personality types

[jswan]

I just sent Brian an email about this, but then I figured why not register on the forums and start a topic?

I came across Brian's interest in Jungian typology on his links page, and started wondering if there are common types among IPSC shooters.

I'm a classic INTJ. Anybody else know their type?

Jay

[Jon Merricks]

INFJ

[Chriss Grube]

I'm slightly confused so I must be of the WTF type!

[PaulW]

I'm with you Chris.....WTF?

[Jon Merricks]

Ive been saying wtf about lol btw and atobs!

[Ron Ankeny]

Oh gawd, we do this at work. I am an INTP and that probably explains how I managed to screw up the plate rack on Sunday...

[Scooter]

I have a B.S. in Psychology from UC Davis, and I don't have a clue what you're talking about.  Maybe that B.S. is worth as much as the other BS.  I guess that's why I'm still in school, mechanical engineering this time.

[benos]

Surf the "Links Page" guys.

Not an INTP! I know one of those, his name is Henning.

be

[Duane Thomas]

He's talking about the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. How did you get a BS in Psych and not know about the MBTI? It's the most popular, commonly used personality typing device bar none.

Duane Thomas, INFP

(Edited by Duane Thomas at 8:58 pm on Mar. 3, 2003)

[38supPat]

I'm having a bitch of a time finding mine, the online test doesn't seem to want to accept payment. Any suggestions or (easy now) guesses as to mine?

Pat

[Scooter]

We didn't learn much on personality theories, only one class.  Most of my classes were related to the bio aspects of psych.

INTP

[Duane Thomas]

Scooter,

So how'd you figure out what's your type?

[Duane Thomas]

Pat,

Next chance I get, which will probably be tomorrow (I go by the Farmer's Almanac approach and don't consider it "tomorrow" until after 5 AM) I'll post my best shot at a mini-thesis on how the MBTI works.

(Edited by Duane Thomas at 9:01 pm on Mar. 3, 2003)

[PaulW]

OBTW, WTH, AYMF, talkin Bout?  

[Rich Bagoly]

http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/JTypes1.htm

INTJ

[Bill Schwab]

jswan,

I'm a very strong ISTJ.

Scooter,

If you have a mind for electronics go for a degree in Electrical Engineering because there's tons of EE jobs available...I just graduated with a BS in Mechanical and while I did get a job quickly a bunch of my Mechanical buddies weren't so fortunate.

Bill Schwab

[BigDave]

I would like to say that I am a IDGAF, but that just wouldn't be correct.  INTP

[bird]

I always perceived myself to be TMFIC

(Edited by bird at 10:01 am on June 9, 2001)

[Duane Thomas]

Okay, back as promised.

The Meyer's-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is so-called because it was developed by Katharine Briggs and her daughter, Isabel Myers. The basic idea is that human personality can be divided into four areas, and that in each of these areas, human beings tend to have one of two preferences in how they will act. Each of these either/or choices is designated by a single letter. Thus you have 16 basic 4-letter personality types, for instance ESTJ. If that sounds complex, I assure you it's not, and by the time I'm done here it should all make sense. (I should mention BTW that a lot of the info and ideas I'm going to give you here come from a book titled The Art of Speedreading People by Paul D. Tieger and Barbara Barron-Tieger.) For each of the four areas, I'm going to list your two choices, and then the letter by which they're designated.

EXTROVERT (E) or INTROVERT (I)

The first area relates to where you get your energy. Introverts get their energy from inside themsevles, Extroverts are energized by interacting with other people. Thus when an Introvert is feeling tired and dragged out, he'll stay home by himself because he needs the alone time to recharge his batteries. When an Extrovert is feeling tired they'll go out to a party, because what energizes them is being around other people.

To determine whether you're an Introvert or an Extrovert, you can ask yourself these questions. If you choose the first answer, you're an Extrovert, if the second you're an Introvert:

What energizes me most -

interacting with other people

or

being by myself?

Where do I like to focus my energy -

in the outer world of people and things

or

the inner world of ideas and thoughts?

At a party, am I likely -

to be in the center of the largest group, the "life of the party"

or

off in a corner having an intense conversation with one particular person?

Do I have -

many superficial friends

or

a few close friends?

Which do I prefer more -

to be around others

or

to spend time by myself?

Would I rather -

work on several projects at the same time

or

focus my attention on one task at a time?

Am I more comfortable -

acting first, then thinking about it

or

thinking things through before I act on them?

Am I more -

a "public person"

or

a "private person"?

SENSOR (S) or INTUITIVE (N)

You may note we do not designate Intuitives by the letter "I" - that's because we've already got an "I" with Introverts, and Meyers/Briggs thought having two of the same letter would be confusing.

The second area is how people perceive, or take in, information. Sensors collect information primarily through their five senses. Thus their thoughts tend to be a very "real world" oriented, linear process, a to b to c to d. By contrast, when Intuitives take in information they instantly relate it to something else. In other worlds, they operate much more on intuition. As soon as an Intuitive takes in some bit of information, they're likely to jump from a to z without traveling through any of the other letters. For instance, if you were to hand a Sensor a rose and ask them to tell you about it, they'd say, "Well, the petals are red, the stem and leaves are green, there are thorns, the petals feel really soft and delicate against my fingers, the thorns are sharp and prickly, it smells really nice," i.e. the information related by their senses. Hand an Intuitive the same rose and ask them to tell you about it, and they're likely to say, "You know, this reminds of when I was a little kid, when my family spent every summer at our cabin on the lake. The window to my bedroom had stuck in the up position, and in the summertime the roses would grow right through the window and into my room. Their smell was the first thing I experienced every morning when I woke up." You'll notice that the Intuitive experienced the rose very differently than the Sensor. Instead of focusing on its concrete reality, he focused on his relationship to the flower, on the associations it evoked. Put another way, Sensors experience what IS, Intuitives experience what MIGHT BE. Sensors tend to focus on details but miss the big picture. Intuitives tend to focus on the big picture but be not so good at details.

