Over Thinking MBTI Questions

[jimtaylor]

This is kind of a two part post since I went on a tangent.

Does anybody else over think the hell out of the questions? I try to limit myself to 30 seconds or less per question to avoid this but that is still enough time to think of 3 or 4 possible scenarios that the question might apply too and depending on the situation I could respond drastically different resulting in it being a lot like me or a little like me. A perfect example is this question:

Do you compassionately take on someone else's needs as your own?

Who is the someone else? Friend, family, lover or some random homeless person on the street? I don’t claim to be altruistic. I don’t lay awake at night thinking about the plight of homeless people in the world. When I see it, I feel bad and do something about it but my more immediate concerns are the people I care about. I have a limited amount of resources, energy and time so I dedicate myself to causes where I can make the greatest impact. That normally revolves around family and friends.

Do I feel guilty that I don’t do more with charities and am not out saving the world? To be honest, yes. I feel more than a bit selfish at times so can I honestly say that I take on someone else’s needs as my own? No. I’m selective about this because I know my limits and I know how much I can or cannot handle. I am in no way afraid of responsibility but I am not going to bite off more than I can chew. I would rather under-sell and over-deliver than over-sell and under-deliver. I am not going to commit to something I cannot or will not complete

I’m not the most outwardly sensitive or compassionate guy in the world. I will listen to people complain about things but in my mind I will be thinking about all the easy ways to completely fix their issue. I don’t share it and mostly nod my head and try to show compassion but it’s a struggle to not want to just go “fix it” and get it done with. Sitting around complaining about stuff isn’t going to make it better. Let’s do something about it.

My girlfriend and siblings gave me a nickname the other day. I’m the dad-brother. I’m their brother but I’m also like a dad. I have high expectations but I’m also patient. If someone messes up, I’m not going to sit there and yell at them to shame them. I’m going to tell them it’s not the end of the world, they will learn from it and start getting them to think how to fix it. They screwed up, no reason to get all pissed about it. It’s a learning opportunity, time to teach so they don’t do it again. I will only get pissed if I have to repeat myself.

Anyway, point proven. This question is so very convoluted and most of them are like this. To my family, I am very compassionate and have been a rock in tumultuous times. Am I the best guy to reach out to for a shoulder to cry on? Nope. But, I will make sure you have a hot bath, the best box of tissue paper, a great tear jerker movie and amazing home cooked comfort food to make you comfortable in your misery. You can be certain the world will not collapse or fall apart while you do. I will take on all your responsibilities and give you time to mourn but I will more than likely be quiet because I never know the right thing to say. This is because I have never been and my never be comfortable with my own sometimes intense emotions. I am not good at sharing my emotions, so how could I be good at advising people on what they feel?

 

[thirdhalf]

I quit taking those tests because they are easy to swing in any direction you want. The trickier ones try and test two different items in the same question, ie do you have a preference for Fe or Se instead of a Fe yes/no question and the question you gave as an example looks like one of those trickier questions.

In general though, the first instant answer (gut reaction) is probably the more accurate of any answers.

 

[charlatan]

One of the main problems with the MBTI test, despite its otherwise having fairly high amounts of research in support, is that they don't tend to present it as having the option of simply not having a preference. In the earlier days, Isabel Myers allowed omissions on test items, and generally had a sense of middle road preferences being something you shouldn't exclude the possibility of.

The MBTI is tapping into personality dimensions similar to those studied by the Big 5 model, and these come out normally distributed, meaning there is a large middle group. And despite Jung's bias being that the introversion-extraversion dichotomy is the most important, he himself said there are many people with more or less no preference.

Generally people who are overthinking the questions are people for whom the answer will always be conditional, and for whom the test isn't going to really sort them period. There are plenty of people out there who really don't need to think, they just know the answer, because they have a strong enough preference.

While the test makers seem to try to present the test as dichotomies, where you're only gathering clarity of preference not strength, that more or less presumes the hypothesis that you must be one side or another --this or that, and that your degree of preference really doesn't matter. This really isn't supported by how much of academic psychology sees personality, and I think on a basic intuitive level it makes little sense too. So I repeat, the MBTI is a pretty good test with a lot of validation, only its purpose/capabilities don't seem to be stated the best by the MBTI foundation.


I would say the same applies to the functions-theoretic approaches: their makers often misstate what these approaches can and cannot do. They are good for conceptualizing some key things. But they are often too abstract to get you to really dive into other aspects of yourself that still need addressing, and sometimes their generality leads to people thinking they can apply them to anything.

 

[jimtaylor]

I quit taking those tests because they are easy to swing in any direction you want. The trickier ones try and test two different items in the same question, ie do you have a preference for Fe or Se instead of a Fe yes/no question and the question you gave as an example looks like one of those trickier questions.

In general though, the first instant answer (gut reaction) is probably the more accurate of any answers.

This wasn't yes or no. I converted it to that but it was a scale type question. More Like Me Vs Less Like Me

 

[Elis]

This is kind of a two part post since I went on a tangent.

Does anybody else over think the hell out of the questions? I try to limit myself to 30 seconds or less per question to avoid this but that is still enough time to think of 3 or 4 possible scenarios that the question might apply too and depending on the situation I could respond drastically different resulting in it being a lot like me or a little like me. A perfect example is this question:

Do you compassionately take on someone else's needs as your own?

I personally think of these kind of questions in a more general sense - i.e. others needs in general, but I think the bigger problem doesn't come down to overthinking but rather that we inherently interpret things differently.

