While on retreat, we spent most of the time talking about our Myers-Briggs personality types. We'd taken the test a little while ago, but finally got results this weekend. If you don't know about Myers-Briggs, basically it divides people into 16 "types" based on 4 categories with 2 options each. You end up with a 4 letter code: for example, I am an INTJ. (My opposite, and the other 4 letters, is an ESFP.) Each type has a distinct way of relating to the world, themselves, and other people, which can have career, relationship, and other implications. A friend of mine called it "horoscopes for smart people."
Surprisingly, our house has only 4 types, in spite of our 6 people. We have no Ps (spontaneous, open-ended people) and 6 Js (routinized, like-closure people). We have 5 Feelers (make decisions based on values) and I am the lone Thinker (make decisions based on logic). The Daughter of Charity who provided our results and analyzed with us pointed out that this could make me feel the odd one out. True story in some ways, but looking at my life over the past, oh, 8 years or so, I have been closest mostly to Feelers. So I'm used to it.
Our house types: ISFJ, ESFJ, ENFJ, INTJ. 5 warm, people-oriented women, and one stubborn, independent, driven woman. My being in VSC at all proves that Myers-Briggs may be helpful, but is not the end-all, be-all. A year of service is not exactly an INTJ thing, but it is definitely a me thing.
Interestingly, I think the volunteer last year from my college was an INTJ.
We have to include our results in whatever file the ed. dept. keeps on us. (Interestingly, a professor of mine said this is unconstitution.)
ReplyDeleteI am an ENTP. When we got our results, a woman from the leadership program on campus sat down with us to discuss results. She included a chart of the I/E, S/N, F/T, J/P continuum and where we fell as individuals. I was fascinated to see that I hang around middle ground for three letters, but am completely and thoroughly lopsided for one letter (N). I don't know why I find this as interesting as I do. It is yet another way to label people; maybe it provides some insight into the world of Dani which I previously had not.
Yes, I am an INTJ! Supposedly we are only 1% of the population, but there seems to be a inordinate amount at our college.
ReplyDeleteIt's so funny to see how each group pans out. My year was pretty diverse - 3 ENFPs, 1 INFP, 3 people with some variation of I/S/J, and me, the INTJ. You all sound like a grat combination :-)