Think Out Loud



Time again for Think Out Loud, an awesome weekly meme hosted by Thinks Books. The purpose of Think Out Loud is for book bloggers to think outside of the square and talk about things that they are interested in that may not necessarily be book related. And so this week I am going to be discussing something that I've wanted to write about for a long time. MBTI. 

According to Jungian personality types, everyone has a preference for either Introversion or Extroversion. Introverts are the quiet ones, who need time alone to recharge and a smaller circle of friends to whom they are very close. Extroverts, on the other hand, are stimulated by people and the outside world. They are likely to surround themselves with a large number of people and hate to be alone. But once your preference for one or the other has been established, there are other preferences that become important in establishing ones personality. This is known as the Myer-Briggs Type Indictor, or MBTI. According to MBTI there are sixteen personality types based around ones preferences for:

Introversion or Extroversion
iNtuition or Sensing
Feeling or Thinking
Perceiving or Judging

According to the MBTI I am an INTJ. This means I prefer Introversion, iNtuation, Thinking and Judging. The description of an INTJ is a mostly accurate portrayal of myself. Though what surprises me is that, apparently, INTJ is not only one of the rarest personality types of all, representing about 1.5% of the population, but very little of that 1.5% is represented by women. 

So what does it mean to be INTJ and female? Well, I cannot speak for all INTJ women, but it feels pretty damn isolating. We live in a world where women who use Extroversion and Sensing tend to be favoured. Those are the big personality types, the ones who speak first, think later and put more of a focus on how things appear as opposed to how they really are. An INTJ's world is internal. We're quieter, tend to think deeply about things and are interested in ideas and possibilities, rather than what is sitting in front of us. I think this mode of thinking is great, however the rest of the world seems to treat me as if those preferences make me some kind of weirdo. Sure, the mass female population would probably be more accepting of me if I were outgoing, drove a cute little hatchback and if my main topics of conversation never went further than my husband/gorgeous boyfriend and the gourmet meal I was planning to cook for dinner. But that would also mean sacrificing one very important person. Myself. So here forever I shall stay, weird and lonely.

Comments

Think said…
Wow Kathryn! I just love your posts. Always so interesting! I might have to borrow this for the next Think Out Loud if you don't mind. It is just such a great idea.
Oh, I am an INFJ!
13 February 2013 at 05:05
Kathryn White said…
An INFJ is a great thing to be. I'm glad that you liked my post and that I inspired you!
13 February 2013 at 20:32
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