# Is anyone here comfortable with their MBTI type?



## TGW (May 4, 2012)

If so, what's that like? I feel like I can relate to almost all of them and I have no clue which I am. While I think MBTI (with the addition of cognitive functions) gets at a lot of aspects of personality, I'm wondering if it's even valid. So, if you'd be so kind as to give me some outside perspective to work with, I have a few questions.

Do you doubt your type at all? Does your type mean anything to you? Do you really see yourself reflected in your type? What about other types? Are there aspects of your identity/personality that you don't see in your type? Are you familiar with cognitive functions? If so, what do you think about them as it pertains to how you judge/perceive? Do you think the judge/perceive paradigm is valid? Why are you even interested in personality? Is it academic? Is it part of a search for identity? Something else?

Please feel free to answer all or some of the questions. Don't worry about writing a lot because I _will _read it. I'm very interested. The main thing is: do you really identify with your MBTI type and are you familiar with the cognitive functions?


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## HAL (May 10, 2014)

Yeah I'm an INTP and I'm certain of it.

For a while I wondered if I might be INFP because I sometimes find myself being guided by intense emotion, but really it's just the INTP way of being angered/saddened/frustrated by things that don't stick to obvious logic.

I put a lot of weight into the MBTI theory. Sure, some people are easier to type than others, but the fact they can be typed at all shows there's a good amount of strength to this theory of personality classification. It doesn't put people in boxes either (a common misplaced criticism of MBTI). 

I'm pretty good at recognising NTs when I see them, perhaps because I'm an NT myself. I can see the differences, the strengths and the weaknesses, and it helps me to accept people's flaws too. 

I dunno what else to say really. I'm an INTP, and hello.


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## intjonn (Apr 20, 2013)

I'm comfortable & content with my life & myself.




*<<<<<<<-----------------take it frum a koon!*

Doesn't have anything to do with someone's idea of trying to keyhole 7 billion people into 16 boxes , which if one really thinks about it, trying to keyhole 7 billion peeps into 16 categories is just plain ridiculous lunacy to begin with. Lil lone the people who actually just willingly jump right up into those boxes.........


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## Folsom (Jun 20, 2018)

Not really. I relate a lot to a few different types for different reasons and have basically ruled them all out as possibilities as well.
I understand the cognitive functions individually quite well, and I'm going to paraphrase a bit below so I know people will say I'm just stereotyping, but anyway...

INTJ/INFJ - I relate entirely to the trait of relating almost everything back to a holistic worldview and sticking with the same interests for years, but I don't relate to the traits of planning for the future (or anything), or outwardly expressing my emotions and engaging with the emotions of others. I have even had my relation with Fe described as being obviously higher than Inferior, but nowhere near Auxiliary, and I am almost certainly not an ENTP.

INTP/INFP - Opposite of the above, I relate entirely to the traits of being laid back and intellectually/philosophically curious to a fault, but I don't relate to the traits of being detached from or unaware of the surrounding environment or being able to make wacky, random connections and seeing opportunities in the world. I am terrible at brainstorming, which is indicative or Polr Ne.

I have ruled out all of the above types because I have no idea what it even means to 'see' one or multiple paths forward with any clarity at all, which seems to be cited as a major indicator of Ni (for one future vision) or Ne (for many).

ISTP/ISFP - I relate to the trait of being aware of ones environment and I am almost always doing something to engage my senses, but I don't relate to the traits of being OK with using Se forcefully, seeking out new physical experiences, learning how to execute some kind of action flawlessly over time, or channelling my inner feelings through any kind of art or clothing.

On MBTI tests, the ones that look at the cognitive functions but give the results in terms of the dichotomies, I score high Introversion, 60/40 on Intuition and Sensing, 60/40 on Thinking and Feeling, and high Perceiving.

The only reason I have gone with INTP is because I keep hearing that high Ne means that a person is likely to keep questioning their type, and I don't feel like I am in touch enough with my emotions to be an INFP.


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## ponpiri (Apr 30, 2017)

Yeah for the most part, until someone starts stereotyping me irl. It's happened a few times at work because we have to take all these dang personality tests for "team building."

Sometimes I identify with some typical INTP and ISTJ traits, especially when stressed, but idk.. I prefer to try to be well rounded than being a representative of my type. I'm not even into typing that much anyway.


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## Grandmaster Yoda (Jan 18, 2014)

Do you doubt your type at all?

I used to think I was INTJ at least somewhat until I came on this site and I was told no.

