The Jungian Myers-Briggs personality test is given a lot of credence by career professionals.  The coach I'm seeing asked me to take it.  Like a lot of people, I've had different results over the years.  When I was just out of college, I scored as an INFP, or 'The Idealist.'  How fitting — the cruel realities of the world hadn't hit me yet.  This type is actually similar to Barack Obama's, which is ENFP, or 'The Inspirer'.  When I took the test last year I was an ISTJ, or 'The Duty Fulfiller.'  I took it a few different times here in the last few days, and scored ISFJ, i.e. 'The Nurturer' each time.  I took it once here and once here and both times was an ISTJ (it seems I'm on the border between Thinking and Feeling — it's almost poetic).

It's interesting to see how my personality has changed from a type that is known for shunning facts and analysis to one that shuns theory and fancy.  This depresses me a little bit.  Has the working world hardened me?  Yes, it's true, I like organization and value predictability and routine.  I like to see the fruits of my labor.  I find it much easier to grasp details than the big picture.  Perhaps I've even become more conventional, as most ISFJ's and ISTJ's are.

Is this why I'm considering library science as opposed to a master's degree in English?  I really like the idea of a job with concrete responsibilities — not broad, unclear objectives.  As much as I love reading fiction and engaging with subtext in literature and in life, I suppose I've become a lot more of a literal person. Facts impress me more than emotions.  Perhaps this is why, for instance, I can't really get on the Obama-train (i.e. the enthusiasm that has swept the nation) although I *do* like him and will most definitely vote for him.

What do you think about personality tests: are they a source of penetrating insight, or a bunch of narcissistic hooey?

Others found the course challenging as they could no longer hide and say they 'couldn't do evangelism'.

More recently we led a version of the Networks course on spiritual gifts. Again people found it helpful as they they had some idea about where to start in offering their gifts to help the church - start with the gifts they have been given. This usually involves doing things that you are good at and that you enjoy.

Now I've just seen a new set of styles about leadership. I guess I knew about them anyway, and they are related to spiritual gifts. They come from Craig Groeschel, pastor of lifechurch.tv in Oklahoma. Here they are:

The four styles I most often observe include:

1. Relational leaders: These leaders motivate others through personal connections.

2. Visionary leaders: These leaders move people by painting a picture of what “could be.”

3. Administrative leaders: These leaders move the ball forward by organizing groups of people with clear boundaries, expectations, and accountability.

4. Innovative leaders: These leaders find new ways to accomplish old objectives.

via Different Styles of Leaders - LifeChurch.tv : swerve.

None of these things should be pro-scriptive - they do not define the person with the style. But they can be helpful when they are descriptive - they help us begin where to look, where to start leading or serving from.

For the record, I'm probably relational, and not at all adminstrative.

You Are An INFP

The Idealist You are a creative person with a great imagination. You enjoy living in your own inner world. Open minded and accepting, you strive for harmony in your important relationships. It takes a long time for people to get to know you. You are hesitant to let people get close to you. But once you care for someone, you do everything you can to help them grow and develop. In love, you tend to have high (and often unrealistic) standards. You are very sensitive. You tend to have intense feelings. At work, you need to do something that expresses your personal values. You would make an excellent writer, psychologist, or artist. How you see yourself: Unselfish, empathetic, and spiritual When other people don't get you, they see you as: Unrealistic, naive, and weak

I took a similar test in university and discovered that I was an INFJ.  I am not sure what the difference is, but that test was much much longer.  Let me know what kind of personality you are...after all this could help determine whether we should be friends, or not.

...watched "Dig!" (a documentary about the rivalry between The Brian Jonestown Massacre and The Dandy Warhols - brilliant !!!)

...listened to Conor Oberst's "Conor Oberst" (imaginatively titled)

...read the Spectator article entitled, "Have we ever faced an enemy more stupid than Muslim terrorists?" (read here)

...laughed at hitting Rachel over the head with a massive cushion

...despaired at people who see pound signs before anything else

...had hope about being an INTP personality type on Myers-Briggs

...been completely random about buying a cafetiere (you have to get the right one...!!!)

Interested in what I've been doing previously...??? Then click here...

Being a bookish (read: nerdy) child of the '70s, I came of age in the days of I'm OK—You're OK, and because it was on the New York Times Bestseller List during my junior-high years, when I became old enough to want to flee the Juveniles section of the library for the "Adults" section, it was never not in my consciousness as a self-help classic.

I've read lots and lots of self-help and advice books, and I've taken Youth Effectiveness Training and looked at philosophy and psychology and the Myers-Briggs and the Enneagram, and I got myself a Master of Theological Studies degree, and one might think that I had had enough of studying ways of deconstructing human relationships... But one would be wrong.

It's kind of funny to me, this move toward '70s wisdom, because just a couple months ago I felt an urge to revisit Fritz Perls' "Gestalt Prayer." I guess it's a function of being a child of the '70s. Nostalgia? Returning to one's roots? Surely I'm more a product of my environment than I like to admit.

Oh. Here's a link to a review of I'm OK—You're OK that I thought was interesting as I was compiling the links for this entry.

Prayers for Myers Briggs Types

ISTJ: Lord help me to relax about insignificant details beginning tomorrow at 11:41.23 am e.s.t.

