Personality Type Discussion

Lovelight

Hey, I thought it'd be fun to get to know each other a bit. In poll I include general personality types: Introvert, Extravert, and Ambivert. ?

You can select which one you think you identify with most. Then in comments, feel free to share your results for any other personality type tests you have taken, like the: Myers Briggs Personality Test

chubbybunny

Ambivert? I’m not familiar with that one

CountryJoe

Below is the googled definition of ambivert. I never heard of it, either. Given the choices, that might describe me better than the others. Although, when I was working ( i’m Retired ), some could have described me as an extrovert.
“a person whose personality has a balance of extrovert and introvert features.”

Lovelight

Thank you @CountryJoe that's a good general description of Ambivertion. ?

@chubbybunny this short clip I found explains well:

Lovelight

@CountryJoe sometimes we try to fit into our work, we might not like the hours, the type, etc. I think best to judge by our free time: how we are like.

UKGuy

I don't see how there can be any such thing as a mix of introvert and extrovert since an introvert has their brain wired differently to an extrovert. That would be like saying someone is a mix of gay and straight. I think a more accurate description of ambivert would be someone who is neither introvert nor extrovert, rather than a mix of the two.

Actually, @UKGuy , you ansŵered your own question. According to Jung (from whom the Myers-Briggs personality types are taken) the extrovert/introvert metric is a scale, with extreme extroversion at one end, and extreme introversion at the other. Like many people, I sit around the mid-point, but with me, slight lean into the extrovert side of the centre. It's interesting that one can sit the same test a few decades later and score almost identically.

Ambivert is one of those invented terms that doesn't really have any meaning, but is useful for those who need to embrace a label of some kind.... Being halfway along the scale between Intro and Extra - vert (normal) is simply not good enough... They want a label of their own, haha.

One simple way to discern introvertism and extrovertism in oneself is to think about whether social engagements and interactions tend to energise a person, or make them feel depleted. By being in the middle , I flip.... So I love social interaction, but only up to a point.... After which I enjoy a little time on my own, away from the crowd.

And gay-heterosexual? Well, a number of studies have indicated that both men and women are on a similar sliding scale. Not sure I go along with that, and most straight men like to think they are entirely and 100% heterosexual. I'm with them but research does point to that sliding scale metric for men.

Lovelight

@graysmith, thank you for your input! ?

I'll leave LGBTQ+ discussion out of this one as it can be a complicated/what's the word... contraversial/hot topic of its own. Though, so long as we remain respectful about things, it's cool.

@UKGuy

Introvert < (ambivert) > Extravert

The two 'extreme' opposites are the most heard of ones and the more or less clearly defined ones.

Of course, as humans we are social and everyone needs rest times: there might be a like 1% exception.

Generally speaking, Introverts: get de-energized from being with others quicker/more. Once in a while they might go partying or be with more people (socially, known or not so known to them). However, their energy level goes down quicker/more and thus, they need to step out (go home, recharge). They need to rest for days/a few weeks or more before going back to being social, again. They prefer most quieter environments and with 1-3 people they know well. They also tend to not like small talk. When they find themselves in a group setting (that they are not leading) they tend to be the more reserved ones: also, thinking quietly before they talk. They prefer to plan in advance: 3 days or more ahead of time and stick to plans (the more this is achieved, the merrier).

Ambiverts in general: fit somewhere in the middle. They can adapt more to the occasion and tend to go more with the flow. As they fall into somewhere in the middle they have some more balance. Hence, they have more threshold for the things mentioned eg. they can handle more: alone time, noise, crowd/social time, etc. than the others can.

Generally speaking, Extraverts: get energized by being in the company of others. They are likely to be content with being in the company of 5 or more people. Plus, being in loud+crowded environments (concerts/). In group setting (unless perhaps shy/etc.) Typically the first ones to participate (raise hand, talk, etc.). The louder/expressive/ ones: tend to think out loud (I think). Most tend to enjoy being in the spotlight. Extraverts don't mind more spontaneous plans. Likewise, they tend to be expressive with people they don't know (that well). They also tend to enjoy starting conversations (esp. small-talk) more than the others.