Does your type mean anything to you?

I just like it when really specific traits and descriptions turn out to be relatable. 

Do you really see yourself reflected in your type?

Sure, why not?

What about other types?

The way I conceptualized it, I try to look at how types are different rather than the same. There are things like being a judging type that I associate with more to some degree at different points in my life. When I was younger I always put maximum effort to get work done early and never waited until night to do homework. I would do homework at school because I didn't want to deal with it. I still dislike the feeling of having work to do but wanting to engage in play. So I try to emphasize getting the work out of the way in some manner, but that doesn't mean I don't procrastinate in a situation where I will be getting recurring loads of work anyway.

Are there aspects of your identity/personality that you don't see in your type? 

I don't see knowledge as the sole purpose of existence. Rather, I see knowledge as essential to even talking about the sole purpose of existence.

Reading about the type did have that influencing effect on me though because it kind of made me ponder philosophical questions that I didn't think as much about beforehand. I ended up looking up to intellectual figures as you would expect an INTP to do, but before I knew much about MBTI I don't think I really had any admiration for intellectualism or people in that area. It's not a bad thing though.

There's also a sense of the need for intellectual conversations in friendship or partnership. I don't really feel that way. Especially in a critical way. I don't really want to be friends with people to have intellectual sparring matches and debates. In a different sense, I suppose the Ne sense I do like people who have thoughts that there kind of out there and are willing to talk about any topic freely. Those led to better friendships. Not having that hasn't really killed friendships, but to some degree they are less close friendships.

I don't hate stupid people. I am usually tolerant to a lack of knowledge in some field. There are tons of areas that I don't know much about, and I don't want to know much about. I don't need to know everything and wouldn't fault anyone else for not wanting to know everything.

Are you familiar with cognitive functions? If so, what do you think about them as it pertains to how you judge/perceive? 

I think the descriptions work fine to me. I related strongly down the whole line of Ti-Ne-Si-Fe. When I thought I was an INTJ, maybe there was confusion. But now, I never turned back. I never thought I have a strong Se, but also strong Si. Never thought that.

Do you think the judge/perceive paradigm is valid? 

Yeah MBTI sucks when it comes to that. I think labeling INTP as a "P" type is misleading because they are really "J" dominant. I was always in the middle on the scale. I never related to an overly "P" or overly "J" description. I usually have problems with highly "J" people more than "P" people so that lends to weight to the P side.

When people look at my brother, who I offhand figured out tested as an INTJ, they tend to think of me and him being outwardly similar. Almost the same on a superficial level. But, my dad said very often that we are completely different people. Someone who knew us all our lives would know better than anyone else and I have a lot conflict with him. But whether that actually speaks to MBTI is kind of out there. Just a side thought.

Why are you even interested in personality? Is it academic? Is it part of a search for identity? Something else?

At some point I tended to think I was different and a personality testing thing was one of the first avenues I took to look into it. Of course getting INTJ/INTP score immediately fed into that belief that I was unique. It was a search for identity and learning it kind of impacted how I view myself as I admitted earlier. But there have always been things I never agreed with and I think it is kind of awkward when people describe themselves using word for word copies of MBTI descriptions. There is a difference between relating to it and becoming it, hopefully I did not become it although I was somewhat influenced by the characterizations.


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## Analemma (Mar 2, 2020)

Hi @TGW, 

Thank you for the questions. Let’s try that. 


TGW said:


> Do you doubt your type at all?


Yes. But not often. It’s normal to doubt it sometimes, I guess


TGW said:


> Does your type mean anything to you?


Yes. I remember the feeling of relief when I first learned about my type.


TGW said:


> Do you really see yourself reflected in your type?


Yes. For me the most amazing similarities are in the weaknesses for my type.


TGW said:


> What about other types?


Some people are more stereotypical, hence, easier to type. Others are not. There are also unhealthy types that reflect mostly their shadow type. Still, with observation you can see the work of the cognitive functions underneath.


TGW said:


> Are there aspects of your identity/personality that you don't see in your type?


Yes but I recently started diving into the enneagram and it actually explains a lot of the gaps between me and my type. I find enneagram to compliment MBTI very well. But I am INFJ at my core. 


TGW said:


> Are you familiar with cognitive functions?


Yes, it’s easier for me to type people around me using the cognitive functions.


TGW said:


> If so, what do you think about them as it pertains to how you judge/perceive?


