3 ms·

"Over the years I've moved completely in the other direction, which is also reflected in my shift from INTP to INTJ" Seriously? You don't just change types.

by j_baker 16y ago

"Over the years I've moved completely in the other direction, which is also reflected in my shift from INTP to INTJ" Seriously? You don't just change types. It's more likely that he really is an INTJ and initially tested as an INTP for whatever reason. Or he is really an INTP and decided that INTJs are "better" and made an effort to test as one.

epi0Bauqu 16y ago
I did change as described. I don't game personality tests.
- j_baker 16y ago
  You mean you don't consciously game personality tests. Psychology wouldn't be very useful if it only accounted for what people consciously did. Besides that, even if you don't do anything wrong, it doesn't mean that the tests you took were good. Did you take a test developed by a psychologist (like paying $60 and taking the MBTI through CAPT) or did you take a free online test? That alone could account for inaccurate results. Saying your type changed is almost like saying your code is broken because of a compiler bug. Is it theoretically possible? Sure. Is it likely? Let me just put it this way: it takes decades (if not your entire life) to develop the type you already have much less change types, yet there are a million and one reasons why a personality test might give inaccurate results. The brain is very plastic, but it has its limits. Even if you developed the cognitive functions to be an INTJ, you wouldn't just dismiss all of the functions you develop as an INTP. Those have been hardwired into your brain for a long, long time. TL;DR - I suppose it is possible you're an anomaly and was able to change types. But it's a million times more likely that one of the tests was just inaccurate.
  - epi0Bauqu 16y ago
    It wouldn't be the first time I was a legitimate anomaly. The tests seemed solid (as part of leadership courses), but I didn't investigate beyond that. I also took potentially less solid online ones that came out with similar results. We're talking about a period of 10 years btw, from when I was 16 to 26 (now 31). As I said in a comment response on the blog, in retrospect I can see the changes over time and see seeds of them at the original time.
bd 16y ago
Do you really trust Myers-Briggs tests so much? "Studies have found that between 39% and 76% of those tested fall into different types upon retesting some weeks or years later" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myers-Briggs_Type_Indicator#Reliability http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myers-Briggs_Type_Indicator#Rel...
- j_baker 16y ago
  No, I don't. That's actually my point. If the results changed, it's more likely one of the test results was inaccurate. The MBTI is a hint, not a pronouncement.
  - sstrudeau 16y ago
    If one of the tests was inaccurate, couldn't it also be true that both tests were inaccurate? And is it also possible that the test/concept itself is flawed given such variance in test results of the same people over time?

by j_baker 16y ago

epi0Bauqu 16y ago

I did change as described. I don't game personality tests.

j_baker 16y ago
You mean you don't consciously game personality tests. Psychology wouldn't be very useful if it only accounted for what people consciously did. Besides that, even if you don't do anything wrong, it doesn't mean that the tests you took were good. Did you take a test developed by a psychologist (like paying $60 and taking the MBTI through CAPT) or did you take a free online test? That alone could account for inaccurate results. Saying your type changed is almost like saying your code is broken because of a compiler bug. Is it theoretically possible? Sure. Is it likely? Let me just put it this way: it takes decades (if not your entire life) to develop the type you already have much less change types, yet there are a million and one reasons why a personality test might give inaccurate results. The brain is very plastic, but it has its limits. Even if you developed the cognitive functions to be an INTJ, you wouldn't just dismiss all of the functions you develop as an INTP. Those have been hardwired into your brain for a long, long time. TL;DR - I suppose it is possible you're an anomaly and was able to change types. But it's a million times more likely that one of the tests was just inaccurate.
- epi0Bauqu 16y ago
  It wouldn't be the first time I was a legitimate anomaly. The tests seemed solid (as part of leadership courses), but I didn't investigate beyond that. I also took potentially less solid online ones that came out with similar results. We're talking about a period of 10 years btw, from when I was 16 to 26 (now 31). As I said in a comment response on the blog, in retrospect I can see the changes over time and see seeds of them at the original time.

bd 16y ago

Do you really trust Myers-Briggs tests so much? "Studies have found that between 39% and 76% of those tested fall into different types upon retesting some weeks or years later" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myers-Briggs_Type_Indicator#Reliability http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myers-Briggs_Type_Indicator#Rel...

j_baker 16y ago
No, I don't. That's actually my point. If the results changed, it's more likely one of the test results was inaccurate. The MBTI is a hint, not a pronouncement.
- sstrudeau 16y ago
  If one of the tests was inaccurate, couldn't it also be true that both tests were inaccurate? And is it also possible that the test/concept itself is flawed given such variance in test results of the same people over time?