What did knowing your type bring to your life? | INFJ Forum

What did knowing your type bring to your life?

Travo7

Travo7

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Nov 8, 2008
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I know that many people here and elswhere online have a somewhat negative view of MBTI, as if it is somewhat of a cult, but all that aside:

What did recognizing your type bring into your life?

For me, I felt greatly validated as a person having preferences for iNtuition. To know that it was "ok" to be the way I was meant the world to me. You know, just knowing I had a place in the world changed me, I think.

How about you? What are your thoughts?
 
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i think it helped me pin-point my personality weaknesses and make a conscious effort to work on them. i formed a strong concept of inner balance that i now strive to maintain on a daily basis
 
Hey there, and welcome bagelriffic!

That's interesting. Our "shadow", or the weaknesses we possess but usually tend to project onto others, is also considered to be a source of hidden strengths and creativity, as in trying to find a way to positively express that part of yourself. Your post reminded me of that.
 
In some ways I feel constrained by knowing my personality type. Continuing to visit this forum doesn't help, as it reaffirms the idea that people can be typed into distinct groups, and I'm not comfortable with that idea. I truly believe each person is coming from a unique set of circumstances and will perceive the world in a million subtly different ways, and therefore organizing people into a mere 18 categories allows for gross, misleading generalizations. On the other hand, it's no different than organizing people according to where they live, what work they do, their age and gender and so on, and categories like these can help you understand them better. I guess the key is to not give more credit to theories like the MBTI than they warrant. If you do that, you'll probably get a lot out of them.
 
The first word that comes to mind is Clarity. For me, it helped organise many thoughts I'd already had. I always tried to "type" people, this just gave me a better framework. But the most important thing it gave me was a sense of peace. I am sure that I have only met just a very few INJF's in my life. To know that there are others out there who think and feel as I do is more valuable than I can say. Just to be able to talk with the INFJ's on this fourm and not have to "hide" or explain what I mean everytime, is something more than I could have hoped for. It has made a large difference in my life. Things will not be the same going forward!
 
Questingpoet said:
The first word that comes to mind is Clarity. For me, it helped organise many thoughts I'd already had. I always tried to "type" people, this just gave me a better framework. But the most important thing it gave me was a sense of peace. I am sure that I have only met just a very few INJF's in my life. To know that there are others out there who think and feel as I do is more valuable than I can say. Just to be able to talk with the INFJ's on this fourm and not have to "hide" or explain what I mean everytime, is something more than I could have hoped for. It has made a large difference in my life. Things will not be the same going forward!
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Well said, Questingpoet. I totally feel the "not having to hide" bit.

May - I understand what you mean. Even Jung said (I think) you could break it down to 16, 32, 64, and so on. I guess I think of it this way. As you are an INTP, I'm sure there are many INTPs out there who are very different from you; different musical tastes, philosophies, and values in general. So knowing your type can promote greater tolerance of people's differences in that respect, as far as having some common ground with a person. Then again, that can be acheived without knowledge of type, I suppose. But personally, I find it all quite liberating.
 
It changed the way I look at things a little and not necessarily for the better.

Some people do seem to have a dogmatic attachment to it.

I am also quite positive it played a role in the demise of my last relationship
in the sense that my partner stopped asking me what was going on and just looked it up online instead

I think in my own personal growth it has served me well.

Mostly it just helped in finding me forums where I can actually meet intelligent people and have some deep chats without being told I am getting "PWNED" every 3 seconds :thumb:
 
I think the most significant thing I got from learning my type is understanding better the differences between my boyfriend and I. It has helped me understand how we look at things differently, and to be more accepting of his way of doing things.
 
Knowing my type made me feel affirmed, I was no longer an outcast nor a case of feeling like 'no one understands'. It helped me to the road of self awareness and acceptance of myself especially upon comming to this forum. Furthermore it has helped me embrace who I am and develope.
 
May said:
In some ways I feel constrained by knowing my personality type. Continuing to visit this forum doesn't help, as it reaffirms the idea that people can be typed into distinct groups, and I'm not comfortable with that idea. I truly believe each person is coming from a unique set of circumstances and will perceive the world in a million subtly different ways, and therefore organizing people into a mere 18 categories allows for gross, misleading generalizations. On the other hand, it's no different than organizing people according to where they live, what work they do, their age and gender and so on, and categories like these can help you understand them better. I guess the key is to not give more credit to theories like the MBTI than they warrant. If you do that, you'll probably get a lot out of them.
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I agree. MBTI can be very limiting to ones mindset. But if you use it as a tool to better yourself, and not think of it as a concrete description of who you are, it's great.
 
Questingpoet said:
The first word that comes to mind is Clarity.
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Yes!

I literally was euphoric when I read the the type description. I was in shock and I cried a lot.

And then I started working from it, because I want it to be of some use to the World. I believe I was put on this Earth for a purpose, and I want to fulfill that.
 
I agree with others about the validation bit - we're so (relatively) rare that finding something that actually describes us well is a bit eye-opening. It has also helped me to reaffirm my strengths and identify tangible weaknesses to work on.

May said:
Continuing to visit this forum doesn't help, as it reaffirms the idea that people can be typed into distinct groups, and I'm not comfortable with that idea.
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All MBTI shows is that people with the same personality type will tend to process information in the same way due to sharing preferred functions. While from an idealistic point of view, it does seem a bit anticlimactic to see people falling into cookie-cutter shapes... I find the theory useful as it tells me how to communicate with others most efficiently. Also, given how many patterns there are in nature, it's interesting to see that personality seems to follow one as well.

