[ExI] MBTI, and what a difference a letter makes...

[Ben Zaiboc]

Aware <aware at awareresearch.com> wrote:
> 
> Offered, for your consideration, a wondrous land where its
> denizens
> share an appreciation of novelty, and discovery of the
> subtle but
> meaningful patterns underlying it all. ?You're entering a
> dimension
> not only of sight and sound, but of mind. ?This land is a
> refuge for
> the rare race known as the xNTx, and into this land you, an
> ISTJ or
> Inspector Guardian, have just stumbled. ?That's the
> signpost just
> ahead, your next stop, the Extropy list.
> 
> Guardian Swobe, as an ISTJ, in your travels among
> rationalists, idealists, and
> artisans, you might do well to share this:
> <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guardian_temperament>
> 
> - Jef (INTJ)

Hm.

I'm not at all convinced by these personality tests.  Every time I've tried a Myers-Briggs test (being just as vain as everyone else), I've got a different result.  So far, I'm INTP, INFJ, and INFP, so rather than an xNTx, I seem to be a INxx. Does that mean anything?  I'm starting to doubt it.  Or maybe it would mean something, if someone could come up with a good set of questions. Usually, at least a few of the questions are silly or unanswerable, so you just have to pick one without worrying too much about it.

Also, the summaries remind me more of a horoscope than anything.  Why do I never read anything bad about myself?  That's suspicious, I'm not so vain as to think I don't have bad points.

Haven't been able to try the Kiersey test, the guy seems a bit precious about it, and makes people take down sites that offer free versions of it.  Which is reason enough to dismiss it, imo.

The distinctions seem a bit silly, too.  e.g. N/S:  you can either be Insrospective OR Observant.  ???  What if you are an observant introspective person?

It all seems an attempt to force people into categories that are too rigidly defined (where's the category for anti-authoritarian contrarians?).

Ben Zaiboc
(IENSFTPJ)