ISTP: God help me to consider people's feelings, even if most of them ARE hypersensitive.

ESTP: God help me to take responsibility for my own actions, even though they're usually NOT my fault.

ESTJ: God, help me to not try to RUN everything. But, if You need some help, just ask.

ISFJ: Lord, help me to be more laid back and help me to do it EXACTLY right.

ISFP: Lord, help me to stand up for my rights (if you don't mind my asking).

ESFP: God help me to take things more seriously, especially parties and dancing.

ESFJ: God give me patience, and I mean right NOW.

INFJ: Lord help me not be a perfectionist. (did I spell that correctly?)

INFP: God, help me to finish everything I sta

ENFP: God, help me to keep my mind on one th-Look a bird-ing at a time.

ENFJ: God help me to do only what I can and trust you for the rest. Do you mind putting that in writing?

INTJ: Lord keep me open to others' ideas, WRONG though they may be.

INTP: Lord help me be less independent, but let me do it my way.

ENTP: Lord help me follow established procedures today. On second thought, I'll settle for a few minutes.

ENTJ: Lord, help me slow downandnotrushthroughwhatIdo.

Amen.

Det sistnämnda är svårt att komma tillrätta med, hur konstigt det än kan låta. Jag äter vanligtvis som en häst och är ALLTID hungrig, men de senaste åren har jag med jämna mellanrum tappat aptiten. Man kan ju tycka att hunger och aptit bör hänga ihop, men så enkelt verkar det inte vara. Jag kan vara hur hungrig som helst, men vill inte ha nånting. När jag gett upp passet igår och hämtade ut nyckeln undrade S förstås vad som var fel. "Vet inte... ville bara spy". Han frågade strängt om jag ätit och skickade hem mig med ordern att se till att äta ORDENTLIGT. "Brukar visa sig på såna pass om man fuskat." Det är bara det att jag har lite svårt att tro att jag ens KAN äta för lite, det finns inte riktigt i min föreställningsvärld. Däremot kommer jag troligen inom en snar framtid lida av skörbjugg så lite grönt som jag ätit de senaste månaderna.

Kroppen har för övrigt betett sig allmänt mystiskt ett tag. När jag kom hem från semestern har jag yr som katten, inte bara om jag reste mig upp hastigt utan det kunde snurra till rätt som det var även om jag satt ner. Var till en sjukgymnast av helt andra skäl (ryggen som vanligt) och han knäckte till nacken på mig där det visst var en låsning och sa att man kan få yrsel av det. Det blev iofs bättre sedan, så kanske det stämde. Orkeslös och trötta är väl alla så det kan man kanske inte gnälla över, men flera resor värre än vanligt är det.

Sammanfattningsvis känns det som att något måste göras. Frågan är vad. Och vad är hönan och vad är ägget? Är det den mentala statusen som smittar av sig på kroppen, tvärtom, eller trilskas båda och triggar varandra till negativa stordåd?

Men, till den nyligt ställda diagnosen. Gjorde nyligen ett personlighetstest i jobbet (Myers-Briggs) och fick reda på föga förvånande saker som att jag är dålig på att planera (känner mig låst av scheman), att jag är introvert (NÄHÄ?!), och går mer på känsla radar upp rena fakta när jag fattar beslut. Inga nyheter direkt... men ett par saker som fick mig att tänka till är att typer som jag har höga ideal, vilket i sig inte är ett problem, men när man inte är på topp och saker krånglar blir glappet mellan idealen och verkligheten för stort vilket till exempel leder till att man tvivlar på andras och sin egen kompetens. Satt där och glodde storögt på texten och undrade hus fasen de kan läsa ut det ur frågorna jag svarat på som inte alls såg ut att ha med det att göra. En annan sak som kändes rätt nedslående men inte heller det överraskande var att min typs svaga sida är Tanke. Inte direkt smickrande när man är chef...

Men jag tror jag vet vad som menas. De svaga sidorna är de som kommer fram i pressade situationer, när man är stressad eller mår dåligt. Och då fungerar min logik som allra sämst, samtidigt som hjärnan ständigt arbetar på högvarv för att lösa ett problem som jag egentligen vet inte går att lösa på det sättet. Men det går bara inte att sluta. Så jag tänker, tänker och tänker och blir bara mer och mer nere, uppgiven, stressad och ledsen.

Det testet tyvärr inte svarade på var hur man kommer ur det... meen, kanske kommer det i rond 2. Annars får jag ta upp det med min handledare, som praktiskt nog är samma person som kör kursen med oss på jobbet.

Efter denna långa jeremiad ska jag ta mig ett vinglas (det är för fasen fredag och det kan/bör man alltid fira) och läsa några mysiga, fina, uppiggande sms från F. Och jag ska INTE börja klaga på att han är för långt borta =)

/L

Today my staff and I took the Myers-Briggs personality profile.  Our worship leader, Peggy, is qualified to administer and interpret these questionnaires, so she taught us about some of the implications of our results.

What did I find?  Well, yes, it turns out that I do have a personality.  I am an ENFJ, which I know makes no sense whatsoever unless you have taken the exam yourself.  Suffice it to say, Myers-Briggs pegged me exactly.