I find the descriptions to be rather accurate. 


TGW said:


> Do you think the judge/perceive paradigm is valid?


It’s an interesting concept and I can see the reasoning behind that. I also think it describes very fully the way people behave, make decisions and see the world. Yet, I think that the brain functions in a complex way that we don’t understand in depth. So, generally, I think the judge/perceive paradigm is valid but we must not forget that there are many nuances to it. 


TGW said:


> Why are you even interested in personality? Is it academic? Is it part of a search for identity? Something else?


Definitely part of a search for identity. I was always interested in the _whys_. And this combined with my interest in people and how they function, led me to exploring MBTI depths :laughing:


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## Llyralen (Sep 4, 2017)

Folsom said:


> Not really. I relate a lot to a few different types for different reasons and have basically ruled them all out as possibilities as well.
> I understand the cognitive functions individually quite well, and I'm going to paraphrase a bit below so I know people will say I'm just stereotyping, but anyway...
> 
> INTJ/INFJ - I relate entirely to the trait of relating almost everything back to a holistic worldview and sticking with the same interests for years, but I don't relate to the traits of planning for the future (or anything), or outwardly expressing my emotions and engaging with the emotions of others. I have even had my relation with Fe described as being obviously higher than Inferior, but nowhere near Auxiliary, and I am almost certainly not an ENTP.
> ...


 ISTP. You don’t have Ne for certain— seeing multiple pathways is constant for me, it is how I constantly learn by testing and questioning the multiple connections/pathways that I see. It’s frequent if not constant for the INxPs in my life. “Using Se forcefully” sounds like just one person’s opinion or description. I believe Se is much more complex like all the functions are.


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## Negotiator (Mar 15, 2018)

I'm not entirely happy with it, but the good thing is my bf (who knows more about MBTI than I do) said I'm hard to type. 

The ENTJ stereotypes of a ruthless ladder climber I can somewhat identify myself with, as I _like_ working. When work sucks, I get depressed and because I'm an intuitive, I often see where things are lacking quite easily only I don't always have the means to change it, as I'm not senior enough and just boxed in at a large company. The ENTJ stereotype "What is hell for the ENTJ? People running around doing things the wrong way, and they're in charge." That applies to me. 

Where I differ from the stereotype is probably when it comes to my interests. I love comedy, the theatre and trying to decipher song lyrics. Mostly thanks to 5-6 yrs I spent with an ISFP ex.

Why I'm interested in MBTI is because it gives me a better understanding of my strengths and weaknesses. Being a Te dom is both exhausting as well as very rewarding. I need to get a better grip on using my functions where and when needed.


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## FueledByEvil (Aug 6, 2015)

I am comfy with my type so long as it doesn't steal all 
the blankets in bed.


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## xwsmithx (Jan 17, 2017)

I'm very comfortable that I am in fact the type that the MBTI says I am. What I have noticed about the MBTI is that some people, those who fall more closely towards the middle of the various scales, find that it isn't very accurate, vague, etc., while those who fall more definitively towards the ends of the scales find the MBTI surprisingly accurate. So, for example, if you're more of an ambivert rather than primarily an extrovert or introvert, you're not going to find those particular descriptions very accurate where you are concerned. Similarly with the other scales. If you fall more towards the middle (and most people find the J/P scale confusing), you're just not going to identify as much with any one type and will see aspects of yourself in some or all of them. But if you're pretty decisively one or the other, then the descriptions will seem pretty spot on for your own type and not very close for other types. It can help if once you have looked at the type you are supposed to be if you then read the exact opposite type and see how much you relate to that one. If you can still see aspects of yourself in someone who should be the exact opposite from you, then you probably fall pretty close to the middle of the spectrum.

I don't find the cognitive functions useful at all. Research on the validity of the MBTI has been mixed, but there's no support for the validity of the functions, so I suggest you ignore those.

I wasn't really interested in the MBTI until after I had taken the test and found the description of INTJ so accurate in my case. It was a revelation to me that I wasn't the only person in the world _like me_, because I was definitely the only person in my school like me. Now I have taken many other personality tests, some interesting, some not so much, but none have come quite as close to describing me nearly as accurately as the MBTI.

Well, I was going to suggest this test as being the next most accurate, but it's based on the MBTI, so there you go.


