[Roots]

Hi, as you might notice this is my first post on the forum, I was redirected here from mypersonality.info after taking their personality test and ending up as an ENTP. Now the test results confuse me a bit, and I was hoping that someone on this forum more knowledgable of personality psychology might enlighten me. So, here are the results:


As you can see I "fall in between two chairs" on the extraverted-introverted bar.. What I'm wondering is if that means that I am an INTP/ENTP or does it mean that I am "less" of an ENTP? As you might deduce from those questions I really have no idea what significance it has, if any, and I'm hoping a kind soul might reply with an answer.

[John]

Roots, on 09 March 2010 - 03:54 PM, said:

Hi, as you might notice this is my first post on the forum, I was redirected here from mypersonality.info after taking their personality test and ending up as an ENTP. Now the test results confuse me a bit, and I was hoping that someone on this forum more knowledgable of personality psychology might enlighten me. So, here are the results:


As you can see I "fall in between two chairs" on the extraverted-introverted bar.. What I'm wondering is if that means that I am an INTP/ENTP or does it mean that I am "less" of an ENTP? As you might deduce from those questions I really have no idea what significance it has, if any, and I'm hoping a kind soul might reply with an answer.

Well, welcome aboard, Roots.

Really, what's being measured is a preference, and for a lot of people, that preference just isn't clear-cut. I'm in the same boat most of the time, though the ENTP description fits me better than the INTP description, so that's what I prefer to self-label as.

MBTI isn't the end-all be-all that some people try and sell it as, but it is a decent tool for communication.

-J

[DefectiveCreative]

MBTI tests are decidedly iffy in terms of their accuracy, the on-line ones are fairly useless most of the time and IIRC even the official test only has something like a 50% retake success rate (i.e. out of the people who take the test a second time only about half of them get the same result as they did before).

So with that being the case I'd strongly recommend reading some of the descriptions for INTPs and ENTPs and seeing which one sounds the most like you. This site is one of my favourites: http://www.personali.../portraits.html

[decided]

Hi, nice to meet you.

I tend to test low in F and J, but the INTP description is not like me at all.

I don't have anything more to add to the advice, those guys know their stuff.
(Ooh, I just saw that DefectiveCreative's location says 'The Palace of Wisdom'! Haha, love it.)

[HughNibley]

I think the others hit this pretty closely. If you're looking for a typing system to tell you who you are, you aren't going to find success anywhere. I think the MBTI is less flawed than most, but still it has its issues.

However, the area in which it excels is in providing a framework for categorizing and understanding cognitive functions. So, if you're testing borderline I/E, I'd take that as an opportunity to study both and how they might apply in your life. It shouldn't be about whether you are Introverted or Extroverted; it should be about examining yourself in light of the framework, and seeing if it can help you better understand yourself.

[Roots]

Hi again and sorry for not responding earlier. I was on a great adventure which unfortunately did not include internet access!

Thanks for all the replies They really helped me see the results from several angles. And by reflecting on myself for a bit I found that they are actually quite accurate, I think this is the reason why I thrive in stressful social situations as well as enjoy a quiet introspective day of meditation and reading. It certainly answers the question why my friends always "need" to have someone around them to avoid going bored and why they can't understand how I can bear to sit in an occasional social night and just relax by myself with a good cup of tea and a book.

[Waves]

Roots, on 22 March 2010 - 05:48 PM, said:

Thanks for all the replies They really helped me see the results from several angles. And by reflecting on myself for a bit I found that they are actually quite accurate, I think this is the reason why I thrive in stressful social situations as well as enjoy a quiet introspective day of meditation and reading. It certainly answers the question why my friends always "need" to have someone around them to avoid going bored and why they can't understand how I can bear to sit in an occasional social night and just relax by myself with a good cup of tea and a book.

Cool that you've got it figured out now. Since the MBTI is based on self-reporting, there's a lot of bias due to how you are presently feeling. Especially if you are young, your type may change a few times as you gain experience or even develop other skills.

