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My Issues with the Whole Personality Hoopla
Everything about personality is subjective; the terms (different connotations, different frames of reference), the assessment (how can you understand someone else’s brain, preferences? How can you truly know your own in other people’s terms?), the concept of personality itself. So I find it extremely annoying when people try to say it is scientific or can be made so. I think that psychology itself is a pseudo-science (at best) because how can you prove the abstract, dynamic, and subjective IN SOMEONE ELSE’S mind, emotions, etc. For that matter, how can you define and determine the beginning or end of the mind, emotions, instinct, etc.?
So, I have fun taking all these tests, but I inevitably don’t match, and I inevitably run into so many false correlations, false dichotomies, such as implied associations “if you are emotional, you are an empathetic, people pleaser,” “analytical equals quiet,” or “if you have a logical mind, you aren’t run by emotions.” That last, HAHAHA, who says your mind has any control over your emotions or actions?
If this was a “what kind of cookie are you?” sort of test from Buzzfeed, everything would be fun, but people inevitably try to push all this as fact, and that is what, exacerbated by the obvious logical errors, drives me INSANE. That, and repeatedly trying to type myself by various versions of a highly anti-scientific typology. I’m learning more about the “cognitive functions.” Which again, has SO many false correlations/dichotomies, why do you have two extroverted functions and two introverted?
If you are wondering, on 16 Personalities. I’ve gotten ISTP (a couple times), ISTJ (once), and INTP (once); and they’ve all being Turbulent (my highest percentage). On other dinkier tests, I’ve gotten ISTP. Oh, and another thing, I’m NOT a quiet person. I don’t understand people-lover=talker and people-dislike/hater/fearer=quiet. Most people like at least some people, we are human after all. Some of us just aren’t highly motivated to socialize with or please everyone.
ISTP are “doers.” Mechanical sort of people. I don’t think that fits. Being mechanically minded can probably be confused with being kinesthetic. But that is tied to my thinking, I think best when my hands are busy. That doesn’t sound like ISTP.
I’ve also (anecdotal evidence, hello, inconsistent), feel (subjective) that Myers-Briggs draws certain types, namely the I-F people (although, you could run some sort of Big Data test to pull up the most used Myers-Briggs type on the Internet or a search engine; digital footprints are concrete though not conclusive or necessarily entirely representative). The least-likely to be scientific people in other words.
23 Signs You’re Secretly a Narcissist Masquerading as a Sensitive Introvert
The Enneagram Types of Your Favorite Books, Characters, and Authors
Google “Sedig Enneagram Test” to pull up the PDF test (this is the best free online one I’ve seen with nice explanations)
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Structured Spontaneity
My dad quoted someone as saying some people were running on “chaos” theory. While I’m not sure I’m that bad, I certainly run on fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants theory (I certainly did my Senior year of college; my sister, also a Senior then, told me later that I about gave her a heart attack . . . regularly) . . . or maybe moodiness theory. I think that this is part of the reason why I cannot seem to match personality types to a T (if they are very detailed). I like rules and lists, but I don’t like following schedules and lists. I follow honor codes and laws, but silly rules don’t appeal to me. I keep some things in my head, and I need a few things on paper and in my phone, but when I have too many to-dos, I get overwhelmed.I guess I like structured spontaneity. I want a list items to choose from, to CHOOSE from, not to be bound to. I think that my entire family might be this way, but some of us are more motivated and disciplined. Now, I don’t like completely winging errands or vacations . . . especially since that sometimes means we do nothing. Of course, when we do have lists, my energy is quickly expended.
I’m easily overwhelmed. I don’t know why I pin or bookmark these pages, sometimes. I think these can be great as bouncing points. I like the lists of activates, books, etc. to pick from, I don’t like the lists of to-dos. I need more general ideas, and sometimes somethings are better left in my head or at least I might use lists to get to that point but not to keep as checklists. The more inspirational things, well, I think I’d like to get a chalkboard for that, those types of pages have been wasted paper in my bullet journal, and they don’t matter if they don’t take root in my heart anyway.
