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Why are you Unknown Type?

2K views 20 replies 19 participants last post by  Glenda Gnome Starr 
#1 ·
I've noticed more folks listing themselves as Unknown Personality.

Do you have Unknown Personality listed as your MBTI type? Why?

Have you changed your type from something known to Unknown? Why?
 
#2 ·
I do have mine listed although i can see the reasoning why some don't. People tend to make huge generalizations about types, this is less obvious when responding to people who are unknown. I belong to another type forum that i don't have my type listed. I've noticed they treat me differently and take me more seriously without the ENFP tag. Just goes to show how some people will use type to either back up their statements, or make sweeping typist remarks in order to make a case. Stupid, but it happens.
 
#4 ·
I've gotten INTP on all of the tests I've taken, but my friend is an unknown type. He used to be an ESTJ, but he's gradually changed. He's taken several tests in the past two months, and gotten INTJ, ENTJ, ISTJ, and ESTJ. He's gotten ENTJ most frequently, but he doesn't act like an ENTJ at all. Not a hint of arrogance or bossiness ,(which I'm sorry to say, but ENTJs almost always have those traits.) He's seen all of the analyses and he doesn't think he matches any of them. I just call him an A(ambivert)XTJ.
 
#5 ·
A lot of people with Unknown Personality listed don't actually "hide" their type; they post in their types forums and identify as that type there. I think it's mostly to avoid having their type easily brought up and used to dismiss what they're saying in unrelated conversations. Most people won't dig through someone's posts to find their type just in case it's a type they're biased against, but there are people who will look to the side before reading the post, see that the poster is [insert type here], and then read the post with a bias against the poster already, or reply with something non-constructive like "you're just saying that because you're [type]".

And of course, some people are Unknown Type because...they actually don't know their type. I ended up changing my type when I learned more about the functions and now I'm fairly confident in it, but there are people who would prefer not to declare a type until they're absolutely sure of it, even if there is one that they lean towards.
 
#7 ·
ChanceyRose Why do you?
In part because of the stereotyping that's been mentioned. I have typed myself as an INTJ but I don't fit the mold. This has, in the past, led others to tell me that I'm obviously mistyped. Rather than argue with them, it's just easier to not give them a bias to begin with. Ironically, in the INTJ forum, I've had newcomers tell me I obviously don't understand some stereotypical point they're trying to uphold as gold standard for all INTJs because I'm not one. I find it pathetically amusing.

I'm also not 100% convinced I am an INTJ. I don't identify with Jung's psychic/visionary description of a Ni dom but the interaction of NiTeFiSe, taken as whole, seems to be the best fit for my thought processes. I also have trauma in my past that has possibly deployed some well-ingrained defense mechanisms that may be interfering with an accurate assessment.

In short, I'd rather my posts be judged on the actual content from a neutral point of view instead of from a type-based bias.
 
#8 ·
For some reason I find unknown labels from people who know their types to be infuriating. It's not so much of a bother in the individual type forums, but in the cognitive functions forums, I can for example adjust my comparisons of functions to include something that they'd be familiar with (comparing X dominant function to their dominant function or the same for the inferior). No can do with an unknown type.
 
#9 ·
i originally hid mine with the intention of avoiding typism, as Muchaparadox said.

however, this worked against me, as people continued making typist remarks against me, assumptively stereotyping me as a simple S/irrational F. it's unavoidable.

and i haven't changed it back yet because i didn't notice/inferior Se. XD

that and it makes me feel all mysteeerious, oo~
 
#10 ·
Do you have Unknown Personality listed as your MBTI type? Why?

Yes. Because cognitively I'm defintely Ne/Si ... but my behaviour is Fe-heavy on the forum. It causes a lot of confusion for people [especially the newer folks who don't know anything about my first few months on PerC], so I decided to take it off finally. MBTI-wise, I still relate very, very heavily to all three of the ENTP/INFJ and ENFJ archetypes. But based on study and self-analysis, I'm very much an Ne user.

That said, I have significant periods in my life where I was very, very Se-like - but there's a different explanation for that. My core is muddled because of a couple of psychological disorders.

Have you changed your type from something known to Unknown? Why?

So now I go around without a tag for two reasons:

1. I don't like people continuing to think I'm an ENFJ and therefore type others and themselves based on my behaviour - which some did, and that caused problems for them.

2. I don't want to confuse issues [something with I did inadvertently] - which is why I've stopped talking about cognitive functions [except when someone asks for their self-analysis] or especially my cognitive function use publicly.
 
#14 ·
Have you changed your type from something known to Unknown? Why?

Because I don't feel defined, confined by my MBTI type any more. I just felt like it was dividing me and hindering me and causing me to miss the point and everyone else...I don't fault anyone for defining themselves by a type of course. This is just a personal conviction. To each their own.
 
#15 ·
Have you changed your type from something known to Unknown? Why?

Because I don't feel defined, confined by my MBTI type any more. I just felt like it was dividing me and hindering me and causing me to miss the point and everyone else...I don't fault anyone for defining themselves by a type of course. This is just a personal conviction. To each their own.
Interesting... I do agree it would be confining to define yourself by a stereotype :p So yeah I never bothered with taking anyone's type too seriously though I definitely spent a lot of time figuring myself out, a lot of navel gazing really... bleh. Anyway I've considered taking mine off because of all the stupid typism going on when I try to argue with certain people. Shit.
 
#17 ·
I first was because I constantly got INFP on tests, but I couldn't really relate to the INFPs. So I just took Unkown Perso. Then I realized how dependant I am on my Fe in my daily life. After that I remembered as a kid that before I got SA I could actually be quite extraverted at times and be off in my own world for a day or two at other times.

Now it was either INFJ or ISFJ. I couldn't really relate to the INFJs and I noticed how Si is holding me back on lots of things in life.

BUT BACK THEN, THEN THEN THEN THEN, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW?! *gives in*

Deffinitely ISFJ
 
#20 ·
Like others have said: because of the rampant typism. It's just easier to post outside of my type's subforum if I have mine listed as "unknown," because people are less prone to read into my posts through the lens of their own overwhelming and ridiculous biases. It gets especially tiresome when people randomly derail threads to brainbarf a load of stereotypes and generalizations about your type, and then expect you to apologize for all perceived wrongs on the part of all ____s.

It's a personal identification choice in the sense that it keeps me from getting banned due to the frequency of telling other posters to go fuck themselves with a flaming shovel.
 
#21 ·
Sometimes, I prefer to say "unknown" because the functions tests show my dominant and auxiliary functions to be pretty much identical so it's hard to tell which one is dominant and which one is auxiliary. My choice would be to say that I am an xsfp but the program doesn't permit that as an option. When I did the questionnaires on the what's my type forum, I was told that I was:
  • isfp
  • esfp
  • enfj
I had no idea that figuring out a type would be this complicated. I also had no idea of the negative reactions that an esfp faces. Sometimes, "unknown type" just seems easier. Leave 'em guessing...
 
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