Interestingly, my secretary has the exact same profile as me.  (No wonder she does such a good job!)  Peggy and Jonathan (our youth pastor) each scored very differently.  What is fascinating is studying the dynamics of how these different personality types interact.

Sunday evening, we are going to administer this profile, along with a spiritual gifts inventory, to those who are participating in our growth track at New Life.  It should be interesting to see what happens.

Have you ever taken the Myers-Briggs profile?  What type are you?

Jag måste säga att Ankaret är en mycket trivsam plats att vistas på för en arbetstränande individ. Detta beror förstås delvis på de personer som styr verksamheten där. En av dem är Bullan (hennes bloggnamn, förstås), som basar över köket och matlaget. Bullan har Solen i Tvillingarnas tecken (liksom jag och två av mina kollegor), men inslaget av Kräftan måste vara starkt, eftersom hon är väldigt mån om sina medmänniskor. Intresset för matlagning är också en egenskap som hör till Kräftans tecken. Här demonstrerar Bullan en skiva från en av mina lyckade drömtårtor, som raskt såldes slut. Kaffebrödet serveras på torsdagar, då vår målgrupp jobbar längre än andra dagar.

Och här nedan har vi chef nummer två, som valt bloggnamnet Ejvend. Han heter faktiskt så i mellannamn. Anor från Danmark, nämligen. Ejvend är (liksom jag) en ENFP-personlighet enligt Meyers-Briggs-typologin och har (liksom jag) blivit imponerad över att beskrivningarna är så pass korrekta. Vissa av de kommunalanställda är f n involverade i en flyttkarusell till nya lokaler och dessvärre medför detta att Ejvend inte kommer att tillbringa lika mycket tid i köksregionerna som tidigare. Han har Solen i Stenbockens tecken men är trots tecknets inbyggda allvarsamhet en mycket extrovert, skämtsam och glädjespridande person.

Läs även andra bloggares åsikter om Ankaret, Chefer, Astrologi, Soltecken, Stenbocken, Kräftan, Myers-Briggs, Bullan, Ejvend, Kaffebröd, Köket

"Well done, good and faithful servant"

-Wild Goose Chase

I love to talk, dream, vision-plan, etc. (p.s. in my head et cetera for some reason ALWAYS wants to be abbreviated "ect" instead of "etc").  Yet, at some point I have to get out of the boat and do something or I have to choose to not get out of the boat.  I loathe doing a bad job or even a mediocre job so much so that I'll not want to embark on something new because of my lack of expertise.  I want something done and done perfect well.  When I'm given a task, my immediate response is to put aside whatever I am working on to complete the task before me.  I like making lists, but ideally I want nothing on my list so that I can do tasks as they come.  So, now that you've analyzed my personality type and strengthsfinder, we can move on.

So, here I am tonight asking some tough questions.  Do I hesitate from stepping into a new task because I only accept perfection? Am I prideful and fear failure? Where is my heart? Where is God in all this? Do I need to take that first step? 

• Myers-Briggs: This has been around a long time. It was started my work done by Carl Jung. It basically looks at 4 values to come up with 16 personality types: Favorite world: Do you prefer to focus on the outer world or on your own inner world? This is called Extraversion (E) or Introversion (I).  Information: Do you prefer to focus on the basic information you take in or do you prefer to interpret and add meaning? This is called Sensing (S) or Intuition (N).   Decisions: When making decisions, do you prefer to first look at logic and consistency or first look at the people and special circumstances? This is called Thinking (T) or Feeling (F).   Structure: In dealing with the outside world, do you prefer to get things decided or do you prefer to stay open to new information and options? This is called Judging (J) or Perceiving (P).   Your Personality Type: When you decide on your preference in each category, you have your own personality type, which can be expressed as a code with four letters.   The 16 personality types of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® instrument are listed here as they are often shown in what is called a “type table.” My type is an ENTJ.
• Winslow Dynamics Profile: This is an in-depth description of your personality and attitudes as determined by a self-assessment test. My report was 38 pages so it is quite in depth.
• Various 360 degree reports: these can be very useful to see how you are seen from your boss's, peer's and report's perspective. Be ready for some suprises!
• The Birkman Advanced Report: This report consists of 298 questions and produces a series of related report sets that facilitate team building,and personal development.   It includes Areas of interest, underlying needs, stress behaviors, unusal behaviors and organizational focus. My report was about 100 pages.
• Campbell Interest and skill Survey: This measures self reported vocational interests and skills. It was written by David Campbell PhD.
• MAPP Assessment: this test takes about 15 minutes to complete and identifies your true motivations towards work allowing you to match yourself to the correct job.
• Self Management Profile: This test measures you abilities to be effective in a self managed business.
• The Color Code: this test measures you as a Red, Blue, White or Yellow. I am a Purple

There are thousands of other tests out there. This is just a taste of what is avalible.

Personlighetstyp:

Allvarliga och lågmälda. Söker trygghet och ett lugnt liv. Ytterst noggranna, ansvarstagande och pålitliga. God koncentrationsförmåga. Ofta positiva till att upprätthålla existerande traditioner och institutioner. Arbetar hårt och är välorganiserade. Målinriktade. När de väl bestämt sig kommer de nästan alltid att framgångsrikt slutföra sina projekt.

