describe feelings easily, detached, likes solitude, not revealing, unemotional, rule breaker, avoidant, familiar with the darkside, skeptical, acts without consulting others, does not think they are weird but others do, socially uncomfortable, abrupt, fantasy prone, does not like happy people, appreciates strangeness, frequently loses things, acts without planning, guarded, not punctual, more likely to support marijuana legalization, not prone to compromise, hard to persuade, relies on mind more than on others, calm

favored careers:
philosopher, game designer, scientist, software engineer, freelance artist, research scientist, assassin, freelance writer, physicist, software developer, mathmetician, geologist, computer scientist, philosophy professor, webmaster, slacker, medical researcher, painter, mortician, systems analyst, comic book artist, computer technician, website designer, scholar, archeologist, computer repair, forensic anthropologist, astronaut, researcher, historian, systems engineer, genetics researcher, astronomer, enviromental scientist, egyptologist

disfavored careers:
human resources, public relations, social worker, guidance counselor, health care worker, trainer, school teacher, wedding planner, movie star, hospitality worker, supervisor, child care worker, fundraiser, customer service, stay at home parent, office administrator

INFP

creative, smart, idealist, loner, attracted to sad things, disorganized, avoidant, can be overwhelmed by unpleasant feelings, prone to quitting, prone to feelings of loneliness, ambivalent of the rules, solitary, daydreams about people to maintain a sense of closeness, focus on fantasies, acts without planning, low self confidence, emotionally moody, can feel defective, prone to lateness, likes esoteric things, wounded at the core, feels shame, frequently losing things, prone to sadness, prone to dreaming about a rescuer, disorderly, observer, easily distracted, does not like crowds, can act without thinking, private, can feel uncomfortable around others, familiar with the darkside, hermit, more likely to support marijuana legalization, can sabotage self, likes the rain, sometimes can’t control fearful thoughts, prone to crying, prone to regret, attracted to the counter culture, can be submissive, prone to feeling discouraged, frequently second guesses self, not punctual, not always prepared, can feel victimized, prone to confusion, prone to irresponsibility, can be pessimistic

favored careers:
poet, painter, freelance artist, musician, writer, art therapist, teacher (art, music, drama), songwriter, art historian, library assistant, composer, work in the perfoming arts, art curator, playwrite, bookseller, cartoonist, video editor, photographer, philosopher, record store owner, digital artist, cinematographer, costume designer, film producer, philosophy professor, librarian, music therapist, enviromentalist, movie director, activist, bookstore owner, filmmaker

disfavored careers:
business professional, manager, executive, administrator, business owner, supervisor, office manager, business analyst, financial analyst, public relations manager, ceo, executive assistant, judge, event coordinator, lawyer, office worker

INTJ

loner, more interested in intellectual pursuits than relationships or family, not very altruistic, not very complimentary, would rather be friendless than jobless, observer, values solitude, perfectionist, detached, private, not much fun, hidden, skeptical, does not tend to like most people, socially uncomfortable, not physically affectionate, unhappy, does not talk about feelings, hard to impress, analytical, likes esoteric things, tends to be pessimistic, not spontaneous, prone to discontentment, guarded, does not think they are weird but others do, responsible, can be insensitive or ambivalent to the misfortunes of others, orderly, clean, organized, familiar with darkside, tends not to value organized religion, suspicious of others, can be lonely, rarely shows anger, punctual, finisher, prepared

favored careers:
scientist, dictator, forensic anthropologist, systems analyst, philosopher, nuclear engineer, political analyst, researcher, statistician, scholar, research scientist, computer scientist, software designer, curator, computer programmer, aerospace engineer, electrical engineer, paleontologist, english professor, philosophy professor, chemical engineer, epidemiologist, forensic scientist, museum curator, research assistant, mechanic, astronomer, figher pilot, librarian, systems administrator, neurosurgeon, book editor, biotechnology, archeologist, lab tech, bookstore owner

disfavored careers:
advertising executive, job in entertainment industry, performer, singer, art therapist, childcare worker, bartender, dj, even coordinator, hair dresser, wedding planner

