# A summarized explanation to MBTI speculators



## OmarFW (Apr 8, 2010)

Here are some key things I should point out to you.

1. *MBTI uses stereotypes for convenience but it is not limited to them*. It is a theory not a science, therefore you can come up with your own theories about it and as far as anyone knows you could be correct. It is widdled down so the average person can understand it easily but that doesn't mean it is as simple as it makes itself out to be. There are many aspects about it that are not even mentioned in many of the mainstream MBTI articles and type descriptions. That is where sites like this come into play. Many people here are new to the MBTI and rely on stereotypes to understand it still.

2. *It is built upon jungian function analysis which does have a lot of credibility and is not based off of stereotyping or labeling.* MBTI articles tell you barely anything about it though because it is not something people can just learn very easily. So it relies on assumptions. Those assumptions may not fit every person, but for the majority of the population they do.

3. *Just because you test as a certain type, doesn't mean you are stuck with the typical behaviors and thought process of that type.* You're right, introverts can learn to be extraverted, but that doesn't mean they will become extraverts. You chose to be a certain way personality wise since you were very little whether you knew it or not and you cannot just suddenly choose to be different. You can learn how to be different over time, but you cannot change who you are at your core just through sheer willpower alone.

4. *MBTI does not cover every aspect of someones personality.* It tries to say it does, but it doesn't. There is no system that can document someone accurately 100%. you can utilize many different systems at once to get the most accurate placement of yourself. You may believe that people are not simple enough to put into 1 of 16 different categories and you're right. But it's not a matter of being simple or complex. Even if you took every test you could find and got a whole list of different systems labels and verified them to be true, you would have only measured about 80% of who you are. You cannot measure a person entirely, but you can at least get a rough understanding of them. For some people, that is enough.

5. *Some people cannot be placed with the MBTI* because they are too balanced on their cognitive function usage. MBTI measures weaknesses not strengths, if you have no obvious weaknesses then the system will not be able to tell what your strengths are. The system only works because almost everybody has a weakness, but not everybody.

6. *MBTI is not 100% accurate but there are many points in which MBTI is very much valid* and there are some very obvious correlations between certain behaviors. MBTI does not tell you who you are, it is just putting a label to what already exists. Without a system explaining the differences between people, at least roughly, it is very easy for someone to view someone different than themselves as broken or abnormal. MBTI may not be totally accurate but it is definitely very good at broadening a persons understanding of just how variable people can be. The test is not accurate because it measures behavior instead of motivation and cognition. Especially the online ones (which btw are not the REAL test).

Many people would say "why bother finding out? it doesn't matter." but it does matter to many people. Some people, like myself, want to understand people down to the most insignificant details because it fascinates us. Some of us want to find out why we don't fit in with society. Some of us want to find out just what goes on in the heads of the people important to us.

With all that being said, my goal is not to change your mind about the MBTI. I think it is just as flawed as you do, but I do still use it as sort of a shortcut.

If somebody tells me they typed as an INFP for example, I am not going to just assume that they spend their time alone or that they are constantly sad or that they are quiet. Those INFP stereotypes are based on EXTREME examples of potential INFP behavior. BUT I would definitely try to verify what they are starting with INFP first since they tested as that. I would verify it either with questioning or with cognitive function analysis. they could turn out to be something different entirely or they could end up being an INFP. There are also in between categories. If an NFP for example prefers introverting and extraverting equally, they would be referred to as an XNFP. This doesn't just apply to just I and E either.

It's also a stereotype that INFP's avoid conflict. but I have met INFP's who love to debate and argue simply for the thrill of debating. Does that mean they aren't INFP's? No it doesn't. Later on I learned that this difference has nothing to do with the MBTI but with difference in enneagram type.

In order to get a detailed reading on who I am personally, you would need to know:

1. My MBTI type and percentages
2. My actual cognitive function usage ability
3. My enneagram type
4. My enneagram wing
4. My enneagram tri-type
5. My instinctual variants
6. My AQ
7. What personality disorders I have

And that's only considering a few different systems out of how many there are and not taking into account my life experiences that separate me from everyone else.

So as you can see, there are more variables than just MBTI placement etc. When you add them all up, you get a very complex result that is not just 1 out of 16 types, but 1 out of THOUSANDS of types. It is possible for me to find someone almost entirely like myself, but they will still differ from me in some way.


----------



## Psilo (Apr 29, 2009)

My pet peeve: The system is not invalid because the tests are. The tests should not be looked at as more than a dowsing rod to give you a starting point. Too many people rely on the tests, and too many people put the system down because of the unreliability. The fact is that tests measure behavior when the system is meant to measure cognition. There's not a way to design a perfect test. Generally, they use extreme stereotypes and the questions lack any true context or any delving into the very important question 'why' a person does what they answer.


----------



## Raichan (Jul 15, 2010)

thanks for this =)


----------

