# Any niche personality theories with a dedicated following?



## dandelion breeze (8 mo ago)

I feel like I've sucked everything I can out of mbti/jungian & enneagram, and now I'm hungry for another typology system.

I know it's a long shot but does anyone know of any other systems with unique definitions that allows one to do a lot of deepdiving and research, in the interests of knowing oneself and understanding the world better?

is astrology any good? I have a baseline understanding of astrology but not believing in it is really getting in the way of taking it seriously. actually it's more the inconsistencies that really bother me with astrology, like anything = anything

I've looked into attitudinal psyche but there doesn't seem to be much of a dedicated following, you just find out your type and move on, there's nothing deeper to explore is there?

the 4 temperaments doesn't seem to be giving off much in the way of deep theory either

sloan also seems like 'find your type and forget it'

i'm hungry i want something more juicy

any idea where next to look?

i guess i'm looking for a deeper experience, a way to deepen my awareness beyond what i know and understand right now.


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## cyber-bully (6 mo ago)

What about socionics? Some people say it's complex


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## bifurcations (Jan 31, 2021)

You could study general psychology. Reading the DSM is pretty interesting.


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## nilly (5 mo ago)

cyber-bully said:


> What about socionics? Some people say it's complex


Oh my god is it ever, my bf is into socionics and even he doesn’t understand half the shit those nerds come up with. From what little I’ve read it seems like an incredibly useful and robust, albeit nauseatingly layered. I’m curious but have a hard time accessing it.


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## dandelion breeze (8 mo ago)

bifurcations said:


> You could study general psychology. Reading the DSM is pretty interesting.


Ive done many a deep dive into all the personality disorders and things, indeed it was interesting but I know it all inside out now 



nilly said:


> Oh my god is it ever, my bf is into socionics and even he doesn’t understand half the shit those nerds come up with. From what little I’ve read it seems like an incredibly useful and robust, albeit nauseatingly layered. I’m curious but have a hard time accessing it.


Sounds like something I can really sink my teeth into! Thanks!

I will probs hold off on socionics for a bit, my brain needs a break from these 4 bloody letters.


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## nilly (5 mo ago)

dandelion breeze said:


> Ive done many a deep dive into all the personality disorders and things, indeed it was interesting but I know it all inside out now
> 
> 
> 
> ...


lmao yeah, socionics uses the same typology letters BUT switches the 4th letter out because it represents a different cognitive function, or information element (not sure lol, I literally had to look some stuff up for this reply). So for example I would be an infj instead of an infp. I prefer to use the 3 lettered notation, so I’m EII, *E*thical, *I*ntuitive, *I*ntrotim.

Anyway yeah check it out, no idea where to find more accessible resources, maybe go on our socionics threads. Also its much more foundationally Jungian according to my bf, if you’re into that sort of thing.


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## bifurcations (Jan 31, 2021)

I've always wanted to get into astrology, with the charts and all that, but I've always been more drawn to Chinese astrology (year of the boar, etc.).


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## Stormlily (6 mo ago)

I think that personality devleopment and the levels of self awareness (it's still based on Jung) is more interesting than mbti, but you may already have looked in to that.

My father-in-law is really into astrology. Doing my chart and reading about what I was supposed to be like was so disappointing. I just couldn't relate to my overall sign or the ascendant, which was supposed to be so strong. It described a stranger. Still, it could be used as a tool for understanding. Everyone has every cognitive function available for use, right? So you could use mbti to explore all of the cognitive functions to enhance your understanding of self and of others. I think that is where the value in astrology really lies. It has it's chart and stuff, but you sometimes have to dig really deep for it to apply. That process of trying to interpret and see how it fits provides insight. Sometimes it's easy, sometimes it requires more work. Eventually, you'll get something out of it. I just think it's a really inefficient method. If you were to take the cognitive functions, your preferences and a whole bunch of little wisdom nuggets and a load of nonspecific predictions, scatter them across the sky, and then pick and choose in a partially random manner, that would be astrology. It can provide years of interesting exploration because it's so darn disorganized. I'm fully aware of how others have a different experience with it, that is just my opinionated take. Perhaps instead of doing your chart the right way, you could make one up that actually corresponds to you better and see what happens. You might even gain a second birthday!