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## Xool Xecutioner (Jul 8, 2018)

I am, but that's because other types don't fit and accurately reflect me as well. I was typed as an INTJ initially on a test that utilized letters, while cerebral and thinker came to me like nails to magnet, I didn't find the description to be honest to me. I tried to be honest later on and got typed as ISTP on 16personalities, and it fitted me a bit too well. I was in a dilemma of whether I was INTJ (the mastermind stereotype was too good to lose) or ISTP for a short while, but after careful introspections and readings, I declared ISTP not because of my libertarian attitude or laziness, but because of my grounded on reality and the objective state of what's going on (in dichotomy language). Since then, I considered myself ISTP and with knowing cognitive functions (and Enneagram to an extent) for nuances, I can say with confidence that I am ISTP.


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## Shrodingers drink (Nov 30, 2018)

I’m a fan of both MBTI/Cognitive functions and enneagram. For me both my own type and others is pretty obvious, just as MBTI testing methodology is obviously flawed. That doesn’t mean the underlying theory is wrong, just that people making tests have blind spots and are destined to exhibit bias. As an ENTP my mind is constantly generating alternative possibilities via Ne, while its obvious other people struggle with considering alternative. So learning about MBTI helps enormously with understanding other people, appreciate the value, and forgive their annoying differences.


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## superloco3000 (Dec 15, 2017)

I believe that we are incomplete beings waiting for the next step in evolution, when we have the intelligent ones borrowing ( school degress) and working for those who parasitize the system is no longer a good sign.


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## Handsome Dyke (Oct 4, 2012)

There seems to be something kind of backward about this question that I can't quite put my finger on. I'm comfortable with who I am, and since type reflects that (to some extent), and I'm typed correctly, then how could I _not_ be comfortable with my type?


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## Notus Asphodelus (Jan 20, 2015)

Yes, I'm comfortable with my type. I used to think I was ISTP, but no.. that wasn't it.


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## Pretender (Apr 27, 2016)

TGW said:


> I feel like I can relate to almost all of them and I have no clue which I am.


You're probably INFP then.


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## Necrofantasia (Feb 26, 2014)

No.

But I doubt I'd be comfortable with any type.


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## TGW (May 4, 2012)

Saiyed En Sabah Nur said:


> There seems to be something kind of backward about this question that I can't quite put my finger on. I'm comfortable with who I am, and since type reflects that (to some extent), and I'm typed correctly, then how could I _not_ be comfortable with my type?


That's not exactly what I meant. I should have been more clear. I should have said something along the lines of "Are you certain of your type?".


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## Vesh (Mar 28, 2020)

I'm comfortable with the xNTP part of it. The extroversion part is odd because I do enjoy spending a lot of time alone, but if I think of it as having my gaze primarily focused outwards, as opposed to inwards then it makes sense. I spend more time taking in information than I do actively digesting it and using it. I also find my mind tends to get unpleasantly still and dull if I go too long without re-energizing myself with social interactions. I was a social recluse when younger and was also massively depressed and I'm pretty sure the two were related. My depression finally lifted and went away when I began making more friends and interacting with people on a daily basis.

The cognitive functions mostly make sense to me. I don't fully get Si but I do see how the Ne-Ti-Fe works in me. My thinking process is definitely primarily based around generating ideas quickly and sifting through them equally quickly, like I'm playing with a constant stream of ideas till I find one which doesn't crumble easily. I'm not particularly sensitive myself and don't get hurt or offended easily but I care about social harmony so I adapt to the atmosphere around me. I'm far more attuned to other people's feelings than I am mine. I occasionally forget to care though because I can get too caught up in enjoying myself to remember to tread carefully. My sense of humour especially can vary wildly depending on circumstances, from extremely crude and mildly risky to tame wordplay. That seems to fit tertiary Fe.

I see myself using Ni, Te, and Se as well but I think they're less part of my regular thinking process and more tools I use intermittently. Like if I suddenly find myself in a position at work where I have to supervise/manage others, I have no real trouble with it, but I don't have a take-charge personality. Anyway, I'm not a purist though and I don't think everyone fits the mold that well. I have a close friend I think is probably ESFJ but she loves knowledge and learning and she can be extremely ENTP-like sometimes. I don't think she'd be impressed with how the MBTI describes her, haha.

It does mean something to me. It's helped me understand my needs for frequent social interaction and constant intellectual novelty. My family is very introverted, and it feels good having my extroversion recognized as a normal trait as opposed to an obnoxious characteristic of mine which I should suppress. I also feel less defective now for jumping from interest to interest. And I've learned to recognize how other people's emotional needs differ from mine. I used to feel disturbed by my lack of sensitivity, like I was a terrible person for enjoying to playfully tease others, and at the same time I would get frustrated with other people for being emotionally fragile. Now I just acknowledge their minds are organized differently from mine and move on. I take people for who they are instead of taking them for who I want them to be.