Karriärer som skulle kunna passa:

Företagsledare, operativa chefer, administratörer, kamrerer, banktjänstemän, poliser, detektiver, domare, advokater, läkare, tandläkare, programmerare, systemvetare, dataspecialister, revisorer, elektriker, matematiklärare, maskiningenjörer, stålarbetare, tekniker.

]]> http://kellysosanbearer.wordpress.com/?p=232 Mon, 18 Aug 2008 18:46:46 +0000 Sosan http://kellysosanbearer.da.wordpress.com/2008/08/18/toward-an-integral-treatment-methodology-for-schizophrenia-part-six/ Lines of Development

People have different lines of development: cognitive, emotional, moral, artistic, etc. Individuals tend to do really well in some areas of their life, such as musical and cognitive abilities, but perform poorly in other areas, like morality or interpersonal relationships. This is due to their varying lines of development. These lines “unfold in progressive ways.”38 All these lines have the capacity to grow through stages of development. The therapist is able to discern where the client excels and what aspects of the individual need more growth and development. As part of the assessment process, the therapist is able to tailor a treatment plan that uses both the client’s strengths (strengths based) and weaknesses (deficits based) to better serve the client. Most treatment plans tend to focus on either the clients strengths (biopsychosocial model) or the clients deficits (medical model). The Integral approach allows for the therapist to use both the client’s strengths and weaknesses, while developing the treatment plan.

Many clients with schizophrenia have difficulty with treatment compliance. By including both strengths and deficits in treatment, the client may have a greater chance of actually complying with the treatment plan. Clients are not compliant out of a deviant stance. Clients tend not to comply when they don’t possess the necessary skills to carry it out. The Integral model offers the therapist a tool to actually assess the clients various lines of development. Figure 3, Appendix C, represents the Integral “psychograph”.

The client’s level of development and the therapeutic relationship are also important for treatment compliance. The therapeutic alliance, or the “we” space between the client and the therapist can be a large factor in determining treatment compliance. The therapist needs to be able to resonate at the same developmental level as the client. The integrally informed therapist words language to meet the client where he is at, so as not to talk above or below the client’s level of understanding. Different levels of development provide different skills and abilities. A lot of treatment compliance is determined by the meaning and value the client sees in treatment. The integrally informed therapist discusses this with the client in value language that the individual will relate to and be motivated by.

The psychograph is an easy way to visually represent these multiple lines of development. Through the stages of development (prepersonal, personal, transpersonal) the lines of development unfold. In figure 3, we see someone who excels in artistic and cognitive intelligences, but who is less developed morally, kinesthetically and emotionally. Each client will invariably have a very different psychograph.

The psychograph helps to locate where the client’s deepest gifts are and where they need help in their overall development. It helps to spot ways in which the client is unevenly developed. For the client, this will mean that the treatment plan not only focuses on the client’s strengths and gifts, but also those specific lines that are weak and causing issues in their everyday life.

Types

The fifth element of Integral Theory is types. This paper focuses on types in the Upper-Left quadrant. Everyone has a personality style. Some of these different styles or types can be seen along a continuum of polarities. For instance, masculine/feminine, thinking/feeling, active/passive, judging/perceiving, sensing/intuiting, extrovert/introvert, etc. Types are most often assessed using a personality inventory such as the Myers-Briggs or the Enneagram.

For example, a person with schizophrenia who is also an introvert may not be able to discuss his internal phenomena as easily as one who is an extrovert. The client who is more masculine in type, may have a more difficult time seeking help, versus the more feminine client who may present as overly dependent. The feminine type client may have difficulty with a treatment plan that emphasizes autonomy as the feminine type is known to thrive in communion with others. This client will fare better in group therapy, whereas the client with a masculine type may be overwhelmed participating in a large group.

An integrally informed therapist might choose to include a types assessment in treatment. The therapist takes everything into account, but may not treat all of the elements in the AQAL matrix. The therapist may choose to treat only one or two quadrants, but taking all elements into account when deciding that.

- Kelly Sosan Bearer

Short description:
Independent, original, analytical, and determined. Have an exceptional ability to turn theories into solid plans of action. Highly value knowledge, competence, and structure. Driven to derive meaning from their visions. Long-range thinkers. Have very high standards for their performance, and the performance of others. Natural leaders, but will follow if they trust existing leaders. (lead, follow or get out of the way)

INTJs as friends
INTJs are usually difficult to get to know well, and difficult to get close to. Those who are close to the INTJ will highly value them for their ideas and knowledge. Although INTJs are generally very serious-minded people, they also have been known to enjoy letting loose and having fun, if others pull them into it. They also can be really good at telling jokes, and exhibiting a sarcastic wit with a poker face.

The INTJ is not likely to choose to spend time with people who they feel don’t have anything to offer the INTJ. They especially like to spend time with other Intuitive Thinkers, and also usually enjoy the company of Intuitive Feelers. These personality types love to theorize and speculate about ideas, and so can usually relate well to the INTJ, who loves to analyze ideas.