I was into this thing for a bit called Dressing Your Truth. It's kind of embarassing to admit to it. It is marketed to middle-aged women and it thoroughly bugged me that this person wanted to tell people what they should wear based on how they appear to others - ugh. It was off-putting, but I got sucked in regardless. I thought it was interesting because it was connecting fashion and color theory to personality and physical/mental energy. And she does get some of it wrong, but a lot of it actually seems to work. Of course, they want you to pay for stuff that's free elsewhere. If you don't mind dealing with the B.S. and are into fashion, it might be a fun rabbit hole. It certainly has a following and it does have a personality theory based on four elements with a primary identifier and secondary modifier. I got more from it by seeing how it's related to cultural assumptions and how it lends itself to people-watching. So many times I've seen certain personality types choosing certain clothing or furnishing types. It's also really common to see this in work environments. I'm really into how surroundings affect and reflect people. So, yeah, it's pretty niche. 

Hope you can have some fun!

I think socionics sounds interesting. Glad you made the post.


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## cyber-bully (6 mo ago)

nilly said:


> Oh my god is it ever, my bf is into socionics and even he doesn’t understand half the shit those nerds come up with. From what little I’ve read it seems like an incredibly useful and robust, albeit nauseatingly layered. I’m curious but have a hard time accessing it.


Don't mind me I'll be sperging my favorite sites


Socionics
I use this one just to read about the types, quadras and when you get results it explains some things by clicking on them
Has a good comparison tab too

There's also some cool fanart if you look up the quadras and 3 letter types, coded by names too such as maxim, Esenin etc


Encyclopedia Socionika | socionics.world I like this site too


Socionics Type Profiles by Beskova - Wikisocion I don’t think these are as accurate but still fun to read


It has substance
The socionics descriptions are fundamentally different from the mbti imo
And you get to have all the functions not just 4

Lmfao yeah its impossible to know the entire theory
Socionics theorists enjoy frying their brains


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## cyber-bully (6 mo ago)

Such as:


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## dandelion breeze (8 mo ago)

Stormlily said:


> That process of trying to interpret and see how it fits provides insight. Sometimes it's easy, sometimes it requires more work. Eventually, you'll get something out of it.


Yep that was how I saw astrology when I first looked it up. The value was in trying to fit things can provide doorways into further insight, which is great, but the disorganization is very irritating.

How do you cope with the inconsistencies from website to website? The definitions for each sign and planet and house and so on can be so inconsistent....



Stormlily said:


> I just think it's a really inefficient method. If you were to take the cognitive functions, your preferences and a whole bunch of little wisdom nuggets and a load of nonspecific predictions, scatter them across the sky, and then pick and choose in a partially random manner, that would be astrology. It can provide years of interesting exploration because it's so darn disorganized.


Very well put.



Stormlily said:


> Dressing Your Truth


Thanks. Might pass on it thought. I like fashion but my own fashion, I don't like people telling me how to dress or what skintone would suit me... I KNOW what looks good on me, I'm very very attuned and aware of that, and I believe I have the best fashion sense for my own skin etc lol. I don't think I could stand someone stomping on my Fi and telling me what they think is best for me.


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## Stormlily (6 mo ago)

> How do you cope with the inconsistencies from website to website? The definitions for each sign and planet and house and so on can be so inconsistent....


Generally, I just look for the best four or five sources I can find, ideally with differing views. Then I see where they get their information, if possible, and look into that. It's a good method for trying to figure out less complicated subjects.

However, when a subject is complex or subjective, it will be full of interpretation variance. Astrology falls into that category easily. It's been around a long time across many cultures and has multiple influences as well as multiple uses, much like a religious text (in fact, it probably predates religion, at least as we know it). I'm sure that some people have been able to tease out categories of influence and historical and cultural contexts and evaluate it's separate constituents. However, interpretation will vary, especially when also trying to apply the stuff to current conditions and individual situations. Symbols and interests change. Some people want to update it, others want to preserve the past. If you're into it, just choose a popular one whose interpretations you like the most. That's probably the best you can do. It's also why I'm not into it. I guess I don't really cope with it. 😆


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## ignoregasm (9 mo ago)

Jeffrey Epstein didn't kill himself


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## nilly (5 mo ago)

ignoregasm said:


> Jeffrey Epstein didn't kill himself


okay that’s great and all but what’s your take on socionics vs mbti huh. Personally I like them both for different reasons but I think socionics is more robust.


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## ignoregasm (9 mo ago)

nilly said:


> okay that’s great and all but what’s your take on socionics vs mbti huh. Personally I like them both for different reasons but I think socionics is more robust.


I don't have an opinion on boring matters by condescending people


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## nilly (5 mo ago)

ignoregasm said:


> I don't have an opinion on boring matters by condescending people


uh huh okay I see, what do you like to talk about then. I’m curious cause like, this IS the place for condescending people to talk about boring matters. Give me something you don’t think is so boring,


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