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HN Poll: What is your personality type?
I just re-tested myself with the abridged version of the MBTI located at:
http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/JTypes1.htm
Funny thing is, for the first time in quite some time, my scores have been consistent. I tested as an INFJ for the third time in the last couple years, and when I read the portrait description, it fit like a glove. I skew towards the detail oriented portrait in that I tend to get annoyed when people ignore details. I've been doing my best to mitigate that by educating myself on the different personality types.
Working together is hard, but when done correctly, can really boost productivity and keep your team together. I'm very curious as to what the distribution of the HN community is.
- BillGoates 16y agoAs always I am wondering if this test tells me, who I am, who I think I am, or, who I want to be. Today I am somewhere between ENTP and INTP ENTP (E: 1 N: 75 T: 50 P: 33)
- KoZeN 16y agoAbsolutely brilliant. I feared a generic profile at the end but the level of detail was incredible. I'm impressed! I'm an INTJ.
- scott_s 16y agoAre you sure that's not just the Forer effect? (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forer_effect http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forer_effect) I personally call this the horoscope effect.
- arram 16y agoThere's an easy test for that - read the other profiles and see if you feel the same way.
- scott_s 16y agoNot necessarily. Someone may believe they believe (http://lesswrong.com/lw/i4/belief_in_belief/ http://lesswrong.com/lw/i4/belief_in_belief/) in the profile to the point that they look for ways to dismiss the alternatives in a way they did not for the original. Cognitive biases are nasty that way.
- morat_random 16y agoI'm expecting to see a very biased distribution as compared to when you'd test a random sample.
- abyssknight 16y agoExactly, that's what I'm most interested in. I've seen the skew in some communities be almost 100% INFJ's, which are statistically rare.
- instakill 16y agoI'm also an INTJ which is already adding to the probability of skewed distribution. Then again, it's not and won't be surprising to see many INTx types as developers are usually of this type.
- kyro 16y agoYou've forgotten to include COOL.
- kilian 16y agoha! I would've picked that one if it was available, but no, I'm just an INTJ like pretty much everyone here. Comes with the job territory.
- scrrr 16y agoHe didn't. It's right there. ENFP.
- Keyframe 16y agoI didn't know what you are talking about, until I solved the quiz and it turned out ENFP - and then I read about it. Seems to me that it's misrepresented as an idealizing champion of sorts. Maybe it looks like that to people on the surface, but it's more of a struggle to express oneself with a strong potent more than anything, from my experience at least.
- scrrr 16y agoI just read somewhere that President Obama was an ENFP. He seems to have a certain aura of cool about him.
- trouble 16y agoI'm going to predict that most of the votes will be for INTJ (including mine) or INTP. That said, how valid are the results of the MBTI? I just read the criticism section on Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myers-Briggs_Type_Indicator#Criticism http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myers-Briggs_Type_Indicator#Cri...) and the bit on statistical structure was interesting - for 'types' you'd expect to see a bimodal distribution, but, in reality, you see something more like a normal distribution that the test draws a line through the middle of. Your classification (i.e. the letter things) depend on which side of the curve you fall. *Edited for clarity.
- scottw 16y agoAdditionally, because it's a self-test, participants largely see themselves as they want to be seen. INT*s value intelligence and self-reliance—seems like the HN crowd to a T.
- sabj 16y agoI'm an ENTJ/INTJ depending on mood, but yes, this -- serious problems with the nonsense of the Myers-Briggs. Not a very good test, and grounded in nothing really sensible beyond an unhealthy adoration of Carl Jung.
- lotharbot 16y agoI've tested as 9 of the 16 possible types on the MBTI (every variant with a T, plus INFJ once.) Being near the center of most of the bell curves means it takes very little "noise" to shift me to the other side. A slight change in wording, scoring, question order, or my current level of attentiveness can put me into another type.
- jkkramer 16y agoSpoiler: INTJ/P will be hugely represented. Previous polls: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=204240 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=204240 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=943722 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=943722
- trouble 16y agoI didn't look at those before I made my prediction - I based it on the results I remember from similar threads on Reddit.
- Stwerner 16y agoENFP checking in. Been doing this test every year or two for about 6 years now and has by far been the one I find the most accurate. I'm actually pretty interested to see how this survey turns out as well. Anyone have any predictions on what the distribution might look like?
- m0th87 16y agoI am an ENFP too. I've heard that Isabel Myers (one of the creators of the MBTI) was ENFP, and I wonder if she optimized the test for our type without meaning to, making identification more accurate than for other personalities.