Many INTJs believe that they are always right. (i thought i was wrong once, but i was wrong)  In some INTJs, this belief is quite obvious, while in others it is more subtle. Some people may have a difficult time accepting what they see as a “superior attitude” or “snobbery”. Not to imply that INTJs are snobbish, just that some people with strong Feeling preferences may perceive them that way. And some individuals simply have no interest in the theoretical pursuits which the INTJ enjoys.

INTJs generally have the following traits:

* Able to absorb extremely complex theoretical and complex material
* Driven to create order and structure from theoretical abstractions
* Supreme strategists (oh yea)
* Future-oriented
* See the global, “big picture”
* Strong insights and intuitions, which they trust implicitly (yep)
* Value their own opinions over others (unfortunately)
* Love difficult theoretical challenges
* Bored when dealing with mundane routine
* Value knowledge and efficiency (true)
* Have no patience with inefficiency and confusion (you can say that again)
* Have very high standards for performance, which they apply to themselves most strongly (that's me)
* Reserved and detached from others
* Calm, collected and analytical (a good thing)
* Extremely logical and rational (extremely)
* Original and independent
* Natural leaders, but will follow those they can fully support
* Creative, ingenious, innovative, and resourceful
* Work best alone, and prefer to work alone

Possible Career Paths for the INTJ:

* Scientists
* Engineers
* Professors and Teachers
* Medical Doctors / Dentists
* Corporate Strategists and Organization Builders
* Business Administrators / Managers
* Military Leaders
* Lawyers / Attorneys
* Judges
* Computer Programmers, Systems Analysts and Computer Specialists

the scary thing is there are no ministers on this list. haha

allen

Jim McDonald claims all novels can be plotted in 3D-space along the axes

x: True to Beautiful
y: Realistic to Symbolic
z: Dinosaurian to Sodomistic.

First off, let me explain the last scale. "Dinosaurian to sodomistic" refers to the poles of comic and tragic, or happy and somber. As an LGBT identified rabble-rouser, I was a little disturbed by what "sodomistic" meant, but it apparently arose from a Clarion workshop, wherein the creative instructor was finding a writer's story to be "angsty and sodomistic" and said it needed more dinosaurs. When the writer came back with too much fluff, the instructor said it needed more sodomy. See?

Now, that explained, the comments at the blog were enlightening. Okay, challenging. Okay, I felt smarter after I read them and think they're all pretentious -- and I say that because they were way more clever than me. I could never have come up with such speculations, let alone understand half the ones they offered. They speculated on the notion that there could be a mathematically perfect novel, questions about how Truth and Beauty could be opposite poles when science often equates them, that editors might one day have formulas based in coordinates for each genre:

Thank you for submitting your manuscript. Unfortunately, Tor only publishes books which fall within 0.1 units of (-0.8, 0.5, 0.2) on the Macdonald Scale. Our test readers classified your novel as (-0.26, 0.11, 0.9). If you wish to resubmit, please make your story a) less beautiful b) more symbolic c) more saurian. (ajay)

Hank came up a system already out there based on how people perceive in the first place:

evaluative (Good-Bad)
potency (Strong-Weak)
activity (Active-Passive)

Stephen expanded on Mike to address novels like Myers-Briggs addresses personality:

A story can be plotted in 4-space over where it sits in these dimensions[Conventional/Subversive] [allegorical/realistic] [epic/intimate] [True/Beautiful]. This is independent of genre, quality, or value. It's simply a way of describing fundamental characteristics of a story. Like Myers/Briggs is a simple way of categorizing personality types. You may prefer subversive/allegorical/epic/true stories (not my personal choice), but there is nothing wrong with any extremes or midpoints for that matter.

As someone fascinated with theory and generally any sort of meta-analysis, I've been just drawing out graphs all morning wondering how one might plot a novel this way and if the subjectivity of each category is such that a mathematical analysis is no more objective than a review. Meaning, I may think of my own stories as ranking high in the Symbolic, like a -100, but others may not and rank me say around 0, smack in the middle of Realistic/Symbolic.

Well, I suggest you go read the post and comments, because you'll probably get so much more from their back-and-forth. After all, my personality may be an INFJ but my blog is just so SRIT...

ESFPs

"Where's the party?" ESFPs love people, excitement, telling stories and having fun. The spontaneous, impulsive nature of this type is almost always entertaining. And ESFPs love to entertain -- on stage, at work, and/or at home. Social gatherings are an energy boost to these "people" people.

SPs sometimes think and talk in more of a spider-web approach. Several of my ESFP friends jump from thought to thought in mid-sentence, touching here or there in a manner that's almost incoherent to the listener, but will eventually cover the waterfront by skipping on impulse from one piece of information to another. It's really quite fascinating. ESFPs are attracted to new ideas, new fashions, new gadgets, new ______. Perhaps it's the newness of life that attracts ESFPs to elementary education, especially to preschool and kindergarten. ESFPs love to talk to people about people. Some of the most colorful storytellers are ESFPs. Their down-to-earth, often homespun wit reflects a mischievous benevolence. Almost every ESFP loves to talk. Some can be identified by the twenty minute conversation required to ask or answer a simple factual question.

ESFJs

Guardians of birthdays, holidays and celebrations, ESFJs are generous entertainers. They enjoy and joyfully observe traditions and are liberal in giving, especially where custom prescribes. All else being equal, ESFJs enjoy being in charge. They see problems clearly and delegate easily, work hard and play with zest. ESFJs, as do most SJs, bear strong allegiance to rights of seniority. They willingly provide service (which embodies life's meaning) and expect the same from others.