INFJ

creative, smart, focus on fantasy more than reality, attracted to sad things, fears doing the wrong thing, observer, avoidant, fears drawing attention to self, anxious, cautious, somewhat easily frightened, easily offended, private, easily hurt, socially uncomfortable, emotionally moody, does not like to be looked at, fearful, perfectionist, can sabotage self, can be wounded at the core, values solitude, guarded, does not like crowds, organized, second guesses self, more likely to support marijuana legalization, focuses on peoples hidden motives, prone to crying, not competitive, prone to feelings of loneliness, not spontaneous, prone to sadness, longs for a stabilizing relationship, fears rejection in relationships, frequently worried, can feel victimized, prone to intimidation, lower energy, strict with self

favored careers:
psychotherapist, artist, art curator, bookstore owner, freelance writer, poet, teacher (art, drama, english), library assistant, professor of english, painter, novelist, book editor, copywriter, philosopher, environmentalist, bookseller, museum curator, opera singer, magazine editor, archivist, music therapist, screenwriter, film director, creative director, librarian, social services worker, art historian, sign language interpreter, photo journalist, makeup artist, photo journalist, homemaker

disfavored careers:
airline pilot, race car driver, businessman, information technology consultant, executive, administrator, supervisor, bartender, lab technician, restaurant owner, strategist, ceo, bar owner, marketing specialist, business consultant

Of all of these descriptions, the one that seems to be me more than any of the others is that of the INFJ. I do focus on fantasy more than reality. I love to escape into my own imagination and not deal with what is happening around me. If I could construct the best world for me, it would be one where I do not have to come into contact with anyone unless I choose to. I could go outside and enjoy my surroundings without having to hear or interact with anyone else.

I am attracted to sad things. I have tried to be a “good boy”—for the most part. I dislike any sort of horror shows. I remember when I was a teenager, the home I lived in was two storied. The stairs leading up to the second floor terminated at the end of the long hallway. At one end of the hallway was a window and at the other end was the small bedroom. When I was a teenager and my oldest brother was gone from the house, I inherited the small bedroom. At the time we had only two television sets. One set was a 9-inch, black & white that was kept in the small bedroom. On either Friday or Saturday night (I cannot remember which) I would watch, late at night when everyone else in the house was asleep, re-runs of the old horror shows with Bela Lugosi or Boris Karlof. Even these, such tame, horror shows frightened me, particularly when the hallway was dark and the only light was from the window at the far end of the long hallway.

I am a perfectionist. I like my solitude. I am moody. I do find myself crying when I come across something I consider emotional—and I rarely see others crying at the same time. And, I do have low energy.

On the other hand, I am punctual. I am suspicious of others. I do tend toward pessimism. I like the idea of becoming a hermit.

So, parts of each of these four types sounds like me.

Why am I focusing and wondering which type I am?

As a way to narrow down my focus on possible careers.

I have been told and I have read that such tests as the Myers-Briggs and such similar tests cannot predict the best job for a person. I understand that. What I am looking for is some guidance, and more importantly, a sense of self. If I can understand myself better, understand my personality, maybe, just maybe I can narrow my focus.

When looking at all of this as it relates to the Myers-Briggs type and factoring in the results from my Highlands Ability Battery, which is a more objective test in that it is timed and I had to “do” tasks, my thinking about types takes a different turn. From the Highlands test, I scored quite high in the Spatial Relations abilities and according to the interpretation for these abilities I prefer working with things more than ideas. I need to see concrete results, something tangible; not nebulous, intangible ideas. As such, then, my type is more Thinking than Feeling. Yet, both do deal with ideas—of sorts.

Also, I scored high on both “Classification” (inductive reasoning) and “Concept Organization” (deductive reasoning). Accordingly, these results suggest I’m a “consultant” type because I can see the problem and then explain it. Such a trait does fit into the different types, only how can it fit in with the need to have tangible results?

There are many questions that need answers. I seem at a loss for coming up with answers to my questions. Trying to make sense of all the conflicting ideas raised by the results of the various tests.