On My Fascination With MBTI

Since it appeared in my first post and it's something I frequently talk about (ask J), I figure it's time to delve in to WHY this guy is fascinated (obsessed?) with the Myers-Briggs Typology system. But first, a primer. 

What is it? 

Basically, it's a system of categorizing individuals based on four qualities. They are:

• Introversion versus Extraversion
• iNtuition versus Sensing
• Thinking versus Feeling
• Judging versus Perceiving

From this we get the four letters that we use to describe ourselves. In my case: INTJ. That means I'm introverted, intuitive, thinking, and judging. Now, you also get a number with each letter that determines how dominant or pronounced the quality is. Introverted with a score of 10 is rather weakly Introverted and may exhibit Extravert tendencies on occasion. Similarly, someone who is Judging 90 would very rarely (if ever) behave in a Perceiving way.

This was developed collaboratively and with other systems as a foundation. If you want to read up on it, I think your best bet is to head over to Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MBTI). I'm not here to give a lecture on MBTI... I just want to talk about my fascination with it. So, moving on ...

Why I like it:

It's organized.

One thing I like is how organized the system is. Two introverts share common traits regardless of whatever other letters they have. Because of this, it's kind of a modular system. As an INTJ, I'm really similar to J's INFJ. We share a lot of common qualities, but the T-F split causes us to handle problems and make decisions differently. With that said, we both "hate people," we both understand the world primarily through intuition (trusting our "guts"), and we generally have opinions on things.

It's logical.

The system just makes sense. Take the E-I split, for example. Being an introvert does NOT make you antisocial or incapable of handling social interaction. It does generally mean you favor smaller groups and enjoy alone time. What it really is getting at, though, is how people affect your energy level... as an introvert, I find being social a little bit tiring. Most of the time I need to retreat to my room after a few hours. When I'm there, I can "recharge" and gather myself again. Extroverts are opposite. What I like about this is that each letter is speaking on multiple facets of personality.

It encompasses everyone.

And... everybody fits. No one gets left out. "But I don't fit any four-letter combination!" you say. Wrong! Even if you weakly register to a letter in all four categories, it still means something. Everybody exhibits specific behaviors and I strongly believe we all fit in one of sixteen buckets. It's limited but not too limited. Besides, it's really fun to try and peg what type someone is. If they've never taken the test, I like to guess beforehand and have them take it. If they have, I try to guess then and there. You can get pretty good at it. The scary part is when you start recognizing just how much people actually follow the description of their type...

It's accurate.

Which leads me in to how creepy you can come off if you start pegging people's thoughts, feelings, and motivations based on their personality type. Word of warning: probably not good to run around playing Buddha (J's term here). Unless you want to be viewed as crazy, in which case it's a great way to become the local madman. Seriously, though... It's really entertaining with the right crowd. Close friends or people who "get you" will probably actually really appreciate (and find humorous) that you can pick up stuff based on this information. I enjoy it, anyways.

It works.

And everything I have said would be a lie (and a waste of Internet space) if the system didn't work. As I've said, it's possible to peg feelings and motivations with this stuff. It's powerful, entertaining, and somewhat enlightening. I like applying what I know about INTJ's to myself to better understand why I think/feel the way I do about certain things. It's a boatload of fun, probably more than it should be, but I like spending some time analyzing myself. I'm not crazy, I swear! It's no different than any other form of reflection.

DISCLAIMER: This is all my opinion. I'm not arguing scientific validity although I'm sure I will discuss that at some point (possibly without taking a side).

So, in general, it's just fun and effective. For me, at least. And I just can't help myself.

- E.