ESFJs are easily wounded. And when wounded, their emotions will not be contained. They by nature "wear their hearts on their sleeves," often exuding warmth and bonhomie, but not infrequently boiling over with the vexation of their souls. Some ESFJs channel these vibrant emotions into moving dramatic performances on stage and screen. Strong, contradictory forces consume the ESFJ. Their sense of right and wrong wrestles with an overwhelming rescuing, 'mothering' drive. This sometimes results in swift, immediate action taken upon a transgressor, followed by stern reprimand; ultimately, however, the prodigal is wrested from the gallows of their folly, just as the noose tightens and all hope is lost, by the very executioner!

An ESFJ at odds with self is a remarkable sight. When a decision must be made, especially one involving the risk of conflict (abhorrent to ESFJs), there ensues an in-house wrestling match between the aforementioned black-and-white Values and the Nemesis of Discord. The contender pits self against self, once firmly deciding with the Right, then switching to Prudence to forestall hostilities, countered by unswerving Values, ad exhaustium, winner take all. As caretakers, ESFJs sense danger all around--germs within, the elements without, unscrupulous malefactors, insidious character flaws. The world is a dangerous place, not to be trusted. Not that the ESFJ is paranoid; 'hyper-vigilant' would be more precise. And thus they serve excellently as protectors, outstanding in fields such as medical care and elementary education.

If I was into astrology, I'd blame it on being born on a cusp day...but apparently my personality is about being indecisive...so why be decisive over what what Myers-Briggs typology I am supposed to "fit in to."

• The Moment When You Realize Life Isn't What You Wanted: So a person goes through life and is like this is what I'm all about, this is what I refuse to do, etc, etc. For me, in high school I had sworn off boys and said that I never wanted kids. Joining a convent and becoming a nun sounded like an ideal life. Oh how the mighty and overly self-righteous people fall, cause now...I'm mourning my singleness, cause I've now become the polar opposite of what I was. In high school I was an ENTJ, now...ESFP/J (more J than P). I went from big picture thinking, to a details feeler. It's almost weird to think someone could make a shift that quickly. But with this, you contemplate how in heavens name you are supposed to think about our future. Next point.
• Oh crap, the Future: So I only think about my future when I'm stressed out about my present day life. And with the job making me nuts...I think about the future a tad more, which includes thoughts of opening my own bakery, moving to CA to work in the entertainment industry, getting a Journalism master's degree, moving to some cold state like MN or WI to take advantage of great Women's History programs, or just finding some nice Christian man to marry (cause that last one would be so easy to just snap my fingers and make happen). Last night was devoted to looking into women's history degrees, and let me tell you...apparently schools in warm climates don't like studying women and history in the same program, and my warm-blooded nature isn't cool with that.
• Advice to Ignore: My "high society" Friend (who I went to college with, and still works at our alma mater) has decided that I should email the guy from my old job and suggest a coffee date. I'm sorry, are we kidding...do I seem like the sort of person that would do that out of the blue. Cause let's just think of this: cute boy, old office, chatted about thesis writing, and it well a cute boy. Do we know what I'm scared of...cute boys. Never going to happen. It's why I'm single. And I embrace that knowledge.
• Advice/Idea to Run With: Law School Friend and I have a joke about opening a Law Office/Bakery. I love the idea. I want the idea to be a reality. She's only a rising 2L...I have time to plot and plan.
• Today, I realized: The gym may actually be working...(maybe)
• Yesterday, I almost: Applied for a job in a bakery
• This past weekend, I: Definitely had a guy related ego boost...I'm never going out with E again, cause seriously, hordes of men on a dance floor, they hovered around the three of us girls that were out and dancing together (it's cause it was three girls...). I have to say, I can't dance with guys I don't know...
• Overall: One word, Insanity.

The End (of this post) :)

(I'm going to use "we" a lot because I've been looking at some discussion boards about this and the descriptions of INFJs seem to be very accurate for others who test as INFJ.)

INFJs are really, really idealistic. To the point that we have very high standards for, and are highly critical of ourselves. This can get pretty frustrating, but I guess I still like that I won't BS myself and I won't settle. Still, I went through pretty rough levels of self-loathing as a younger teenager. With regards to other people, we can sometimes have unrealistically high expectations of close friends and family, but we are also very forgiving. Usually we really love people, and see good in everyone.

We are delicate butterflies. Haha...well maybe not exactly. But emotionally we tend to get hurt very easily, because we get super invested into relationships. We really enjoy helping other people, not just to look good or to feel like superior people...it just really makes us feel good. We kind of consider it our purpose in life to support others. I think we're not typical introverts because we are so concerned with our relationships. Like, I wish I could spend more time with people, but after a lot of interaction with people I seriously feel tired out and need to recharge by being alone and pondering things.

We value authenticity a lot (all "NF" types do).

The problem for Idealists is that this ardent wish to be genuine at all times and everywhere actually separates them from the authenticity they demand of themselves, and forces them, to a certain extent, into the very role-playing they want to avoid. Instead of the whole-hearted, authentic person they want to be, they are at once director and actor: they are on stage, and prompting themselves with lines. The irony of this wanting to be authentically themselves is that it often leaves Idealists feeling divided and false, standing to one side and telling themselves to be themselves.

