Some of you are looking at my title thinking I’ve changed languages.  And some of you know that it’s my Myers-Briggs type indicator, aka 16 personalities. https://www.16personalities.com/free-personality-test

What is it?

I really have no idea.  But, what I do know is that it’s all over the place now. PureWow and Buzzfeed are aplomb with articles touting what the best hobbies and forms of relaxation are based on what your personality indicator is.  And a few weeks ago I read a very interesting Modern Love (NYT on Sundays in the Style section) column where the writer is trying to figure out if you can base future compatibility on what personality type you and your significant other are.

So I started to think. Never a good situation when I start to percolate an idea in my head.  Because them you know I’m going to write about it, and I’m going to formulate all sorts of theories.

So let’s think: if all people can be classified into 16 personality types, is it logical to assume that certain types will get along better than others? The “I” that starts out my type: that means I’m an introvert. Am I better off with another introvert because our personalities mesh in that same way? Would a relationship with an extrovert be a disaster because I will always feels left out in the dust while they are off making friends?

And what about family? Could the reason why you have a lousy relationship with a sibling be that your personality types just don’t mesh?  Friends? Could all your closest friends have compatible types?

I’m the type known as Logistician. You can get the idea that I am practical and logical. It breaks down to:

I- Introversion

S- Sensing

T- Thinking

J- Judgement

A- Assertive

As there’s a lot to think about this topic, I am going to spend the week putting my thoughts out on the page.  My first job is getting my friends and family to take the test so that I can figure out if we are actually compatible.   (this obviously means all of you guys too- I want to know what type you all are) Then I’m going to break down if I agree with the basic assessment that comes after you take a 10 minute multiple choice test. Is there any inherent validity to any of this.

What do you guys think? Could the secret to relationship goals be hidden inside your personality?

Discuss.

44 thoughts on “ISTJ-A”

    1. Omg is he available! It’s kind of fun! My family just did it…my daughter is exactly the same and my husband is one letter off. I think there’s something to this

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  2. Tests like this have been around for decades. In fact, I took one in the mid 1970’s, after my first divorce. Looking back, I think they are nonsense. My first husband and I were exactly alike. We are friends to this day. We think alike…Our backgrounds are similar, we totally get one another. In fact, he is the male version of me. People don’t necessarily want to marry themselves! It doesn’t work. Having a little in common in fine, but a clone of yourself? Nope! That makes for good friends, but gets boring in real life.
    I went for a total opposite the second time around. It lasted for 23 years and then he died, but in truth, we really didn’t have much in common. So, I think these tests are ridiculous. Just find someone who creates some magic and who you have enough in common with to build a life together. And if you don’t…then enjoy living life by yourself. Forget tests that determine your personality. No matter who you are, you will annoy someone. So just be yourself and don’t over think it.

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    1. I don’t mean that you should share the same profile. In fact I think it would be a disaster to be with someone with the same profile as a romantic partner. But, maybe there should be some similarities. My daughter just took the test….she is exactly the same as me. Who knows….maybe that’s why I have had a relatively easy time parenting her….because we are similar and it’s easier for me to talk to her because she behaves as I do. I’m thinking* this through

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  3. My husband hasn’t taken the test but I have done it a few times (including again just now with your link) and always come up with INFJ. This time the – A for advocate was added. I didn’t know that one before. We are opposites. He is a total extrovert and I am such an introvert (which I didn’t really realize until I did the test but it explains so many things!). They say opposites attract and I think that it is true in our case. He had a really bad childhood with divorced parents and alcoholism and a lot of moving around because his dad was in the service. I had a very stable home life with parents who were married for 40 years until my dad passed away and in the same house until I moved out at 21. I think that I provide the calm that he needs and through him I get the occasional burst of excitement that I need (like the time we spotted Ross Valory from Journey at a concert and my husband went up to him and asked him for an autograph for me. Mr Valory came right over and took pictures with us and stayed and talked for a bit.) I never would have had the courage to do that!

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  4. I always wondered just how accurate the test was. We could be answering the questions in the way we view ourselves, but we may not truly behave that way 🙂 When I was in law school, they tested us at the beginning and after the end of the 3 years – they wanted to see if our education changed us.

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    1. It’s funny but I have the exact same question….do we know ourselves better than our friends do? It’s why I thought this would be a good topic for the week, to see how good a fit some things really are. I’m always intrigued by things that help explain the why. Have thought about asking my friends to rank me.

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  5. I’ve been aware of this for over three years now, I think. We talked about it in my sociology classes in college but we never took the test. The only one I’ve taken has been online. Ironically enough I am an INTJ, which is supposedly damn near impossible for a female and one of the rarest types! 😅 sooo I like the idea of all the personalities, but I don’t think that all introverts are compatible. Just like I don’t think all extraverts are compatible. Think a lot of it has to do with the types…. Am excited to see how you’ll talk about this all week!

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    1. I’m trying to see if there are any generalities. It’s completely unscientific, but I can already see certain patterns emerging. It should be fun thinking about this this week

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    1. I did this about a year ago initially and jotted it down. I’ve since taken the test a few more times and always get the same answer. I’m really interested in it now, and I’m looking forward to writing about it this week.

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  7. I’m an INTJ. That said, I don’t think you can take 7billion living people and break them down into 16 categories. People are too variable and nuanced for that. Sure, personality tests might prompt you to get you to know yourself better, but they shouldn’t be a guide to building friendships. If they were, I would surely be missing out on great friendships with people whose personality traits are very different from mine.

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    1. Not so much building friendships, but more how you approach others. My daughter got the exact same result as me. Could that be why I have an easier time parenting her, because I intrinsically understand what she needs from me, because it’s me? I’m looking forward to writing about this

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  9. I’m a sort of ISFJ-T. The S, F and J are really really close to half.
    In fact; even though I’m an introvert, the people I mention that to think I’m an extrovert.

    So, like with your other posts in which we try to classify and scale ideas, even numbers and groupings cannot account for a tweak here or there that might make Person A compatible with Person B.

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    1. It’s all percolating in my head. I’m finding it interesting that almost all my blog friends have been introverts so far. I’m starting to see patterns of sorts, and I’m starting to get ideas.

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  11. I’ve done Myers-Briggs and a number of other assessments like it. While they can be revealing, I find they often ask me to choose between or among multiple options, none of which accurately describe me, so the results are already suspect. Also, I find that the results can be very different from one day to the next, depending on what’s going on in my life. While interesting to explore, I think human beings are too complex to attach labels that fit into discrete packages. As Walt Whitman said, “I contain multitudes.”

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    1. Totally get that, but I think it’s interesting. Can we break down types. On a funny note, I first took the test about a year ago. I have consistently gotten the same type every time

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    1. I tend to agree with you, but I think friendships need to be a mix. I’m interested in what my friends score. So far two of my closest friends have taken it. One introvert, one extrovert. I’m still thinking this out.

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  13. INFP here except when I’m a INTP. Dear lord, I don’t know how many times I’ve taken this test! It was first forced on me in college via career placement dept, then showed up via HR at all sorts of jobs I had along the way. I didn’t know Myers Briggs was popular again, but like they say… everything old is new again.

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    1. It’s very in vogue now. Seriously….I first got into it because there was an article about what hobbies are good for certain personality types and I was in the market for a new hobby. It’s kind of fun!

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      2. It’s funny because now that I’ve read the definitions of the types, I’m beginning to see why certain people who have trouble working together. I’m not taking it seriously, but I see patterns

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  15. Pingback: Are We Our Personality Types? | Chelsea Ann Owens

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