 

[jimtaylor]

One of the main problems with the MBTI test, despite its otherwise having fairly high amounts of research in support, is that they don't tend to present it as having the option of simply not having a preference. In the earlier days, Isabel Myers allowed omissions on test items, and generally had a sense of middle road preferences being something you shouldn't exclude the possibility of.

The MBTI is tapping into personality dimensions similar to those studied by the Big 5 model, and these come out normally distributed, meaning there is a large middle group. And despite Jung's bias being that the introversion-extraversion dichotomy is the most important, he himself said there are many people with more or less no preference.

Generally people who are overthinking the questions are people for whom the answer will always be conditional, and for whom the test isn't going to really sort them period. There are plenty of people out there who really don't need to think, they just know the answer, because they have a strong enough preference.

While the test makers seem to try to present the test as dichotomies, where you're only gathering clarity of preference not strength, that more or less presumes the hypothesis that you must be one side or another --this or that, and that your degree of preference really doesn't matter. This really isn't supported by how much of academic psychology sees personality, and I think on a basic intuitive level it makes little sense too. So I repeat, the MBTI is a pretty good test with a lot of validation, only its purpose/capabilities don't seem to be stated the best by the MBTI foundation.


I would say the same applies to the functions-theoretic approaches: their makers often misstate what these approaches can and cannot do. They are good for conceptualizing some key things. But they are often too abstract to get you to really dive into other aspects of yourself that still need addressing, and sometimes their generality leads to people thinking they can apply them to anything.

My problem is that almost every question, MBTI or looking more deeply at cognitive functions is the same. The only one I am certain of is when it comes to introversion. I am introverted, no doubt about it. I like social interaction and have a good time meeting with people but I need my alone time. I need time to recharge my batteries. The rest of the questions are so dependent it makes me feel like I have a split personality for not "fitting" into one of the molds.

 

[jimtaylor]

I personally think of these kind of questions in a more general sense - i.e. others needs in general, but I think the bigger problem doesn't come down to overthinking but rather that we inherently interpret things differently.

I can't think of it in a general sense because in general, it depends. If someone walked up to me on the street after work today and started telling me a tragic story about how they lost everything because they got sick, I probably feel bad but I am not going to take their needs as my own. I don't know them and I don't know if their story is real or not. I don't know if they are just looking for an emotional reaction to get what they want

 

[charlatan]

Well it's very normal to not feel you fit into the molds, and the truth is there are simply people who are more in the middle than on either end significantly. Even Jung, the guy who originated all this theory, suggested there is a large middle group not significantly more influenced from within vs without. Modern psychology suggests Extroversion-Introversion is more normally distributed, meaning there's a lot of people who, statistically *don't* and *Shouldn't* fit into one of the two molds, as you all it.

And contrary to what some suggest, this is a good bit of info --- you'll find those who are in the middle stand out in different ways from people at either end.

If you want, you can look into some of the more expansive personality questionnaires out there. Check out the five factor model's NEO-PI for instance. It has 6 subscales to every scale, were even if you are a "moderate" on all of the scales, you might have pronounced tendencies in the subscales.

For instance, Extroverts in that scale are overall both bolder and more enthusiastic and higher paced in their living style and more social. But that's just on average. An individual might be not so social, but pretty bold and seek a high paced lifestyle, with lots of stimulation, and not be your classic withdrawn + not social introvert.

The MBTI is not a very detailed test, so while it is tapping into something valid, it might not be as helpful to some individuals who don't find it picks out their particular differences.

 

[Eventhorizon]

I spend 5 maybe 10 seconds on most questions. I run into one or twtwo that cause me to think longer.

 

[hush]

I'm not sure if it's a good or a bad thing, but I tend to do the opposite. I go with my gut instinct and tends to take tests very very quickly. Otherwise I'd likely start second-guessing myself and potentially overthinking it.

I've found that when I'm taking academic tests and overthink it and start second-guessing, I end up with more wrong answers than when I just let myself stick with my original hunch, when I'm not 100% certain of the answer. Some answers prompt more in-depth thinking, but fairly often I find going with my first reaction to be the best, especially where personality tests are concerned.

Of course, tests vary. Tests are made by humans, who are flawed, making the tests in turn, flawed, and to be taken with a grain of salt. The quality, naturally, varies from test to test.

But yeah, to make it short, I typically breeze through tests and select answers speedily.

 

[jimtaylor]

I'm not sure if it's a good or a bad thing, but I tend to do the opposite. I go with my gut instinct and tends to take tests very very quickly. Otherwise I'd likely start second-guessing myself and potentially overthinking it.

I've found that when I'm taking academic tests and overthink it and start second-guessing, I end up with more wrong answers than when I just let myself stick with my original hunch, when I'm not 100% certain of the answer. Some answers prompt more in-depth thinking, but fairly often I find going with my first reaction to be the best, especially where personality tests are concerned.

Of course, tests vary. Tests are made by humans, who are flawed, making the tests in turn, flawed, and to be taken with a grain of salt. The quality, naturally, varies from test to test.

But yeah, to make it short, I typically breeze through tests and select answers speedily.

I am going with my natural and initial instinct on the questions. My first and most natural response on a majority of the questions is, "it depends". My natural disposition is one of questioning and so on these tests, unless I am certain, I don't have a gut feeling towards anything but questions. Its how I am. For good or bad, I don't recognize face value. I'm in a constant and persistent mode of wondering.