- ladon86 16y agoI'm also an ENFP, and I always get the same result. I find it so odd that there are such individual differences in this test, and that those differences follow a predictable distribution in the general population. I'm happy with the result anyway, but I wish I was better at finishing things :)
- deleted 16y ago[deleted]
- jdefr89 16y agoaccording to myers brigs I am INTJ
- Symmetry 16y agoOn behalf of an ex-girlfriend, I feel obliged to point out that the Big Five personality test is a lot more well grounded than Briggs Meyer, and is the one that's used in actual scientific research these days. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Five_personality_traits http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Five_personality_traits
- abyssknight 16y agoJust took the first free one that I could find of the Big Five tests. Definitely a different approach, but I'll admit, I was surprised at the results. On the OCEAN model I scored {80, 64, 27, 22, 84}, which is a bit weird. Link to the one I took: http://www.outofservice.com/bigfive http://www.outofservice.com/bigfive
- gcheong 16y agoAnother one that may be of interest is the VIA Character Strengths Survey (no, nothing to do with DnD or WOW): http://www.viacharacter.org/ http://www.viacharacter.org/
- deleted 16y ago[deleted]
- parbo 16y agoI'm ENTP, as I have been every time I've taken a B&M test (except one time, when I was ENTJ). E: 44 N: 62 T: 75 P: 44
- gjm11 16y agoSee http://www.andrewlipson.com/lstest.html http://www.andrewlipson.com/lstest.html for the Lipson-Shiu Corporate Type Test, a tongue-in-cheek variant that I suspect will appeal to many HN readers. (I'm apparently an ICIE.)
- RiderOfGiraffes 16y agoI almost invariably test out as an ILIE.
- abyssknight 16y agoILUG - the Mensch. It may be tongue in cheek, but its right. :) Forer effect may have been active, though.
- nw 16y agoInterestingly, INFP came out on top in a similar poll on StackOverflow. I wonder why? http://stackoverflow.com/questions/102702/are-people-with-certain-myers-briggs-personality-types-drawn-to-careers-in-progra http://stackoverflow.com/questions/102702/are-people-with-ce...
- nQuo 16y agoINTJ
- AndrewO 16y agoI couldn't let this pass without bringing up the Forer Effect [1]: basically, that people will believe just about any vague generalization as long as they think it's been tailored to them. For all of the "science" that goes into building the models for these tests (not just MBTI), any that rely completely on self-evaluation (especially multiple choice questions), should be taken with a huge grain of salt. They're fine for entertainment, but for anything practical they should be regarded as one step above astrology or haruspicy. Just to provide an example of the worst case, I've seen companies hold personality test workshops, only to have that bind their thinking and give them reason to quash dissent ("Of course... that's what a XXXX would say" or "I really need a YYYY on this project"). Too many times these things turn into a substitute for actually getting to know your employees' strengths and weaknesses. I don't want to be seen as overreacting to a simple harmless poll, but I do want to make sure people aren't giving too much credence to their (or others') results. [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forer_effect http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forer_effect
- abyssknight 16y agoThis kind of discussion is definitely welcome. Every one of these tests is incredibly subjective, and the results could be misused. To your point about companies, though: How would you build a team without knowing their personalities? Assuming you couldn't hire them as a contract-to-hire?
- AndrewO 16y agoKnowing personalities is certainly essential. But, I think if you want to find that out, it's better to interact with them and form your own opinions and talk to others who've done the same. Using a 4-dimension set of binary states (just to pick on MBTI here) will only tell you what you could have found out faster, cheaper (there's an industry around these things), and without making the person feel like a replaceable part. In an interview situation (where you have less time to decide than building an internal team), that could mean going through hypothetical situations and finding out how they would solve a problem, having multiple interviewers, and checking on references. Having them take a personality test beforehand sends a signal that as an employer, you're not willing to take the time to get to know them, which starts everyone off on the wrong foot. Also, IANAL, but it sounds like a lawsuit waiting to happen.
- acangiano 16y agoEvery time I tried the test, I got ENTP.
- nhebb 16y agoI was ISTP, but in previous tests I've been INTP and INTJ. Does that mean I'm less judgmental and more sensitive? Oh that can't be right.
- terra_t 16y agoI tested out as an INTP as a kid (where I was just on the margin of I and E) and then tested again as an ENTJ as an adult, very strongly "J".
- dbrannan 16y agoMe too, and I'm not exactly certain how I feel about that. I guess as time moves on I've realized the only one that can get this train going is me.
- presidentender 16y agoMy I traded out for an E during high school. I'm now ENTJ. Perhaps a P would make me a better programmer. I have to admit, I'm not really a fan of Myers-Briggs. It makes loose, mutable categories, and doesn't make any helpful, testable predictions other than sweeping generalizations (such as INTP = programmer). The enneagram, however, that I like. Its proponents attempt to attach mystical garbage to it, which is unfortunate: it makes strong predictions, changes in personality (my I -> E, for instance) occur in predictable ways, and it functions to make all sorts of interactions easier. At first glance, it seems less descriptive than MBTI (9 types instead of 16), but it also accounts for emotional health and secondary characteristics in a way that make it more descriptive and less of a pigeonhole system.
