# Do personality types objectify people?



## Xena2 (May 28, 2014)

Absolutely. But I think, as humans, we have a tendency to objectify people, so objectifying people into personality types (guy is the life of the party must be as ESFP, or (without personality types) single black man in 30's with less than a HS education- was in the same neighborhood as a killing-must be the killer.) is just proof of that. We tend to assume things about people by how they dress or talk. (For example: All bearded men with dark skin tones who wears a Muslim cap might be a terrorist.)Even if there wasn't personality typology -MBTI, engrams, etc.. we would still objectify people.


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## Octavarium (Nov 27, 2012)

I suppose it could be used that way, but I think it's basically human nature to put people into categories and then apply labels and stereotypes to them, so if people are going to do that, it's better to use personality types, where the categories tell you something true and useful about them even if any particular individual doesn't fit everything about their type, rather than using race/gender/sexual orientation/wealth or lack of it/disability where applicable, ETC. where people's assumptions about those groups are far less likely to be accurate.


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## Elistra (Apr 6, 2013)

To me, it's really no more objectifying to say that someone is an ENTP, an ISFP (or whatever) than it is to say that someone has green eyes, blue eyes, brown hair, or blond hair. It's just another data point about them to mentally file away.


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## SoulScream (Sep 17, 2012)

The labels themselves don't objectify anything. It is how they are used that leads to it. People like to do that no matter if it is about personality type or something else.


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## SweetPickles (Mar 19, 2012)

On the forums absolutely! Outside here I may think about what another person may be but I wouldn't make a judgement about that person. For example if I met a type that was considered to be incompatible with me by MBTI standards, I wouldn't let that stop me from becoming friends. You can learn a lot by meeting others different from yourself, even if it turns out to be a bad experience. I see this forum as fun but don't use it as an exact science when interacting with other people.


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## starscream430 (Jan 14, 2014)

I do believe that personality types could objectify people if they interpret it as a concrete, scientific summation of a person. The Myers Briggs exam seeks to be some order to the chaos that is personality, but there is wiggle-room in regards to personality due to the fact that psychology is not an exact science a la physics. 


Sincerely,
A musical, religious, reasonably optimistic, INTJ public relations major / writer :happy:


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## magnisarara (Feb 28, 2013)

sometimes i think that. It's easy to blame anything you don't like about someone on their personality type. it should be used as a guide.


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## Magnus von Grapple (May 8, 2014)

I see them as guidelines, suggestions as to how people _might_ be. Placing too much faith in typification might lend to confirmation bias.


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## Fluff (Jun 1, 2014)

I could write you a paper on my opinions about this..
It really all boils down to this though. 

People objectify people, nothing else is at fault for this, we use things to do so but if those things didn't exist we would find a new way to do it. Nothing is to blame here other than ourselves.


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