This feels 100% true for me. It can be debilitating, this obsession with authenticity. But, alas. Overanalyzation: We Haz It.

What do I want in life? I'm not really concerned with leaving behind a legacy or making fantabulous works of art that change the world (well, actually, the latter is pretty appealing too). I want to find my true self, to form intimate and lasting connections with people, and to support the people I love. I want to find my soulmate, someone who truly understands me and who will appreciate and reciprocate the love I want to give.

I can see how all of this would sound phony and naive, but phony it isn't. (Naive? I like to think not). I truly believe in these things: soulmates, the power of love, self-actualization. Even on an anonymous forum such as this, I still feel kind of self-conscious expressing all of this. It's not that I'm ashamed; as silly as it may sound I think I'm afraid of being misunderstood. Sometimes I feel pretty isolated but most of the time I'm fine...I just can't really explain my feelings to my family well. They think I am too emotional and idealistic ^^;

On a final note, we aren't emo ;.;

Alright, maybe a little.

The Myers-Briggs aspect of the discussion interested me less than the notion that in our twenties and thirties we explore the "other" side of our personality (perhaps more consistently than we do in later years). Obviously, there's a sense that the college years (to some extent, whether one attends college or not) are a time for self-exploration and -definition to the point that "what happens in college stays in college" (e.g. the increased heteroflexibility straight people tend to display, or admit to having displayed, at least "that one time in college"), but the idea that we potentially explore specifically the aspects of our personality that are not as dominant or instinctual in our twenties strikes me as interesting.  Especially when you consider that the twenties and thirties are often considered prime dating years, and thus a time for exploring the relational aspect of self in particular.  Case and point, another personality lens: Erik Erikson's stages of psychosocial development, which suggest that the main struggle for 18- to 35-year-olds is "intimacy versus isolation."  Because one too many sociology classes has forever destroyed my ability to think solely in terms of the individual, I immediately jumped (upon hearing  about Erikson's claims in an intro psych class) to social pressure to explore the dating scene and seek out a marriage partner between the time one reaches legal adulthood (18, in the States at least) and the time one turns 35.  I argued that this was not necessarily our main struggle, so much as it was the struggle we were encouraged by our society to be having during this stage, a point I still consider valid and possibly valid in relation to other of Erikson's stages as well.  My point in this entry, however, was that if, as twenty- and thirty-somethings, we are -- for whatever reason -- inclined to explore our relational selves, and we are also inclined to explore our "other" selves, then it seems to follow logically that we would consider our "other" relational selves. 

Such a possibility seems increasingly likely in our current culture, which manages a sort of fair-weather queer identity, one that allows a certain (limited) amount of freedom for straight people to experiment with queer experience, even as it remains queer-negative in terms of social policy, religious propaganda, the definition of marriage (even in federally-funded sex "education"), et cetera.  I wonder to what extent this privilege of "flexibility" extends to out queers.  ("Queers" in this case excluding bisexuals, as I'm presuming people who are even rather "rigidly" bisexual manage at least as much sexual flexibility as the most heteroflexible folks among us.)  I know that, linguistically at least, gays have been offered a parallel term in "homoflexible"... and yet, I suspect there's a great deal more at stake (or at least something very different at stake) for gay people than for straight folks.

For multiple reasons (the ongoing animosity many gays and lesbians feel toward bisexuals, the continued insistence of homophobic people that one's homosexuality may be "just a phase," etc) experimentation by queers with ostensibly non-queer relationships is tricky, and I think any bisexual who lands in a committed relationship with a partner of the "opposite" gender can begin to attest to why.  While socially gays and lesbians stand firmly in the realm of the other, an exploration of our personal shadow-side can land us in unfamiliar/ traditional territory.  While self-described "heteroflexible" individuals experiment with a social-other that is also a personal-other, the "homoflexible" individual risks a queer identity rooted in the social-other to explore zir personal one.  If I, as a lesbian, follow an impulse in my twenties to date a boy, the consequences are different than if I, as a straight woman, follow an impulse in my twenties to date a girl.  Similarly, while asexuality -- given the resounding message of "fuck you" (or rather, "no thank you") it sends to the hypersexual culture, which insists sexuality (and sexual activity in particular) are defining aspects of the 20-something existence -- lands squarely in the "other" category, the out-asexual exploring their other/shadow self risks increased questioning (by the outside world) of their asexual identification.  Claiming the "asexual" label is a difficult enough move for a celibate person to navigate, but what happens to an asexual experimenting with sexual behavior?  Impressively, from the limited number of conversations I've witnessed amongs aces, there seems to be a tendency to support sexual exploration, even when such experimentation isn't all that understandable to the people doing the supporting.  Whether this is just another reason aces are inherently cool, a glimpse of what the queer community looks like sans politics and phobias, or some combination of the two, I can't really guess.  But as a not-exactly-asexual person who recently started a blog on sex and has thus ended up "exploring" it quite a bit more than ever before, I can say I appreciate the openness.

