Monday 9 September 2013

personality test (this is a good one!)

I just want to put out there that I generally hate personality/health/IQ test thingys, but in the spirit of Blogtember I complied accordingly with Jenni's request. 

*drumroll please* 
I am type INFJ personality. 

Yeh I dont know either how they come up with this stuff. Except scarily, the breakdown sounds kinda familiar. Im a bit of an introvert, intuitive, focused on my feelings and have a moderate preference to judging (which is a bit odd because I really don't think I am a judgmental person but maybe I understand it wrong)


Not to bore you, you can get the complete breakdown of the INFJ personality here. And after some further analysis, I would have to say many of the comments are quite accurate. INFJ personalities have a knack for communication, are sympathetic, selective when it comes to friendships, idealists, follow their dreams but get things done. 

INFJs are deeply concerned about their relations with individuals as well as the state of humanity at large. They are, in fact, sometimes mistaken for extroverts because they appear so outgoing and are so genuinely interested in people -- a product of the Feeling function they most readily show to the world. On the contrary, INFJs are true introverts, who can only be emotionally intimate and fulfilled with a chosen few from among their long-term friends, family, or obvious "soul mates." While instinctively courting the personal and organizational demands continually made upon them by others, at intervals INFJs will suddenly withdraw into themselves, sometimes shutting out even their intimates. This apparent paradox is a necessary escape valve for them, providing both time to rebuild their depleted resources and a filter to prevent the emotional overload to which they are so susceptible as inherent "givers." As a pattern of behavior, it is perhaps the most confusing aspect of the enigmatic INFJ character to outsiders, and hence the most often misunderstood

I know most people who know me would laugh if I told them I am somewhat shy, but the above really quite accurately describes my personality. I am genuinely interested in people because I think you can learn a lot from those around you. But I don't feel the need to be surrounded by a huge group of friends and can feel almost anxious in large social situations. 

I think this is something I have learnt over the years; when you decide to become an expat, you inevitably have to accept that some relationships will not last. For me friendships need substance; I think I am content knowing the friendships I continue to maintain with people near and far are all because I really love and respect those people. I also think this personality trait serves me well because I a am happy with my own company. 

For instance, there can sometimes be a "tug-of-war" between NF vision and idealism and the J practicality that urges compromise for the sake of achieving the highest priority goals.

I think my head is much older than my years, because I always look at the practicalities of a situation before throwing myself into it. A quality which can be good and bad in equal measure. I have an idealistic approach to the world; I want to fix all the problems and like to the see the best in people and I am quite happy to forgo my preferences in pursuit of compromise. 

Usually self-expression comes more easily to INFJs on paper, as they tend to have strong writing skills. Since in addition they often possess a strong personal charisma, INFJs are generally well-suited to the "inspirational" professions such as teaching (especially in higher education) and religious leadership. Psychology and counseling are other obvious choices, but overall, INFJs can be exceptionally difficult to pigeonhole by their career paths. Perhaps the best example of this occurs in the technical fields. Many INFJs perceive themselves at a disadvantage when dealing with the mystique and formality of "hard logic", and in academic terms this may cause a tendency to gravitate towards the liberal arts rather than the sciences.

I think this is my favourite part of the whole analysis. Firstly it is spookily correct about the way I express myself (errr hello blogger) which makes me think my opening statement that I hate the personality tests should be retracted. 

This is also my favourite section because apparently I should be in an inspirational profession such as teacher or religious leader...........................................................................................................sorry I was just rolling on the floor laughing for a second. This is the least accurate part of the analysis; while personlity wise I could stand strong in such profession, in practice I could not, since the introvert side of me would overtake me too much to teach and I am kinda cloudy on where I stand on religious matters. 

However I think it is correct when it talks about pigeonholing me by my career path; for me I have a totally different attitude to work. I am not a high power career women, but I have a strong work ethic. I will adapt to my surroundings and my job accordingly. And oh boy get me as far away from science as you can. Writing, fashion theory, culture and images is where my heart lies. 

So turns out the personlity test wasnt such a waste of time. 

And I learnt that I have the same personlity type as Nelson Mandela, Nichole Kidman and Jamie Foxx. If you made it this far throughout my post, HI 5! (And the boyfriends mum was saying my blog posts have been ever so short recently.....) 

8 comments:

  1. Its funny reading everyone's results and seeing how everyone sees you compared to how you see yourself.

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    1. I didn't get to read anyone elses yet! :( I will later cause im curious to see how everyone turned out. :)

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  2. Oooh, INFJ! :) I'm an ENFP. Nice to meet ya!

    Anyway, I really enjoyed reading your reflections on your results. It's funny how things like this can be insightful, isn't it? I also like your expat take on it and I feel the same thing a lot of times with friendships... I used to go into friendships thinking that once a friend, always a friend. Now I understand that it's healthy sometimes for both people to let go at different points depending on the nature of the friendship, but that doesn't mean what you had wasn't true or necessary. Some friendships are meant for a season only, but that doesn't mean they didn't have depth. That said, I'm all for friendships where I feel like I can open up and we can speak deeply and about things that are more abstract. But it's fun to have friends that pull you out of your mind and get you into the present moment, too.

    Anyway, glad I found your blog and I'm totally interested in finding out more about you and your expat life!

    --Erika
    http://www.chimerikal.com

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    1. Thanks so much for stopping by Erika! Nice to meet you :)
      I really enjoyed this one(which was kinda a surprise to me since I usually hate these sorts of tests) and I really loved writing about the results. The result was so true in my case. Really accurately pinned my personality down.

      Im going to hop over to your blog now. Thanks for your sweet comments! :) x

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  3. Hooray! I'm in Cyprus too, and there are not many of us INFJs on the island! In fact the only other INFJ I have ever come across is also a writer (as am I!). I've been looking into the mbti thing for years now, and there seems to be a lot of truth in it. Even my father - who has management consultant companies all over the world - uses the mbti tests in his work, and it seems to be increasingly employed as a measure of aptitude in the employment recruitment process! Anyway, as a fellow INFJ, I very much enjoy your blog - thank you :) Alix Norman

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  4. Thank you so much Alix! That's really kind of you stop by and leave me some encouragement...I was beginning to think I was the only INFJ here. :)

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    1. There are very few of us around - even fewer on an island which prizes extrovert interaction and a don't-look-before-you-leap approach to life! However, rarest personality type though we may be, I have since met another two people (again, both writers!) who share our type. Hooray!

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  5. Where can I take this test?

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comments are greatly appreciated!!