- jonnytran 16y agoI totally agree. Even without taking the test, I found that only one or two of the enneagram types describe me and many of my family members to the T. Not all of the types. And even though I've changed Myers-Briggs types over time (which MBTI does not model), my primary enneatype has not changed. The changes that I've gone through, however, were modeled by the enneagram in a predictable way, with (in my opinion) an accurate reason for why those changes occurred. It won't work 100%; you can't pigeon-hole everyone. It's just a model. But in the end, I found my research of the enneagram to be extremely helpful for personal growth by allowing me to be more aware of my own patterns. Patterns for reacting to problems, patterns for trying to get what I want, etc.
- ScottBurson 16y agoYes, the Enneagram is much more accurate and much more profound than the MBTI. The MBTI is really a confused mess. It purports to be based on Jung's type system. However, a close reading of the relevant section of Jung's <i>Psychological Types</i> reveals the following. Jung identified eight types. The descriptions in his book correspond quite closely, in fact, with eight of the Enneagram types. (The omitted one is the Three.) Myers and Briggs then took the dimensions Jung had identified and multiplied them out to get 16 types which now correspond more poorly to the Enneagram types. If you don't know about the Enneagram, you might say, "okay, so what? so they don't correspond well -- that doesn't prove the MBTI is wrong." But if you will study the Enneagram you will see there is much more to it. For instance, the connections between one's type and how one related to one's parents; the spectrum of expressions of each type, from unhealthy to healthy; and the concepts of integration and disintegration, which connect the nine types in a clear, fixed, and quite beautiful structure. If you prefer not to hear the mystical overtones in that structure, that's certainly your choice, but they're there. The Enneagram is a profound tool for self-understanding and self-improvement. The MBTI can be a useful place to start for people who are new to self-exploration, but it won't take you nearly as far.
- RiderOfGiraffes 16y agoINTJ on this test, ILIE on the Lipson-Shiu. http://www.andrewlipson.com/lstest.html http://www.andrewlipson.com/lstest.html
- TheAmazingIdiot 16y agoI'm an ICIE- sadist. Go figure. I'm also a dom who enjoys pain, both ways. But yeah, these personality tests are worth near 0$ (they're funny, and my time is not free).
- deleted 16y ago[deleted]
- Timothee 16y agoI'm always surprised by how prevalent this personality test seems to be in the US. I had never heard of it before arriving here and it seems that almost everybody took it at some point in their lives. A friend of mine said he had heard of it in France (where I'm from), but it's clearly not common. Is it an American thing?
- patana 16y agoMy Jung type in this afternoon is ENFJ Strength % Extrav. Intuitive Feeling Judging 1 62 38 33
- known 16y agoI think http://www.theadvocates.org/quiz http://www.theadvocates.org/quiz is a smaller and better quiz
- Splines 16y agoOur team did Insights [1] training, which is like the Meyers-Briggs test but with different pivots (it's sort of hard to explain). One of the great things that came out of it was a team graph showing where each person was, so when you interacted with each other you could be mindful of the personality of your coworker (do they appreciate public praise or do they want a quiet personal thanks? do they prefer a get-to-they-point approach or a larger backstory and context to a task? etc.). [1] http://www.insights.com/index.aspx http://www.insights.com/index.aspx
- abyssknight 16y agoWe might have been in the same class. I just took Team Dynamics at a conference a few weeks ago, which is how I was spurred on to this test once again. I was an analyzer-stabilizer in that class, which also fits quite well with my MBTI type.
- Splines 16y agoIf you're seriously wondering if I was in the same class, I'd have to say no. My team did the Insights training a few years ago (our team churn has resulted in about half the team not having an Insights profile). I'd say it was most effective immediately after the training, and wore off after time since we fell out of practice. We have these little lego-like blocks that you keep on your desk to remind others of what kind of person you are, but in the day-to-day life of turning the crank, it's sort of hard to always keep that sort of stuff in your head and end up falling to normal habits.
- johnwatson11218 16y agoI just read a book called "The Millionaire Code" http://www.amazon.com/Millionaire-Code-Paths-Wealth-Building/dp/0471426164/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1284050521&sr=8-1 http://www.amazon.com/Millionaire-Code-Paths-Wealth-Building... that talked about these personality types as well. The premise of the book is that by understanding your type and choosing a career that is a good fit you are more likely to achieve financial independence. One thing that occurred to me while reading it was that so many of the holy wars in software might be rooted in the fundamentally different perspectives that the different types have. The big one that comes to mind is the difference between the Perceiver and the Judger. Here I'm thinking about programmers who want to prescribe rules of style on the team, or even things like late versus early binding. For what its worth the book listed historical examples of INTJ as people like Edison and Ben Franklin while INTP were Einstein and Carl Jung.