Hope we helped put things into more perspective for anyone wondering about the personality types. ?

happybear

i noticed a cuddler have letters in their profile and when cuddling i asked; I learned their is a system of defining personality. some cuddlers have letters in their profile labeling their personality ( ENFP, INFP ). For those interested, there is a website:
www.humanmetrics.com where you can take a personality test to find out your personality listing. it helps people understand themselves a little better, as well as others.

waves I'm an:
MB: INFP
Enneagram: 5
Strengths Finder: Relator, Ideation, Restorative, Intellection, Learner
Life path: 7

@daylightsdream: Ooh. New theories of personality. Myers-Briggs and the Enneagram I've heard of, but the other two... not so much.

MB: INTx
Enneagram: 5
Strengths Finder: Analytical, Deliberative, Discipline, Ideation, Intellection

Life path: This seems to have less to do with an individual's personality and more to do with the time they were born and what their parents happened to name them. Maybe Google's showing me the wrong thing. Oh well. Let's substitute!

Big Five:
Extroversion: 6
Neuroticism: 7
Agreeableness: 0
Conscientiousness: 80
Openness to experience: 40

So, @Lovelight... definitely introverted. [grin]

@DarrenWalker Hello. I didn't know about Strengths Finders until I was talking to someone about looking for a different job. Apparently, for a while there, it was the in thing to work into cover letters and resumes. Life path... while certainly more mystery path-ish, I find does describe my personality quite well. 7's are more likely to end up as hermits in the forest solving problems about spirituality (to sum up very tongue in cheek) and are therefore less likely to be extroverts. As extroverts charge by being with people and process out loud you're less likely to find one happy to be a forest hermit long term. Not that one cannot process out loud and alone in the forest coughI'dtotallydothatcough I'll have to try Big Five when my brain is functioning a bit better. Thanks for that new thing.

@daylightsdream: I tend to avoid the woo-woo stuff. Starting with a date of birth and coming up with a personality seems like an unreliable method. I do like letting people get to know my personality really well, then asking them what they think my date of birth is, though.

...I almost always get Aquarius. Sometimes Scorpio, but mainly Aquarius. No one's ever guessed my actual, date-of-birth-based sign.

You'd think I'd run across a coincidental accuracy at least once, what with all these systems. But no. European astrology, Chinese astrology.... And this free calculator says my Life Path is 8. This description doesn't describe me at all. It's actually kind of hilarious how wrong it is. Even a stopped clock (analogue) is right twice a day—can't woo-woo get my personality right at least once? It would be so much fun to pretend!

For those who care:

"As a Life Path 8 you are alive to make an impact on the world through your drive and ambition." I have no drives or ambitions that would make any impact on the world. I mostly just want my living space clean and filled with books. "You are a person of authority—" Well, okay... I suppose I can be. When I want to be. "—and material wealth." Ha. And again: HA. "You will often master the art of being successful in the career of your choosing." Yeah? Let me know when that starts.

"You work very hard to reach your goals." All right, granted. "You will often be considered a workaholic." Hahaha; not a chance. My goals are not work-based. "You can sometimes let hitting your goals, and working, take precedence over other aspects of your life like personal relationships with family and friends." ...Saying 'You can sometimes let getting stuff done take precedence over the mild torture others enjoy inflicting on you' isn't saying much.

"You will typically have issues with authority, whether in the form of a boss, police officer, government official, landlord, etc., which can get you into trouble." Strangely enough... not actually. "This can also drive you to seek out and become a person of authority yourself, so that you don’t have to answer to anyone except yourself." I admit I do prefer that. But it's best if everybody thinks someone else is in charge (including, if possible, the figurehead). Things just work better that way. "When an understanding of the need for a balance between work and personal life is reached—" I don't want a balance. I want zero work and one hundred percent me time. "—you can become unstoppable." Yeah, no one on Earth is that.

Reading through the description of all the possible Life Path numbers, I guess I'd be a 1 or a 7. I do like sorting myself into different categories; I just don't like being sorted based on something irrelevant. You know?

Anyway, I hope you enjoy playing with the five-factor model of personality, daylightsdream! I did.

rdagold

I'm an Ambivert, it can change with moods. Most days I am comfortable being with friends and out in public. There are days when I just want to be home and get projects done and not be bothered.
And also I am comfortable when everyone is busy and I'm just relaxing at home.
Either way I'm comfortable and enjoy the time.

@DarrenWalker

I won't defend the woo. I wanna but I won't. It's not for everyone and I'm good with that. (I don't want to be thus the desire to defend/illuminate/interpret but it's more important to me for people be who they are than to inspire folks to come to my side of the line. )

Thanks for being so open and honest in your answer.

