Myers Briggs Personality Test

I had a really thorough and deep conversation with my boyfriend late last night about a number of different things. First we started off talking about our results to the Myers Briggs personality test. My result is INFP and his is INTP. He told me he took the test a few days ago. I had taken the test many times before. I told him that I knew that would be his result because we are really similar in the categories that this test covers. This test determines “preferences” for certain styles. One sub category is about how the individual prefers to process information. The preference is either for taking in information at face value only (sensing) or for using that information as only the starting point after which the individual further analyzes and adds meaning to that information (intuition). Another sub category is about the preference an individual has for how one will make the decisions that they make. This preference is either for making decisions based on logic, facts, and consistency (thinking) or for emphasizing a focus on the emotion-based particulars such as the people and subjective circumstances involved (feeling). The last sub category is about an individual’s preference in dealing with external stimuli and the external world. The preference is either towards wanting to be decisive about matters (judging) or wanting to keep things open-ended in order to leave space for other potential options or information to come into play (perceiving).

Since I had read so much about my results and about this test in general, I was able to infer what my boyfriend’s results would be. I was able to see this especially when we would have serious conversations/debates/or arguments about heavy topics. On almost every occasion, he uses the cold, hard logical lens in which to base his arguments. He has little to no tolerance for emotion-based arguments and opinions. I on the other hand do exactly that–with almost every controversial topic we discuss, I use the emotion-based lens in which to base my arguments. He wants facts, data, objective information, and linear thinking as the basis of the opinion or stance. I want a humanitarian basis, which includes focusing on the subjective information at hand. It includes the particulars, and definitely is based in my emotional response to the controversial topic. I have opinions that are mostly about the particular type of people and their subjective experiences/circumstances. Our debates turn into arguments due to our polar opposite way of creating opinions/stances. He will make implications that what I’m arguing is not backed by any proof or data, and will point out how what I’m saying becomes very abstract and emotional. I will make implications that he is being insensitive, close-minded and based in sweeping generalizations. Really what is going on here is that we are butting heads because our way of forming opinions are at two polar extremes. The Myers Briggs Test made that really clear to me.

I know that otherwise he and I share very similar morals, values, and perspectives on things. He and I clearly share the same need for down time since we are both introverted. He and I are both independent and unique in our sense of self. We both form our own opinions and never just completely go by what we’ve heard or read from somebody else–which would explain how we both share the “intuition” preference when it comes to processing information.

I was going to go into the heavy conversation that he and I had last night, but I spent so long just describing the basis of what lead to the deep conversation in such detail that I may need to just write another post up about the deep conversation. I do this every time that I write ha. I just draw so many connections to various things and they end up inspiring me to write a lot from time to time. That’s another interesting thing. I realized how much I love writing. I think being a writer is actually a potential career for me in the future. I never really considered that before. Pretty interesting since my current job and usual aspiration is to work directly with people with psychological disorders (which is rewarding but also very draining). Becoming a writer would be to do a complete 360 in a way. Being a writer is a very introverted and independent career. Writers spend hours by themselves, well writing. I don’t have a degree in writing, but I’m not sure one would be necessary depending on the type of writing I’d want to do. I can’t see myself ever being a formal writer of any sort. I’d love to write about what I’m interested in–psychology, art, philosophy, nature, and people in general. I would love to write about all of my observations and about all of the connections I’ve made between these subjects. To do that for a long-term job would be very therapeutic as well and I would finally get a break from all of the psychological energy I expend on a regular basis by doing the job that I do. I don’t know where I’d start with pursuing a career like this and it would require a lot of discipline/self-direction. Maybe I should just start by trying to re-develop the habit of writing on a regular basis.