- ScottBurson 16y agoWell, it's wrong about Edison and Jung. Edison was a classic Enneagram Eight, which corresponds to ENTx (Jung's "extroverted intuitive type"); Jung himself, I'd wager, was a One, which I think corresponds to ESTx (Jung's "extroverted thinking type").
- johnwatson11218 16y agoI'm back at home now and I misquoted the book. Actually it is listing Edison, Franklin, and Thomas Jefferson as ENTP. The book does list Jung, Einstein, and Steven Hawking as INTP which it calls "Visionary Thinkers". That chapter actually discusses the fact that Jung was an introvert who would retreat to his secluded cabin to recharge.
- kurokikaze 16y agoI'm ISTP whatever that means.
- xutopia 16y agoI'm usually an extrovert but after this summer of family visiting I want to crawl into a cave and come out only when I am hungry for interaction again.
- eskil 16y agoWhat's the type for "can't be bothered with personality tests" ? If you were a pizza, which topping would you have ?
- YonghoShin 16y agoThe most common type at HN (INTJ) is one of the rarest found in general population. (2.1%) http://www.myersbriggs.org/my-mbti-personality-type/my-mbti-results/how-frequent-is-my-type.asp http://www.myersbriggs.org/my-mbti-personality-type/my-mbti-...
- shawndumas 16y agoINFJ: Introverted 27, Intuitive 88, Feeling 25, Judging 11 -- Counselor FYI: Favorite world: Everyone spends some time extraverting and some time introverting. Don’t confuse Introversion with shyness or reclusiveness. They are not related. Extraversion (E) I like getting my energy from active involvement in events and having a lot of different activities. Introversion (I) I like getting my energy from dealing with the ideas, pictures, memories, and reactions that are inside my head, in my inner world. ------ Information: Everyone spends some time Sensing and some time using Intuition. Don’t confuse Sensing with sensual. They aren’t related. Sensing (S) Paying attention to physical reality, what I see, hear, touch, taste, and smell. Intuition (N) Paying the most attention to impressions or the meaning and patterns of the information I get. ------ Decisions: Everyone uses Thinking for some decisions and Feeling for others. Don’t confuse Feeling with emotion. Everyone has emotions about the decisions they make. Also do not confuse Thinking with intelligence. Thinking (T) When I make a decision, I like to find the basic truth or principle to be applied, regardless of the specific situation involved. Feeling (F) I believe I can make the best decisions by weighing what people care about and the points-of-view of persons involved in a situation. ------ Structure: Everyone takes in information some of the time. Everyone makes decisions some of the time. Don’t confuse Judging and Perceiving with a person’s level of organization. Either preference can be organized. o you prefer a more structured and decided lifestyle (Judging) or a more flexible and adaptable lifestyle (Perceiving)? Judging (J) I use my decision-making (Judging) preference (whether it is Thinking or Feeling) in my outer life. Do not confuse Judging with judgmental, in its negative sense about people and events. They are not related. Perceiving (P) I use my perceiving function (whether it is Sensing or Intuition) in my outer life. Remember, in type language perceiving means “preferring to take in information.” It does not mean being “perceptive” in the sense of having quick and accurate perceptions about people and events.
- Shakattack 16y agoAre the extroverts just not speaking up (ironic)? Otherwise it's really interesting how there's not a single extroverted type higher than the introverts? But it just goes to show being introverted doesn't mean you're socially incompetent and can't talk to others. I want to see a poll like this for CEOs or other executives. Most leaders I know (at least the good ones) are introverts, but they still go a great job leading. Wonder if it's the same for bigger companies.
- arohann 16y agoINTP
- xiongchiamiov 16y agoI'm a pure coordinator on the DISC[0] test, with natural values of 23, 7, 100, 100 for D, I, S, and C, respectively. School has brought the high values down and the low values up, but not too much. This is a fairly common result for programmers, but rare for the rest of the population. Successful startup founders tend to be high D and C, iirc. [0]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DISC_assessment http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DISC_assessment
- Qz 16y agoI got ENFP but it was a 1 on the Extroverted scale, compared to 50 50 44 on the others. The Intro/Extroversion questions are always tricky for me, because I generally would rather be social with people than alone by myself, but my adolescence was rocky so I'm still playing catchup on the social skills.
- deleted 16y ago[deleted]
- dgordon 16y agoI'm an INTJ. INTJ wins these polls everywhere I've been on the internet. Allegedly only one percent or so of the population is INTJ. This could be since my interests tend to attract lots of people like me, or because INTJ isn't actually that rare, or because internet forums as a whole attract a disproportionate number of INTJs. Perhaps the true reason is something else, though.