RyanLad

I rarely speak to anyone outside and currently am struggling to get a job, even land an interview because I keep canceling. So yes I’m extremely introverted. But I still love chatting and meeting new people if they’re open to it, and want to talk again. I have a lot of friends online, who I love to talk to, but in person I’m hopeless unless they show direct interest.

Sideon

MB: ENFP
Enneagram: A 7 (Epicure, Adventurer) with a strong 8 (Controller) wing
Strengths Finder: Strategic, Deliberative, Ideation, Activator, Futuristic

Big Five:

TheFunCartel

I find it sad that people want to have their personality put in a box and classified. That is what you do with dead butterflies.

Lola_

I think these classifications can be really fun and provide new insights. When taking in depth personality tests like the Enneagram, I often find myself sorting through and reflecting on my own behavior and sense of self. Clearly the various tests are just a starting point and not set in stone, 100% accurate etc. If you don't enjoy self reflection that's fine @FunCartel but there's no point in being sad about others enjoying and benefiting from it

Sideon

Dead butterflies, @FunCartel ?

I think of personalities and classifications more like facets of a diamond.

But if you're into dead insects, so be it.

TheFunCartel

@Lola_ Hmmm. Disliking being classified is not the same as introspection. What similarity there is is shallow at best. Introspection to me is analyzing how I can be a better person and evolve rather than what box I can fit into so I can say I belong to a type. Many of these personality tests were paid for, developed, and implemented for corporate and governmental purposes—-to put large numbers of people in manageable boxes for hiring, placement and usability reasons among other things.

@Sideon Diamonds? We all have flaws and one of yours was taking the analogy of dead butterflies literally. British poet John Donne once used the blood of a flea in an erotic poem to his lover but he was never obsessed with fleas, so I consider myself safe from a butterfly obsession.

Sideon

@FunCartel , you've hurt my one feeling! I'll raise you one John Donne with D.H. Lawrence and Walt Whitman.

Before there were corporate engines, there has always been tribalism. We are social creatures that like to name and define what we see and experience, flaws and all.

@FunCartel, you can't be classified. Not really. None of us can. However cleverly the definition-box gets shaped, there are always bits that don't fit. I still like climbing in the various boxes and deciding which ones I like best, though.

"INTJ and INTP!" I might decide. "Aquarius and Scorpio! Enneagram 5! Raistlin Majere!" Of course all of these classifications only describe me shallowly. But each new, two-dimensional facet I discover gives me a fuller image of my more-than-2-D self—at least the parts other people can see. My own, internal perspective on myself is certainly the one I think's the most accurate, important, deeply true, etc... but there's nothing wrong with taking a look at yourself from other points of view, is there?

So long as nobody's trying to push you into one of those boxes and keep you there, of course. That sort of behavior can ruin boxes for you forever.

@FunCartel - When I was younger I was gaslighted a lot. I used these systems as ways to help me know that what I thought I knew about myself wasn't wrong.

Reading some INFP stuff helped me know that I wasn't alone in constantly mapping my emotions and gauging them against my morals and ethics constantlyallthetimeallthetime.

I don't like being put in boxes and sometimes it's nice to be able to say, "I'm an introvert," to people when they keep asking me to go to some gathering(s) and I'm completely peopled out for the day/week. It's a term that's understood in our society so I can use it as a short hand instead of having to say, "I get charged by being alone and I've spent so much time being other people today/this week/month that it would be taxing to me to go to this gathering." I tell the I'm an introvert and the invitations become more open ended and less demanding and people get less hurt when I turn them down.

Myers-Briggs was introduced to me when I was much younger by an old friend of mine to help me understand that different people are motivated by different things. She encouraged me to read about what different things can motivate different types of people. Some people can't see/don't understand/just don't know that not everyone is motivated by the same things that they are themselves.

I once read the line in some fanfiction (yes, I totally read fanfiction) that said, "Black and white is for coloring books still on the shelf." I wanted to get this put on a t-shirt I loved it so much. Still do. Still may. I, too, believe in depth and gray scales and the infinity color pack of crayons (with the sharpener in the back of the box.) I get boxy when I get put in a box by others and some words are useful for helping create understanding between people by having a common language point from which to start. The hope is that it's just the conversation starter and that people keep talking to one another to learn how nuanced they are and what those nuances are.

@RyanLad Good luck with the job search.