However, personality is by no means the totality of who we are - it's just one aspect among many.
 
May said:
In some ways I feel constrained by knowing my personality type. Continuing to visit this forum doesn't help, as it reaffirms the idea that people can be typed into distinct groups, and I'm not comfortable with that idea. I truly believe each person is coming from a unique set of circumstances and will perceive the world in a million subtly different ways, and therefore organizing people into a mere 18 categories allows for gross, misleading generalizations. On the other hand, it's no different than organizing people according to where they live, what work they do, their age and gender and so on, and categories like these can help you understand them better. I guess the key is to not give more credit to theories like the MBTI than they warrant. If you do that, you'll probably get a lot out of them.
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I can understand what you mean. People are sometimes a bit too hasty in their assumptions based on traits presented. MBTI is not a cookie cutter, it is a tendency scale. Just because you tend to act a certain way, it doesn't mean that you will always act that way.

The whole idea of MBTI for perceivers is difficult/upsetting at times because we tend to understand the flowing/fluid nature of humanity more so than Judgers, in my opinion. Either that, or it is equal understanding with different perspectives.

Elitism is certainly prone to happen on any discussion board with obvious bias towards one individual type. Elitism can simply be validation with a malicious/hurtful bias. This specific forum transcends MBTI and becomes a support community for various people, some based on the MBTI type and some not.

It is difficult to keep the perspective at all times that we are fluid, EVERYONE can seem like a different type for a period in their life, sometimes even long term. Ultimately though I do believe there is a default tendency style that lays close to our core underneath all the complex layers of convolution we set ourselves up with.

I definitely agree that you absolutely cannot accurately type someone else by simply observing them. The human mind is extremely complex, and while something may seem simple based on external observation, there may be miles of contradictory evidence that lies below the surface.
 
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Well, MBTI itself was a revelation for me, but if I hadn't found these forums I may not have made any actions based on that new knoweldge, it is hard to tell.

For me, MBTI combined with this community is the gift that keeps on giving. I have no words to describe the leaps I have made in the few months I have spent with you all.

I am eternally thankful for everyone that contributes to these forums, even those that may evoke certain unpleasant emotions. :)
 
NeverAmI said:
Well, MBTI itself was a revelation for me, but if I hadn't found these forums I may not have made any actions based on that new knoweldge, it is hard to tell.

For me, MBTI combined with this community is the gift that keeps on giving. I have no words to describe the leaps I have made in the few months I have spent with you all.

I am eternally thankful for everyone that contributes to these forums, even those that may evoke certain unpleasant emotions. :)
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I feel the same. Even though I don't post in the forums so much, I feel thankful for those that do.

Pristinegirl, your comment says a lot to me.

Oh, and thank you all for sharing your experiences, good and bad, for I think both are valid for learning. :)
 
I was regarded as both overly-sensitive and "too quiet" as a child, and my mom was always trying to cure me.

Knowing that all of these things I have been taught to view as negative qualities actually make up one in a set of personality types is like validation for me that it's not a fluke. It's normal for me to feel this way. I didn't realize that before I started reading into INFJ or MBTI.


I don't think that looking too much into MBTI types is wise as you start to think of people as stereotypes. As is clear by the people that post at this forum, not all INFJs (or people of other types) are the same. At all. And not all of them share the same opinions or react the same in various situations.

But it was nice to know that I wasn't the only person in the world that actually enjoyed being alone. And I think it's also increased my understanding of the ways that people think differently.

That's sort of a paradox, but yeah.
 
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under skies said:
I was regarded as both overly-sensitive and "too quiet" as a child, and my mom was always trying to cure me.

Knowing that all of these things I have been taught to view as negative qualities actually make up one in a set of personality types is like validation for me that it's not a fluke. It's normal for me to feel this way. I didn't realize that before I started reading into INFJ or MBTI.

I don't think that looking too much into MBTI types is wise as you start to think of people as stereotypes. As is clear by the people that post at this forum, not all INFJs (or people of other types) are the same. At all. And not all of them share the same opinions or react the same in various situations.

But it was nice to know that I wasn't the only person in the world that actually enjoyed being alone. And I think it's also increased my understanding of the ways that people think differently.

That's sort of a paradox, but yeah.
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I agree with this completely.
 
I wish I'd never found MBTI. I constantly am typing people, and if I don't watch myself I start to deal with time according to how I've typed them. It's a stupid thing to do, and I feel as if I seclude myself from certain people when I begin to type them. I hate that part about it.

I wish I didn't know anything about types, but that I still had this forum. This place has been a great learning/growing experience (and a huge vacuum of time).
 
Type didn't really change much for me. Just sort of bought forward in my mind insight I knew already. Cognitive functions though, have brought so much new information to how I work, and I simply love it. Anything that applies a system to something that normally wouldnt have a set system to it, is right up my alley.
 
I was relieved to find I wasn't some kind of freak.
It gave me an understanding as to why I always felt as if I were standing outside looking into a group even though I belonged to the group. Meaning friends, coworkers.
Why I was always being asked, "What's wrong?" "Why are you so quiet?"

(A teacher once told my parents at a PTA meeting she wished I would just get up and hit someone so she would know I was there in class.)
It was because I take in the world differently than most of the population.

Now if I feel a bit outcast, I can look inward and understand the reasons why, and do something to overcome it.
 
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