Do you believe that? that whatever image you have in your head of who you are, accurate or not, will shape your behavior into better fitting that mold in the future.. that's why I sometimes think the MBTI and other personality theories are a bad idea, because once ventured into with any sort of commitment, they become a part of your identity, and acting "outside" of the mold you've accepted would become increasingly difficult the more you believed you were this one person, this "INFJ" (or INTP in my case). i've read books which perhaps accurately assess personality theories as being fundamentally dangerous to the human psyche, because once you know you're acting introverted or extroverted, intuiting or sensing, etc.etc, it's hard to not recognize you doing that anymore. it's hard to be spontaneous and just adapt to the situation at hand, rather than stepping back and judging your own actions (which is often irrelevant and can be limiting). it could stilt your own progress, your own freedom in constructing your life the way you desire, because whenever you need to take an action which is against your recognized type, you might say "that's not me. I don't do that" and not do it.
I don't know.. this is kind of stupid and probably doesn't make sense, but what are your thoughts?
No, hun, this is not stupid and you've explained yourself quite clearly. I've had this same conversation with a number of people and I have to say, I agree. There is definitely the danger of crawling into a box and closing yourself off from all other potential just because you build your identity around what someone says its supposed to be, as opposed to what it is and what it could be.
MBTI and other categorical personality systems are just that: systems. Models and representations based on observations and a few educated guesses. They can be used a tool to better understand what makes you tick
right now and what you need to work on. The goal is always, always to push yourself to become a fully rounded individual.
But it all comes down to how individuals approach these models and how they apply them in real life. I think people who actually
do build their identities around their existing MBTI type or, alternatively, their
ideal MBTI type probably would have a tremendous lack of confidence in themselves. MBTI provides an existing blueprint and the reassurance that there are other people out there with a similar outlook and similar traits. There's no need to become your own person so long as you belong to a group; your MBTI type. It's a security blanket, in a way. If you know what you're supposed to be, what you're supposed to act like, and there are other people who act and think like you, that makes your job as a person easier. Even if it might end up stifling your progress in the end.
Unfortunately, this isn't something that you can point out to the people who are caught in this loop. I've come to learn that you can't tell people what to believe or think, or even point out those beliefs which hold them back. They got to come to these conclusions themselves.
Because where an individual's psyche is concerned, only they and they alone can make progress... or fall behind. Just make sure to keep an eye out for any of your own negative or stifling beliefs that might be holding you back. After all, you're the author, editor and publisher of your own life and your life alone.