[Michelle613]

Hello!

I have tested as INTP numerous times, but truth be told, that is because I consider myself an introvert (as it comes to other people). But I'm coming to understand that extraversion as pertains to this does not just mean people....it can mean the external environment in general. So a passionate interest in biology, psychology, the markets, animals...those are all outside of ones' self.... I'm thinking that qualifies as an extraverted orientation....I could be wrong.
But the thing is, I'm clearly NTP, but I'm just more like the ENTPs ( kind of a wild hair) than the INTPs (quiet and brilliant). : ) If it looks like an apple and tastes like an apple...well....

I'm open to correction or comment! That's my take on the I/E thing....

[Waves]

Michelle613, on 23 March 2010 - 06:09 PM, said:

Hello!

I have tested as INTP numerous times, but truth be told, that is because I consider myself an introvert (as it comes to other people). But I'm coming to understand that extraversion as pertains to this does not just mean people....it can mean the external environment in general. So a passionate interest in biology, psychology, the markets, animals...those are all outside of ones' self.... I'm thinking that qualifies as an extraverted orientation....I could be wrong.
But the thing is, I'm clearly NTP, but I'm just more like the ENTPs ( kind of a wild hair) than the INTPs (quiet and brilliant). : ) If it looks like an apple and tastes like an apple...well....

I'm open to correction or comment! That's my take on the I/E thing....

Welcome to the forums Michelle613. The whole E/I thing basically indicates whether you feel more comfortable in some alone time ("recharging"), or letting that energy flow outward in some stimulating activity with other people/things. Being ENTPs we don't really need constant contact with other people or emotional reassurance, so don't let that trip up your E/I assessment.

[DarthVader]

I think you ought to look to see which of the cognitive functions you use most frequently, in this case Ne or Ti.

http://www.cognitiveprocesses.com/

http://greenlightwik...erted_Intuition

http://greenlightwik...erted_Intuition

[whs]

Waves, on 23 March 2010 - 09:14 PM, said:

The whole E/I thing basically indicates whether you feel more comfortable in some alone time ("recharging"), or letting that energy flow outward in some stimulating activity with other people/things.

Nope.

[DefectiveCreative]

FWIW Jung said that extraversion was the act of focussing attention/energy outwards towards the "object", and intraversion was the act of focusing attention/energy inwards towards the "subject".

So whether you're extraverted or intraverted depends on which, when left to your own devices, you prefer to do the most.

[Sparky]

I've read somewhere that a good way to tell if you're an introvert or an extravert is to have a look at how your remember your past.

An extraverted person would mostly have memories of the external environment - sights, sounds, experiences, people, physical sensations. An introverted person would have many memories of their internal environment - thoughts, ideas, theories, feelings, reactions.

For example, I am extroverted and have a very visual memory. I remember my past as pictures of what I saw, like a big photo album. I have a very hard time remembering any aspects of my internal states. I have a pretty vivid picture of what I saw and did in the past but I have no idea of why I was doing the things I did or what I thought and felt at the time.

For someone introverted I assume it would be the other way round. They'd remember in detail all their thoughts, feelings, and reactions, while the external world would be a bit of a blur.

[Double_V]

Sparky, on 25 March 2010 - 11:49 AM, said:

For example, I am extroverted and have a very visual memory. I remember my past as pictures of what I saw, like a big photo album. I have a very hard time remembering any aspects of my internal states. I have a pretty vivid picture of what I saw and did in the past but I have no idea of why I was doing the things I did or what I thought and felt at the time.

For someone introverted I assume it would be the other way round. They'd remember in detail all their thoughts, feelings, and reactions, while the external world would be a bit of a blur.

