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Back in university, I took the Myers-Brigg personality test and ended up as an INTJ. I recently took the test again, and this time I ended up as an INTP. So, has my personality changed over the past couple of years? Could there be a difference in the content of the tests, perhaps?
So, what type of person is an INTP? Here are the four major categories:
Introvertion. I agree with this. I’m not someone that seeks the limelight and I’m perfectly fine with spending some hours by myself, though not too many hours. 😉
Intuition. People who prefer intuition over sensing tend to be more focused on the big picture instead of the small details. I could say that this is true, but I probably lie nearer the middle since sometimes I do get wrapped up in details, but otherwise I could say that this is accurate.
Thinking. Thinkers prefer taking their emotions with a grain of salt and looking for the logical explanation. This is definitely true, and while I believe that emotions are important and should not be ignored, they have to be balanced with reason.
Perception. We prefer to keep our options open and wait before judging. This is true of me, but as you can see my previous result was the same except that I was more of a judger. I’m not sure what this says except perhaps I’ve gotten a little bit more patient or understanding over time.
Who do I share company with?
Albert Einstein is believed to have been an INTP. I’m not a genius like he is, but I can certainly see how some of the personality traits play out!
Living with an ISFJ
My girlfriend and me share only one letter – the I for introvertedness, though her less than me. Otherwise, she is sensing, more of a feeler than a thinker, and more of a judger than a perceiver. This definitely can lead to some interesting differences of opinion, but what strikes me is how many of our values we share in common even though our personalities are supposedly different. Maybe it makes for an interesting yin – yang balance — we can work together as a team and we see more together than we would seperately, simply because we have different ways of interpreting and dealing with the world.
How about you?
So, what are you waiting for? Take the test and read how other bloggers scored at MoneyMamba’s roundup! 🙂
My wife and I are both INTJ, and I think that’s part of why we never bought into the ‘opposites attract’ mantra; possibly out of hubris. 😀
Haha, I guess a personality test only says so much. Sometimes opposites attract and sometimes birds of a feather flock together…
Hehe! Looks like a lot of bloggers are or were INTJs! Very interesting indeed!
I guess personalities can also change to an extent over time since it’s not all genetic!
Just took the test, I am ESTJ. I have the personality of a supervisor/manager. I believe this is a direct result of my upbringing. Oh well, I’m happy with my results.
A big part of personality is dependent on the early years from what I’ve read…
INFJ. Protector/Counselor is where I landed. Interestingly, many years ago I ended up as an ENFJ. Apparently I’ve gone from being more extroverted to being more introverted over the years!
I suspect bloggers tend to skew toward introversion, at least PF bloggers anyway, based on what I’ve seen.
I think we all change to an extent over time, depending on circumstances and also where we want to go. In the future it might be possible to do even more once we learn to overcome our genetic barriers.
Weird.. I also took the Breyer personality test a few years ago and recently and my personality type changed from an introvert to an extravert. I do think I am less introverted these days though =)
I think some of these changes can be learned. If one is introverted due to shyness then they can overcome that by training themselves to be less anxious in social situations. If someone is extroverted cause they have tons of youthful energy then they might find themselves becoming a bit more introverted as they age! Interesting how we all never really stop changing.
And I thought I might be the only INTP! A fascinating addition to consider when pondering life’s complexities. A great blog!
Thanks for commenting!
For some reason, I never bothered to find out my personality. I just am who I am. I’ve found something I like to do, and am going to stick with it for a while.
Best,
Sam
Hey Sam,
Is it possible you might resist the idea that a test could tell you who you are? Well in the end, you define yourself so I agree with you!
I just tried it Kevin,
I’m INFP. But I thought of something interesting. To what extent are we always objective about ourselves? If my wife took this test for me, I probably would end up with a different personality–categorically of course. What do you think?
Have your girlfriend take the test, thinking of you in mind when she answers.
This is a really interesting idea! I’ll have to get her to do this and try the same for her as well.
