Are MBTI types genetically inherited? | INFJ Forum

Are MBTI types genetically inherited?

soulseeker

soulseeker

Permanent Fixture
Dec 19, 2008
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do we inherit our MBTI types from our parents or relatives ?
or do we become what our MBTI type is from our experiences?
do we have it as a child?
 
I'm not sure about this. My mum is ISTJ and my dad ESTJ. In fact all of the members of my immediate family are Ts and very solid and have little patience for my emotional outlook on the world. I have been called a drama queen a lot through the years as a result and I am more thoughtful than all of them which causes a lot of conflict (me thinking they should be the same mainly). To summarise, I think if it was inherited I would probably have been a T and it would have all been a bit easier! And in childhood, I was introverted with all but my family and was a dreamer. So I reckon its been developing since then.
 
even though i can pretty much say ive been and INFj from my childhood up......id say its from experience.

although it DOEs make me think WHY the heck DID i care so much about the problems in the world as a kid?

i constanly cried and stressed over people i never knew or heard of?

i dunno. i think i FELt them in some way.

so i thikn as me being an INFJ i ....idk....my heart just went out to those that needed it i guess.
my bad...i dont even think i answered your question. i think i just talked about me:m027:

haha
 
I doubt it. Both my parents were ISTJs, my grandparents were ISFJ and ESTJ, and my brother is an ESFP. How in the world I grew up to be an INTP I don't know.

Still, it seems reasonable to assume MBTI is affected by how your brain wires, and that is affected by genetic factors, so there is probably at least some genetic factors at work.
 
I would say we're all unique individuals, so MBTI could come from any number of factors. Sometimes it's environment but it doesn't have to be - twins aren't necessarily the same personality type, even though every other detail is the same.

Personally, I think we're born with type. How we use it, however, might depend on our environment and familial relationships.
 
I think it's a clear combo...

I literally see how my sister and I are a nice medium mix of our parents. My mom and dad are completely opposite in every spectrum except for their introversion. For that, I thank my parents for getting married and having us because we've ended up very balanced individuals, and being balanced is key in life.

But of course, there are many things (as expressed by my "N") that are not explained by both of my parents. There is a strong individuality that makes me different from my family too.
 
arbygil said:
I would say we're all unique individuals, so MBTI could come from any number of factors. Sometimes it's environment but it doesn't have to be - twins aren't necessarily the same personality type, even though every other detail is the same.

Personally, I think we're born with type. How we use it, however, might depend on our environment and familial relationships.
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Ooh good note there...my sister and I are twins. We are similar in MANY ways. But are different in MANY ways too. :p
 
Personality is influenced to some degree by genetics. However, your environment develops it much more then genetic predisposition. My mom is an INFJ and we are nearly identical. I have always trusted her and loved her for as long back as I can remember. I have always been an INFJ and because she is one as well, we just resonate, and there is this mutual understanding. My dad is an ESTJ and I do not get along with him very well at all. My parents divorced when I was 4 years old, and I went back and forth between each of them. I think the fact that my dad didn't treat me in a way I would respond well to reinforced me being an INFJ more then anything.

So I think people are born with several different potentials for personality. The subsequent environment will then direct which direction things will go in.
 
I think mostly it's random, I see a lot of examples of mismatched personalities in families.

As far as nature vs nuture I think that MBTI for me, is about finding your true self, digging underneath all that environmental/external influence and finding who you truly are at your core.
 
I don't think it's inherited.

My mum is an ESTJ, and my father is an ENTJ. My brother I don't know about, but I have a feeling he's probably and INTP.

So, i'm completely on my own :m142:
 
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Nausus said:
I don't think it's inherited.

My mum is an ESTJ, and my father is an ENTJ. My brother I don't know about, but I have a feeling he's probably and INTP.

So, i'm completely on my own :m142:
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Whoa, you have 2 intuitives in the family, that's huge. Trust me, the difference from NT to NF is not nearly as huge from any intuitive to any sensor.

Try growing up with ISTJs for parents, ESTJ/ISFJ for grandparents, and ESFP for a brother...all they want to talk about is what kind of beer to buy, which person died recently, and other such super mundane things...as soon as you mention anything that requires abstract thought (philosophy, politics, etc) all hell breaks loose.

I'm a little envious tbh.
 
Duty said:
Whoa, you have 2 intuitives in the family, that's huge. Trust me, the difference from NT to NF is not nearly as huge from any intuitive to any sensor.

Try growing up with ISTJs for parents, ESTJ/ISFJ for grandparents, and ESFP for a brother...all they want to talk about is what kind of beer to buy, which person died recently, and other such super mundane things...as soon as you mention anything that requires abstract thought (philosophy, politics, etc) all hell breaks loose.

I'm a little envious tbh.
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Wow.. well, I didn't really grow up with my father, so it's just my brother and me.

But, fancy swapping? :p
 
Nausus said:
Wow.. well, I didn't really grow up with my father, so it's just my brother and me.

But, fancy swapping? :p
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Considering I'm 23 years old now, and live nearly 3000 miles away from my family, it wouldn't matter to me now. :p
 
i am INFJ, my husband is ISTJ. my 3yo son is very ESXJ in the sense that he needs things organized, he recognizes when things are out of place, he is very out going and wide open... the difference between his T and F will, i think, be decided by which one of us influences him the most. i am very emotional with my children and i think there is a very real chance of him being more feeling (though still rational). my 9yo daughter is VERY VERY ENXP. natural born leader. i will be surprised if she strays far from that.

i can tell you, from my experience as a mother, some of this is from birth or early infancy influence... hereditary or not, its there from a young age.
 
I don't think I inherited mine. No one in my family is like me, not my parents and not my siblings.
 
My guess is that it is genetic, but it can probably skip generations and whatnot, so just there is no guarantee you will be like your parents.
 
i ABSOLUTELY believe that they are!

case in point:

me: INFJ
mother: ISFJ
father: ENFP
brother: ENFP

crazy, huh?:m105:
 
No, my parents are ESXX, we have so much friction/different views is crazy...we are so differnet they tell me things like I must have been switched when I was in the hospital.
 
I don't think so. It can be affected clearly by the environment you're in, but your personality is developed through how you perceive the world.

Certainly, it could be probable and I'd love to see data that supports this.
 
yumiii said:
I don't think so. It can be affected clearly by the environment you're in, but your personality is developed through how you perceive the world.

Certainly, it could be probable and I'd love to see data that supports this.
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this is the whole nurture vs nature argument, I believe that it might have some influence but environmental factors clearly have much more of an influence, at least that's what I think.
 
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