This is the same for me as I am also an extrovert with a visual memory. This probably explains why I have/take so many photos. In fact often when I pick up a photo I was on the scene for I instantly recall everything that was around it. The scene around it not included in the photo, the feel of the sun or cold, smells such as food or cologne, the feel or someones else skin texture from a kiss or a hug,texture of clothing I was wearing, etc. Upon seeing the photo I can recall what I was thinking or feeling. I find that often if not for the photo I have no memory of the event at all.

I was recently at an event that had a photo of me holding one of my babies twenty years ago. My youngest son pointed out the photo and said I was holding his brother and added "Nice dress". When I looked the photo at it I instantly "saw" inside my brain the label inside, the makers logo, and added "I loved that dress, and that's you, not your brother, I wish I still had the dress. It was by Gunne Sax". Then I realized I had absolutely no memory of being at that event until I saw the photo.

That being said I have an amazing recall of data. I don't actually see these as pictures in my head. Data could be what someone said in the past, facts from a particular date in time, or statistics I have read.

Sometimes there is sort of duplication of this process. For example I was in Washington D.C. and New York (also Canada) two weeks befor 9/11. I see the visual memory from being at those sites with the visual lay over of video footage of how those sites were impacted much in the same way as a photo that is double negative (two pictures dipicted over the top of each other which used to happen in cameras with film when the film didn't move forward and two exposures happened over the same piece of film).

I had an interesting memory driving down a road a couple of years ago. I had been on it as a small kid decades ago but not since. In one year alone recently 5000 houses had been construced in that town, parts of the road were even moved. While I was driving it I could actually see my memorys photo laid right over the roads current status. It was quite a weird feeling. I had obviously recorded alot of data. I was a little shocked.

[John]

Double_V, on 25 March 2010 - 01:52 PM, said:

This is the same for me as I am also an extrovert with a visual memory. This probably explains why I have/take so many photos. In fact often when I pick up a photo I was on the scene for I instantly recall everything that was around it. The scene around it not included in the photo, the feel of the sun or cold, smells such as food or cologne,the feel or someones else skin texture from a kiss or a hug,texture of clothing I was wearing, etc. Upon seeing the photo I can recall what I was thinking or feeling. I find that often if not for the photo I have no memory of the event at all.

I was recently at an event that had a photo of me holding one of babies twenty years ago. My youngest son pointed out the photo and said I was holding his brother and added "Nice dress". When I looked the photo at it I instantly "saw" inside my brain the label inside the makers logo and added "I loved that dress, and that's you, not your brother, I wish I still had the dress. It was by Gunne Sax". Then I realized I had absolutely no memory of being at that event until I saw the photo.

That being said I have an amazing recall of data. I don't actually see these as pictures in my head. Data could be what someone said in the past, facts from a particular date in time, or statistic I have read.

Sometimes there is sort of duplication of this process. For example I was in Washington D.C. and New York (also Canada) two weeks befor 9/11. I see the visual memory from being at those sites with the visual lay over of video footage of how those sites were impacted much in the same was as photo that is double negatives (two pictures dipicted over the top of each other).

I had an interesting memory driving down a road a couple of years ago. I had been on it as a small kid decades ago but not since. In one year alone recently 5000 houses had been construced in that town, parts of the road were even moved. While I was driving it I could actually see my memorys photo laid right over the roads current status. It was quite a weird feeling. I had obviously recorded alot of data. I was a little shocked.

I still remember matching Timothy McVeigh's description during a road trip the day the OKC Fed building was bombed... and I have no idea what specifically you said to tap that memory, other than maybe it had something to do with the overlay... by the way, that sounds like a strategy for increasing your "memory storage capacity" -- having two memories occupy the same space.

-J

[ShashiJapan4]

I'm in the same boat as you, Broseph.

50/50 on the E/I.
But also 50/50 on the T/F.

I like to think it just adds extra dynamics and moveability to our personalities, don't you think?
Totally comfortable in social situations, or just chillin' at home alone. It doesn't make you any less of an ENTP(Whatever that means). It just makes you, you. :3