My Temperament

It is often useful to have a general model with which to analyze and categorize ourselves and the people around us in relation to disposition, preferences and the like. Of the several systems I've tried, my favorite is the Jung/Myers-Briggs/Keirsey style model. While Jung, Myers-Briggs and Keirsey differ slightly in their definitions of types, they use the same general categories and the same notation for results.

Usually the easiest way to discover your temperament is to take one or more of the online tests. I like to take several because they often utilize a different style of questions that yield slightly different results. After taking several tests I can analyze the results they give and decide which fit best. It seems that sometimes one tests will measure one dimension of temperament better than another, but the other test is more accurate on another dimension. With a little thought, I think you can get helpful results.

If you take one of these tests you will receive a four letter score such as ESFJ or INTP. The test measures four different dimensions of temperament and each letter represents your preference on one of them.

The four dimensions are:

• Extroverted/Introverted (I or E) - This represents the degree to which you enjoy meeting with new people and/or spending time in large group settings and whether you energize by interacting with people or spending time alone.
• Sensory/iNtuitive (S or N) - This represents the degree to which you rely on past experiences and concrete observations over intuition and conceptual reasoning when making decisions or evaluations
• Thinking/Feeling (T or F) - This represents the degree to which you rely on emotion over logic to make decisions and evaluations. This also has to do whether you are people oriented or goal oriented.
• Perceptive or Judging - This represents the degree to which you value stability and scheduling over spontaneity  and flexibility.

I have taken a wide assortment of this type of temperment test over the last few years and I think I can describe myself well in these terms. So which of the 16 possible temperments am I?

I am an INTP.

My preference for Introversion is very weak. I usually feel awkward and uncomfortable when meeting people in social situations for example at a school or church get-together but at the same time I feel less uncomforable with unstructured, chance, one-on-one encounters for example I often strike up conversation while waiting in line or at work. I also need a good balance between time alone and time with people. Too much time alone makes me restless but constant time around people makes me crave some time alone with a good book. Generally, I like to have other people around when I DO something or go somewhere but I like to have time alone with the computer or a book.

I am strongly iNtuitive. I think far more abstractly than concretely. I understand theories and concepts like those found in economics or philosophy much better than things requiring more physical reasoning like mechanics or wood working.

As a moderately strong Thinker, I use logic and reasoning over emotion when making a decsion. I often think of issues without considering the feelings of other people. For example, I think that in some circumstances dogs could provide a useful food source, an opinion that flies in the face of most peoples affection for pets.

I am very mixed on the scale of Perceptive/Judging. I use P because when predicting behavior in combination with the other dimensions I usually act as a P. I like to keep my options open but at the same time I need to know of where I'm going and a rough idea of a plan to get there. I like to have a base of stability but to improvise from that base. I am prone to procrastination and am often impulsive about my use of time. Therefore I try to use lists and schedules to force myself to complete necessary tasks even though these methods are not natural to me.

So there you have it, my self-diagnosis of my temperment. Those of you who know me feel free to point out any flaws or blindspots in my reporting. Hopefully this was intersting for you guys. I encourage you to take a temperment sorter or two and post your results with your analysis.