My wife and I have very different personalities as well! I am more of an introvert, whereas she thrives on meeting with groups of people. Honestly, it’s almost tiring for me to be around a group of people, but I’m glad she pushes me once in a while.
I think my personality rubs off on her as well. She is becoming much more detailed and organized as the years go on. 🙂
I do think that people always learn and grow especially from each other. Me and my girlfriend have also learned a lot of things from each other as we’ve gone through life together!
Kevin,
Mined changed over time. My “changed” happened after living in Asia for three years. I went from I to E. Funny thing is now that I have been stateside for a few years I bet I would be an I again. I wonder if it is part environmental???
Cheers,
Joe
Environment probably does make a difference. We learn within given surroundings and boundaries, and if those change then it brings down a wall within us in a sense. That is what I enjoy the most about experiencing other parts of the world and why I recommend it to everyone and anyone.
I am an INFJ, although I used to be an ‘E’ as opposed to an ‘I’. The description of INFJ fits me almost perfectly, it is kind of scary.
Interesting results! Why do you think you moved toward the I from the E?
I am a ESTJ (Extroverted, Sensing, Thinking, Judging), which has evolved over the years. A shy person, who accomplished a lot, developed confidence and became an extrovert!
Interesting journey! What helped you develop confidence over the years?
Fun post, Kevin.
I ended up as ENTP with a heavy leaning on the N. I have done this test before, but I have absolutely no recollection of what four letter word I was.
I agree with Andrew that there are flaws with the test, though my biggest issue is with ambiguous wording. One question was “You feel at ease in large groups,” or something to that effect. To me one could read “at ease” in two ways: in one sense, a state of non-panic, and in another sense, a preferred state.
I am rather indifferent to large groups, so I could be said to be at ease in them. However, I would rather be in my living room.
There were a lot of similarities in my description, though I suspect we can all probably find qualities in ourselves from each possible combination. I did find it interesting that in the top 5 jobs for my type, high school education and finance were listed. As a high school teacher with a personal finance blog, I got a kick out of that 🙂
Enjoy your vacation.
That’s pretty neat; I just checked out these pages:
http://www.personalitypage.com/html/INTP_car.html
http://www.personalitypage.com/html/INTJ_car.html
And they seem to mesh up pretty well! I think I do take more from the INTP than the INTJ but I can relate to a lot of both.
I agree that a test can have flaws and can only say so much, but it’s definitely fun to look at the results and compare. 🙂
My wife and I are exact opposites. She’s crazy extrovert; I’m mildly introverted. We’ve both taken the tests at work and they continue to come out pretty consistently.
Interesting; do you ever find it hard to keep up with at times? I know a crazy extroverted person who is extremely sociable and a friendly person, but sometimes it’s a bit overwhelming!
How do companies actually use these tests? I haven’t ever been tested in a professional setting, myself.
It has been awhile since I took the test and honestly don’t remember what I was. I suppose I might have the information at work still but since I am at home now can’t get it. I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if environment as well as recent experience plays a role in some of these tests. When thinking about questions, I offer refer to a personal experience and try to think how I felt about that situation. So, I suspect some recency bias plays a role.
Recency bias probably does so if you did the test a few times you could possibly get a more accurate result; Andrew’s idea of having a close other evaluate you is interesting as well!
My results change every time I’ve taken that test! Though, I haven’t done it in a while, so I’ll have to see where I fall now. If you dig deeper into the Myers-Briggs philosophy, they talk more about being a 50/50 on a character trait, which is why I think we can sway so much over time.
I might be 50/50 on the P & J, I think! It would explain how I could come out as one or the other so I’m probably fairly in the middle between both.
My son just tested as an ENTJ, which is completely spot-on for who he is, though he disagrees mildly with the results. I cannot remember mine…it’s been awhile, but I remember it being pretty accurate.
An extroverted scientist/thinker? Hmm, Wikipedia mentions a lot of notable leaders with the same personality type. You might have a future leader under your wing!