Thinking Styles and Relationships - Research Study | INFJ Forum

Thinking Styles and Relationships - Research Study

T

TSaR

Four
Jun 28, 2010
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0
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MBTI
INFJ
Hello,
I'm new to the forum. I've been interested in the MBTI for quite some time now, in particular, I'm intrigued by the division between people with preferences for the N or S traits. In my limited experience, I've observed that people generally prefer partners that share their N or S preference. For my Psychology honours thesis, I'm using a conceptually similar model to the N/S component of the MBTI to investigate whether the thinking styles of romantic partners can be used to predict their relationship satisfaction.

To do this research properly I need as many people to participate as possible. However, because there is a rough 80%/20% split in the population of S and N preference, I need more N participants. So if you're currently in a romantic relationship and you and your partner would like to participate please follow the link below. Alternatively, if you know anyone in a relationship who may be willing to participate, please pass on the survey link. Participation involves both partners individually completing a short online survey that takes less than 20 minutes.

To be eligible to participate, partners must:
 
That's a good question. It's been a while but I think that rough figure is from "Please Understand Me II" by David Keirsey. Googling returned the following result which suggests it may be more 30%/70% N/S. Again, these are just estimates. However, of all the coupled traits N/S has the biggest skew. If anyone has any further info on why this may be I'd like to hear it.

http://www.capt.org/mbti-assessment/estimated-frequencies.htm
 
I think the rift might have to with the face that N/S is how people take in unspoken information, and that is largely more "unchangable" (i.e. to learn to do it another way), then the T/F axis which is how we process information which one has more will and control over.
 
TSaR said:
Hello,

To be eligible to participate, partners must:

• both consider the relationship to be active and exclusive

Thanks for your time.

-Jonathan
Click to expand...

Why 'exclusive'? And/or what do you mean by that word. If I assume you mean monogamous, then my question is why just monogamous people?
 
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OshunsDaughter said:
Why 'exclusive'? And/or what do you mean by that word. If I assume you mean monogamous, then my question is why just monogamous people?
Click to expand...

I'm restricting participants to non-open relationships for the sake of simplicity. Dyadic research (partners) is hard enough as it is, I can't imagine how complicated it would be to do Triadic research (three people). I also couldn't just investigate two of three people either because the different needs of one person may be met by different partners. That kind of research would be interesting though.
 
IndigoSensor said:
I think the rift might have to with the face that N/S is how people take in unspoken information, and that is largely more "unchangable" (i.e. to learn to do it another way), then the T/F axis which is how we process information which one has more will and control over.
Click to expand...

That's a consideration I haven't thought of. Still, even if the preference is unchangeable, why are S people significantly more common than N people?
 
It has bee shown that those with sensing preferences tend to have much better physical coordination than those who prefer intuition. Assuming a genetic basis for the preferences, the clumsier intuitives would have generally been at an evolutionary disadvantage.

Also, in males traits associated with intuition have been found to be correlated with a greater preference for monogamy, so our genes would not be spread as much. I think it may have been Kiersey who said that NTs (especially INTPs) tend to be the most loyally monogamous in the sense that we tend to really want our relationships to last forever are the least likely to move on, while NFs (especially INFJs) tend to be the most faithful to their current partner but can much more easily practice serial monogamy. Still, if the S/N preference is largely genetic the S genes would be spread around a lot more.
 
TSaR said:
That's a consideration I haven't thought of. Still, even if the preference is unchangeable, why are S people significantly more common than N people?
Click to expand...

This might ruffle some feather, and this isn't a dig at other types. However, I feel like Si and Se are "easier" cognitive functions to use, compared to Ne and Ni. This isn't to say that you can't use Si and Se at a complete and higher level. However, it is very hard to not use Ne and Ni with higher order thought and as such it is ditched early on in life should it have been an inital prefrence for something more easy and satisfying (cause let me tell you, Ni does not satisfy me often).
 
Is it the same in less left-brained societies?

I am just wondering aloud if the overwhelming number of S types here is not due to western civilization's extreme emphasis on using the left side of the brain. I learned long ago in college that in America, a whopping 52% are ESTJ, and it is considered to be the ideal type here. I wonder if that has changed at all since back then. (I am a lot older than most of you).

I think of the N function as being more right brained. We tend to ignore or outright make fun of right brain abilities in our culture. I can think of many ways in which N abilities might have kept us alive during past human history and been very valued in a tribal setting. I wonder if Australian aborigines, for example, would not be overwhelmingly N, rather than S.

klutzo
 
That does not sound right to me at all. From what I've heard, SJs make up about 40% to 50% of the population, and there are certainly SJs who are not ESTJs. Also, women are more than twice as likely to be Feelers than thinkers, and men only slightly more likely to be thinkers than Feelers. I read somewhere that the most common male type is actually ISTP and the most common female type ISFJ, although these are small enough pluralities that Es and Js are clear majorities overall. ESTJs making up 52% of the total population strikes me as ridiculous. (It does however sound like quite a reasonable number if we are only dealing. I wouldn't be surprised if the army was close to 80% xSTJ.)


I also don't think your left brain right brain distinction is right. The big difference is that the left brain is more verbal and the right brain more special, although overall it could be categorized as the left being more reductionist and the right more holistic. From what I've read Ne is right brained but Ni is left brained. INFJs are typically very left brained, while INTPs more right brained. Left/right is more a J/P thing than an S/N thing. This is supposedly how the functions are arranged in the brain:

brain-regions.gif
 
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Thanks very much for the brain info. That is new to me and very interesting. I am very left brain dominant, and wondered why.

I have no idea about the rest of it, except that the latest article I've read still says 3/4 of Americans are extroverts. It did not elaborate on typing though. It was about life span, which averages 15 yrs. less in introverts. If you add being left-handed to that, you're really in trouble, lol. But, it's all just stats, and you are individuals.

klutzo
 
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