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## TGW (May 4, 2012)

Vesh said:


> I'm comfortable with the xNTP part of it. The extroversion part is odd because I do enjoy spending a lot of time alone, but if I think of it as having my gaze primarily focused outwards, as opposed to inwards then it makes sense. I spend more time taking in information than I do actively digesting it and using it. I also find my mind tends to get unpleasantly still and dull if I go too long without re-energizing myself with social interactions. I was a social recluse when younger and was also massively depressed and I'm pretty sure the two were related. My depression finally lifted and went away when I began making more friends and interacting with people on a daily basis.
> 
> The cognitive functions mostly make sense to me. I don't fully get Si but I do see how the Ne-Ti-Fe works in me. My thinking process is definitely primarily based around generating ideas quickly and sifting through them equally quickly, like I'm playing with a constant stream of ideas till I find one which doesn't crumble easily. I'm not particularly sensitive myself and don't get hurt or offended easily but I care about social harmony so I adapt to the atmosphere around me. I'm far more attuned to other people's feelings than I am mine. I occasionally forget to care though because I can get too caught up in enjoying myself to remember to tread carefully. My sense of humour especially can vary wildly depending on circumstances, from extremely crude and mildly risky to tame wordplay. That seems to fit tertiary Fe.
> 
> ...


I can relate to almost everything you said to a crazy extent. And I also used to think of myself as INTP and then ENTP seemed a better fit for similar reasons. This is why I see something in typology. It's an imperfect system, but it is honing in on patterns in significant ways. Lately though, I've been even questioning the N/S and the T/F within myself.


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## Vesh (Mar 28, 2020)

TGW said:


> I can relate to almost everything you said to a crazy extent. And I also used to think of myself as INTP and then ENTP seemed a better fit for similar reasons. This is why I see something in typology. It's an imperfect system, but it is honing in on patterns in significant ways. Lately though, I've been even questioning the N/S and the T/F within myself.


It sounds like your Ne might be driving this self-doubt, like you're seeing all the possibilities and Ti isn't doing a sufficient job of filtering out the most correct option. It might help to think of it as a sliding scale, not rigid dichotomies. Everyone has intuition and sensing within themselves, but most likely there's one you use more. Same with feeling/thinking. And think of your MBTI label as descriptive, not prescriptive, based on best fit, not locking you into one pattern of behaviour.

Honestly I doubt my intuition sometimes too. Which is absurd because I have such a fascination with ideas, a propensity to disregard details, and a downright problematic tendency to get lost in my head but sometimes even I need to take a break from that and to just chat about the details of my day. We're all complete humans.


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## merlothenry (Apr 11, 2020)

For a while, I thought I was certain I was an INFJ because I decided based off the feelings of others. For the last 6 years, I was under the impression as an INFJ.

After learning and reviewing on the cognitive function, I realized that Te doesn’t mean it doesn’t care about the public. It’s the exact opposite; Fe and Te cares about different things. Fe cares about how to make everyone feel included. Te is about how to make something work for everyone. 
Once I understood this, I knew I was an INTJ.


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## xrypto (Jul 2, 2013)

I think there are both large groups of people who put too much stock in it as well as the group that naively thinks there's no substance to it. Since I went on this journey of self discovery I have time and again taken these bogus only quizzes without actually taking a look at functions and descriptions of the types themselves and just accepting the result of the quiz. I was confident that I was INTP for years because of this. However I now know I am ISTP. 

Bear with me. I know this is a bit rambly.

What I'm trying to get at here is that the theory has merit. But it requires a decent amount of self reflection and knowledge. And I think the lack of those two things is where both groups of people I described go wrong.


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## xrypto (Jul 2, 2013)

And to answer the original question. Hell yeah I'm comfortable with my typing. It took years to actually get to it properly. But yes I'm comfortable with it. And of course I see myself in the other types as well. But the thinking that you can't do that is another misunderstanding of the mbti itself as well.


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## BroNerd (Nov 27, 2010)

I have a fairly high level of comfort in my type (ENTP) - but a lot of days, I feel withdrawn and undesiring of interacting with the world which makes me feel more INTP than ENTP. Besides that, all good!


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