Ask yourself these questions. If you choose the first answer, you are a Sensor, if the second an Intuitive:

Do I usually -

pay more attention to the facts and details

or

try to understand the connections, underlying meaning, and implications?

Am I -

a more down-to-earth and sensible person

or

an imaginative and creative one?

Which do I trust more -

my direct experience

or

my gut instinct?

Am I -

more tuned into the here-and-now

or

do I often imagine how things will affect future events?

Do I like new ideas -

only if they have practical utility

or

just for their own sake?

Would I rather -

use an established skill

or

do I become bored easily after I've mastered it?

THINKER (T) or FEELER (F)

I might mention BTW that I feel these two options are not very well-named, because the terms Thinker and Feeler carry with them such heavy connotations. The fact you're a Thinker doesn't mean you can't feel deeply. Similarly, just because you're a Feeler it doesn't mean you can't think.

The third area relates to how people make decisions, or come to conclusions. For Thinkers, logic rules. When making a decision it's as if they take a mental and emotional step back, away from the problem, and ask themselves, "Okay, what makes logical sense here?" IOW they objectify the decision making process. Feelers by contrast, when faced with a decision, take a mental and emotional step forward, inject themselves into the problem, and ask themselves, "Okay, how do I feel about this? What are my personal values and emotions telling me to do?" Feelers subjectify the decision making process.

Ask yourself these questions. If you choose the first answer you are a Thinker, if the second a Feeler:

Do I make decisions -

more objectively, weighing the pros and cons

or

based on how I feel about the issue, and how I and others will be affected by it?

Which words describe me better -

logical and analytical

or

sensitive and empathetic?

Is it more important to be -

truthful, even if it hurts someone's feelings

or

tactful, even if it means telling a little white lie?

Which usually persuades me more? -

a good logical argument

or

a strong emotional appeal?

Which is the greater compliment? -

to be tough

or

to be tender?

JUDGER (J) or PERCEIVER (P)

Again, I feel these these choices are not very well-named, since the fact you are a Judger does not necessarily mean you're particularly judgmental, the fact you're a Perceiver doesn't mean you're necessarily very perceptive. Better terms might be CLOSER and PROCRASTINATOR.

The last area relates to how people like to organize the world, live their lives. Basically it relates to the issue of closure. Which do you find more stressful, to have problems unresolved, or to lose your options? If you find unresolved issues more stressful (Judger), when faced with a problem you will move as swiftly as possible to make a decision and set the matter to rest. If what stresses you out is cutting off your options (Perceiver), when faced with a problem you will put off making a decision, and strive to keep all your options open, for as long as possible.

Ask yourself these questions. If you choose the first answer you are a Judger, if the second a Perceiver:

Do I tend to make most decisions -

quickly and easily

or

does making decisions often make me anxious and unsure?

Would I rather have things -

settled and decided

or

be able to leave my options open, just in case something unexpected comes up?

Is it very important for me -

to be in control of most situations

or

am I often comfortable letting others call the shots?

Am I -

very conscious of time, and almost always punctual

or

do I frequently run late, and find time has somehow slipped away?

Which is more true of me -

I'm generally very organized

or

I often have trouble finding things and keeping organized.

Which is truer for me -

I prefer to get my work or chores done before I relax

or

I can often find compelling reasons to put tasks off until a later time.

By the time you've asked yourself theses questions you should have a pretty good idea of your 4-letter type. Some people have strong preferences within a type, for instance they are a strong Extrovert. Other people will be more balanced. But the idea behind the MBTI is that, whether to a greater or lesser degree, every person will have a preference, an inclination toward one option or the other. Thus we tend to automatically play to our strengths, to react toward our preferences. Kind of like how even those people who are functionally ambidextrous will still have the preferred hand they'll automatically use before the other.

Hope all that helped.

Duane Thomas, INFP

(Edited by Duane Thomas at 9:07 pm on Mar. 3, 2003)

[Flexmoney]

Mine is INT(?)

I can't call it black or white on the last set of questions.

[benos]

Duane,

Thanks for posting.

be

[Duane Thomas]

"Mine is INT(?)

I can't call it black or white on the last set of questions."

Kyle,

Sounds like a Perceiver trait to me. What do you think?

[Flexmoney]

DT,

Sharp.  I was wondering how long it would take someone to catch that.

(Edited by Flexmoney at 6:01 pm on June 21, 2001)

[Duane Thomas]

Hey, what can I say? It's a gift.

[Lord of Allusions]

Yeah, that ws a good one, Flex -- I chuckled when I saw it.

I'd heard of this before, but never bothered "typing" myself before. Thanks for the criteria, Duane!

There do seem to be a lot of "IN__" types in the forum. I wonder how far that carries over into the shooting sports in general. Do shooters tend to be "intuitive introverts" (or as the press might call us: "moody loners" )?

Interesting thread, and food for thought.

LOA

INTP