[WwhitecrowW]

After looking into personality types for a few months, I've noticed a few things that doesn't seem to flow with statistics at all, the fact that everyone and their dog claims to be an NT. Yes, some there are some people who are great and fantastic who get something else, but I noticed again and again that people claim they are NT and the one that pops up the most are NTPs.

Whenever I introduce someone to Meyerbriggs, I typically type them myself going through what I know about their personalities, how they react in various situations, and then take into account where they are introverted or extroverted. I then give them the online "test" moreso as a verification for my work typing them then as proof of what they are.

However again and again people are taking the tests and out pops an ENTP or an INTP again and again and again. (ENTJ and INTJ pop up a bit less).

My true question is, am I just a poor typer (yes, I will be the first to admit to any and all typos during this rant), or are people specifically choosing things on how they would like to behave during situations. I mean, wouldn't anyone who sees a question that asks do you make rational decisions to hardships or do you make decisions based off your feelings choose to claim they are rational?

Do you think people prefer and will more often times claim to be NT because the alternative makes them sound like they are dumb? (Which is definitely not true.. I know some brilliant SFs).



Do you know anyone who claims to be an NT but seems entirely off to you? NTs (the rationals) are supposed to be the smallest group of all of them, but people are always claiming it! Just curious to see fellow rational thought.

[Jason Ortega]

most people online are INTs and INF....the more social Types rarely go on forums and stuff ...you have to understand that their are many more personalities out their

[WwhitecrowW]

Online is fine and as you said, it is expected to be this way.

To refine what I'm getting at. I have a bunch of friends who all claim the NT type when in actuality they are nothing of the sort (with one exception). I have no problem with any of the other types, in fact I prefer interacting with SFPs the most. However, I was curious to see if this is a common trend or if its just something I picked up on in those that I know.

[Jason Ortega]

I think people think they are a certain way but they are not ....I found it really difficult to decide which personality I was going to choose because I thought I was an ENTP,INTP,ISTP.ISTJ and ESTJ but I am an INFJ ...when I thought I was an ENTP I swore I acted differently then I act now

[Nimbus]

Do you think people prefer and will more often times claim to be NT because the alternative makes them sound like they are dumb? (Which is definitely not true.. I know some brilliant SFs).

Do you know anyone who claims to be an NT but seems entirely off to you? NTs (the rationals) are supposed to be the smallest group of all of them, but people are always claiming it! Just curious to see fellow rational thought.

Unless you count some of the online pseudo-NTs, not really. But most of the people who I've introduced to MBTI take it as a bit of fun and happen to be my female friends who are mostly feelers, so I'm bearing that in mind.

I think that some people I know - especially males for some reason - would probably be more prone to claiming they are NT if they knew about MBTI. You know, the sort who take great pride in their supposed rationality, get insecure when they find out you're smarter than them, can be pretty aggressive to people who they perceive as 'weak' or as a 'follower', etc. Do you just happen to know a lot of these people?

It's also possible that you're just friends with a load of NTs.

[WwhitecrowW]

That can rule the men out, and might in fact rule the women out as well. Most of my female friends are feminists of one sort or another. Perhaps they fear be considered feelers because they are trying to prove that women can be just as rational as men in the world. With this, they attempt to demonstrate the pride and aggression you mentioned in men to not be seen as 'weaker' or as a 'follower.'

Hmmm.. Interesting.

[Nimbus]

That can rule the men out, and might in fact rule the women out as well. Most of my female friends are feminists of one sort or another. Perhaps they fear be considered feelers because they are trying to prove that women can be just as rational as men in the world. With this, they attempt to demonstrate the pride and aggression you mentioned in men to not be seen as 'weaker' or as a 'follower.'

Hmmm.. Interesting.

I'm not saying that these people can't be NTs, not at all - there are lots unhealthy NTs out there who do act like this. No, I'm just saying that you're probably right in that it's a factor consider if you're in the sort of atmosphere that puts high value on that kind of thing.

But equally I have noticed that there is wilful mistyping into other temperaments too, not just NTs. Just as some people want to see themselves as some kind of hardcore unfeeling thinker, many people - often women - pride themselves on being a 'people person' and think that not being an F means that they're unfeeling or bad with emotions.

There was a very interesting article I read once in which the journalist looking into MBTI tests as ENTP but doesn't really like the idea of being N or T:

'As a reporter, I believe that I am a Sensing type. An S. In my job I look for concrete information that can be verified. Yet according to my questionnaire result, I was the opposite. An Intuitive. An N. Much as I would like to be a big picture person, I know I often get too interested in the trees and forget about the wood.I was most surprised though by the third letter, T, which classified me as a thinker rather than an F, a feeling person. Maybe I am not as empathetic as I thought I was…'

Basically, I do agree with you that people probably bias self-typing towards what they have been influenced to value. The tests aren't always that reliable anyway. But ultimately it doesn't particularly matter...if falsely seeing themselves as some other type helps them get on with life in some strange way, whatever. Mistyping is their problem; the whole world could tell me that they're NT, SF, XY, XXL or a chicken for all I care.

[WwhitecrowW]

Basically, I do agree with you that people probably bias self-typing towards what they have been influenced to value. The tests aren't always that reliable anyway. But ultimately it doesn't particularly matter...if falsely seeing themselves as some other type helps them get on with life in some strange way, whatever. Mistyping is their problem; the whole world could tell me that they're NT, SF, XY, XXL or a chicken for all I care.

Ah, but I've been thinking that all arguments and debates and fights come down to a lack of understanding. I'm trying perpetuate the idea of knowing oneself, why they actually do what they do, as well as knowing each other and why they do what they do, in order to stop random drama from growing inside the group of friends I am with. It's worked wonders when I work as a mediator. However when left alone... I can see the fires from miles away.

[MegaTuxRacer]

Flea market copycats, the lot of them.

[Nimbus]

Ah, but I've been thinking that all arguments and debates and fights come down to a lack of understanding. I'm trying perpetuate the idea of knowing oneself, why they actually do what they do, as well as knowing each other and why they do what they do, in order to stop random drama from growing inside the group of friends I am with. It's worked wonders when I work as a mediator. However when left alone... I can see the fires from miles away.

True, true, a noble quest.

But there's a point where I just give up. Rather than seeing MBTI as a device for furthering understanding of others (though admittedly imperfect), some people just see it as something that gives them some sort of status or group to fit into. Some people don't seem willing to listen or to seek understanding, which is probably the thing that pisses me off most in the world. -_-