I'm a huge fan of queer culture (shocking, I know), so I find it unbelievably lame that -- as a result of our persistent biphobia, our fear of having our own identification de-legitimized, or some other need I'm not recognizing at the moment -- we continue to try and limit other people's explorations of their a/sexuality.  Labels, in my view, are ultimately words.  They are seriously fantastic tools for communicating our experiences and attempting to explain the lens through which we most often interpret the world, but when we spend our time polishing (and limiting) the definition of those labels instead of using the labels to define ourselves, we end up unnecessarily constraining not only our own experience but that of other people whom we have no right to hold back.  What's with the queer-on-queer oppression, seriously?  I honestly think it's past time that we as a community explored our "other" side.  Do you know the one I'm talking about?  It's the one where we manage to relate to one another without imposing our own experience onto each other or insisting that this person's lesbianism look like our lesbianism instead of a third person's bisexuality.  Words are shorthand for understanding people, after all, and as a community, when we continually sacrifice people (ourselves included) for the sake of protecting those words, we have a serious problem.

I studied abroad twice in college, to Uganda and Romania, and I would say that the vast majority of my undergraduate formation and learning occurred in those two semesters away from the US. There is something about being plucked from the comfort of your own culture and language and dropped into (what feels like) another world that really accelerates the learning process, at least for me. For some, such displacement can be overwhelming. But, for folks like myself, it is in those times of cultural dislocation that make me feel most alive. I really see this as a gift I have been blessed with - the ability to adjust quickly to new situations, to have an open mind, to experience new ways of doing things without balking. When this gift isn't being used, I feel....anxious, sluggish, depressed. And, if you know anything about ENFPs, you can understand how things like monotony, bureaucracy, sameness will drive them out of their own skin. According to one Myers-Briggs profile, "ENFPs like travel and reading because these activities open experiences of other times and places. Their reading often brings quiet and reflection time, as well as new material for their dreams. Their travels afford them opportunities to experience different people and cultures." Right on the nose.  

I've been traveling abroad since I was 14 - missions trips to Bolivia (twice), Wales, Tanzania, and Guatemala; travel around Italy, Great Britain, Spain, Costa Rica, and Hungary; working and studying in Uganda and Romania. Each of those trips, no matter how short, required a certain amount of adjustment and adaptability which wasn't easy at first (I remember distinctly the culture shock I experienced getting off that plane in the La Paz airport) but became, like any skill or habit, easier and more natural over time. And each of those trips unveiled a corner of the world otherwise unknown to me. The various shapes and shades on a map became alive to me, real places with real people living out their normal lives. Considering I come from one of the most ethnocentric countries in the world, I learned at a young age that the Planet Earth does not revolve around the axis of the USA. A valuable lesson, indeed.

As  a Christian, encountering other members of Christ's Body scattered all over the world has unraveled the myth that my allegiance is to a nation-state. When I vote for a US president (a person whose executive power has a profound and terrifying effect on the rest of the world), I remember my friend Diana, who lives in Romania, or my friend Gayo, a Tanzanian living in Kenya, or my friend Stephen, who is from the DRC, or the coffee farmer I met in Costa Rica, or the rural church pastor I met in Guatemala - I remember my friends and reflect on how this president's policies will ultimately affect them, whether through trade tariffs and embargoes, immigration laws, or an international affairs policy that supports preemptive attacks on "hostile" nations.

I remember the first time I landed in Uganda, backing January of 2004, with almost picture-perfect memory. I remember the tall palm trees surrounding the airport, the humid air, the multi-lingual greetings in the customs line. I remember the long bus ride through downtown Kampala, taking in all the sites and sounds and smells of this new place that was to be our home, for at least a short time. I remember women in colorful dress carrying jerrycans on their heads, men in three piece suits walking along the road in 90 degree heat, motorbikes zooming in and out of lanes, children selling roasted chicken and chapatis on the street corner. The idea that I could once again step off a plane at Entebbe airport fills me with so much delight. It has been my dream since June of 2004, when I arrive home in the US, to go back to that place that stole my heart. The idea that that dream could become a reality within the next few years at Duke is astonishing to me.

• MBTI measures aspirations as much as reality.  One has to be very careful about whether you're seeing what you are or what you wish to be.  Both are OK results, just know the difference.
• The test and rating scheme were heavily influenced by the types and theories of the creators themselves (and ultimately Carl Jung's concept of Psychological Type). 
• The logocentric nature really turns some folks off (though I see the four characters like they're on slot machine "wheels"). 
• The simplistic visualizations in MBTI mask the malleability and fuzzy nature of "type."  As noted above, one's mental or emotional statecan skew the results.  Also, other tests/approaches have more straightforward insights into the differences between how one reacts when stressed vs. relaxed.
• Type can become stereotype -- which is one of the best insights from Stephen Covey's "Seven Habits...."  It is useful as a screening and development tool, but MBTI is much more useful to each individual to know him/herself.  To reinforce this, one approach is to have everyone destroy their "type IDs" at the end of MBTI-based training.
• Type doesn't mean destiny.  Everyone thinks sales people have to be "E," buy many only appear to be extroverts.  Much of their apparent spontaneity is an effect achieved through meticulous preparation.  Many actors are "I" as well -- one of the reasons The Method is so effective.