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MBTI

A fellow Aspie INTJ but INTJ-A told me that Stocism helped her. I intend to read up on it.

This is a fantastic idea! I believe that my life would be different, and worse, if I had not been introduced to Stoicism.

People have been trying to alter themselves, and attain some measure of peace with what they can not alter, for a very long time. Stoicism is still the most effective way of going about that, if one includes its direct descendants CBT, REBT, et al.

Here's a thumbnail sketch of what it's about:
Stoicism Reveals 4 Rituals That Will Make You Mentally Strong

There are any number of modern introductions and interpretations of the philosophy either for the amateur philosopher or for the self-help crowd; I've read a few, and they've all been good.

But this is an instance where going to the source is not only not intimidating (Hegel, anyone!?) but is actually downright easy. Run, don't walk, to pick up two classics:

Meditations by Marcus Aurelius. One of the greatest books of the West. Your diary will never be as popular as his!

The Enchiridion by Epictetus. Sometimes sold as A Manual for Living. Short and sweet. Ever since a friend said "whaaa!? His name is 'epic-titties'!?" I can't get that out of my head, and I thought I would pass that along to ruin his name for you too.

These are the two big guns, but I also enjoy reading collections of writing by Seneca and Cicero published by Penguin.

The trick is not to read the books through and consider them done. They are to be dipped into each day; grab a snippet, and think about it. It takes a little daily work, but it is pleasurable work.

fpap9ak.jpg
 
This is a fantastic idea! I believe that my life would be different, and worse, if I had not been introduced to Stoicism.

People have been trying to alter themselves, and attain some measure of peace with what they can not alter, for a very long time. Stoicism is still the most effective way of going about that, if one includes its direct descendants CBT, REBT, et al.

Here's a thumbnail sketch of what it's about:
Stoicism Reveals 4 Rituals That Will Make You Mentally Strong

There are any number of modern introductions and interpretations of the philosophy either for the amateur philosopher or for the self-help crowd; I've read a few, and they've all been good.

But this is an instance where going to the source is not only not intimidating (Hegel, anyone!?) but is actually downright easy. Run, don't walk, to pick up two classics:

Meditations by Marcus Aurelius. One of the greatest books of the West. Your diary will never be as popular as his!

The Enchiridion by Epictetus. Sometimes sold as A Manual for Living. Short and sweet. Ever since a friend said "whaaa!? His name is 'epic-titties'!?" I can't get that out of my head, and I thought I would pass that along to ruin his name for you too.

These are the two big guns, but I also enjoy reading collections of writing by Seneca and Cicero published by Penguin.

The trick is not to read the books through and consider them done. They are to be dipped into each day; grab a snippet, and think about it. It takes a little daily work, but it is pleasurable work.

fpap9ak.jpg
Thanks for your encouragement! It's sounds really good, I've just bought a kindle version of Teach Yourself edition and will stock up on the classics etc too :) . Epictitties, here I come! Sorry that sounds terrible. Hahaha!
 
This is a fantastic idea! I believe that my life would be different, and worse, if I had not been introduced to Stoicism.

People have been trying to alter themselves, and attain some measure of peace with what they can not alter, for a very long time. Stoicism is still the most effective way of going about that, if one includes its direct descendants CBT, REBT, et al.

Here's a thumbnail sketch of what it's about:
Stoicism Reveals 4 Rituals That Will Make You Mentally Strong

There are any number of modern introductions and interpretations of the philosophy either for the amateur philosopher or for the self-help crowd; I've read a few, and they've all been good.

But this is an instance where going to the source is not only not intimidating (Hegel, anyone!?) but is actually downright easy. Run, don't walk, to pick up two classics:

Meditations by Marcus Aurelius. One of the greatest books of the West. Your diary will never be as popular as his!

The Enchiridion by Epictetus. Sometimes sold as A Manual for Living. Short and sweet. Ever since a friend said "whaaa!? His name is 'epic-titties'!?" I can't get that out of my head, and I thought I would pass that along to ruin his name for you too.

These are the two big guns, but I also enjoy reading collections of writing by Seneca and Cicero published by Penguin.

The trick is not to read the books through and consider them done. They are to be dipped into each day; grab a snippet, and think about it. It takes a little daily work, but it is pleasurable work.

fpap9ak.jpg
Epictitties
 
I don't particularly understand them and, when I asked, my therapist didn't either.

I know that I'm an Extrovert -- That's the "E" at the beginning. An Introvert would have an "I."

Other than that, I can get a score of any combination of letters, depending on my mood, the day, the months, etc.

All I really need to know about anyone is the I or E. Other than that, I want to meet and interact and SPEAK to someone before determining if we are compatible as friends, coworkers, etc.

Personally, I don't put much stock in "evaluating" a person based on their self-evaluation. It might be helpful for the person who does the test, if they are interested in that sort of thing, but to me, I'm just outspoken and social, and different things are important (or unimportant) to me on a rather random basis at times.
 
I don't really think I use it much for "evaluating" others. I mean, I definitely don't think you can know who a person is based on their mbti result(s). That would indicate that people who get the same results are basically the same, which seems absurd to me. But I do actually find it helpful when trying to understand people's actions (which very often don't make sense to me.)
I always have a very hard time communicating with people I don't know that well – which is most people people, really. I find it difficult to get to know people. Knowing what type(s) someone scores as is, I guess, sort of a context for me to view them in, if that makes any sense? Like, I feel less lost in terms of wondering how they function, which then lessens my general confusion about how to communicate with them. Because I know how their view of themselves is presented in terms of mbti.
And it seems less invasive to ask someone about their mbti type than it does to ask them all the extremely personal questions I really wanna ask them, in order to get to know them.
And also of course, I find it interesting in terms of self reflection. I generally do a lot of comparing myself and my thoughts to others. I find the diversity very fascinating.

I mean it's limited, the amount situations in which it's useful, since I usually don't know people's mbti results. But with people who are a part of my life it can actually be super helpful for me.

Also, this doesn't mean that I take it very seriously. Like, I also find it interesting which Hogwarts house people find themselves to fit in. Doesn't mean I think of it as science. I'm aware that these are stereotypes.
 
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I don't really think I use it much for "evaluating" others. I mean, I definitely don't think you can know who a person is based on their mbti result(s). That would indicate that people who get the same results are basically the same, which seems absurd to me. But I do actually find it helpful when trying to understand people's actions (which very often don't make sense to me.)
I always have a very hard time communicating with people I don't know that well – which is most people people, really. I find it difficult to get to know people. Knowing what type(s) someone scores as is, I guess, sort of a context for me to view them in, if that makes any sense? Like, I feel less lost in terms of wondering how they function, which then lessens my general confusion about how to communicate with them. Because I know how their view of themselves is presented in terms of mbti.
And it seems less invasive to ask someone about their mbti type than it does to ask them all the extremely personal questions I really wanna ask them, in order to get to know them.
And also of course, I find it interesting in terms of self reflection. I generally do a lot of comparing myself and my thoughts to others. I find the diversity very fascinating.

I mean it's limited, the amount situations in which it's useful, since I usually don't know people's mbti results. But with people who are a part of my life it can actually be super helpful for me.

Also, this doesn't mean that I take it very seriously. Like, I also find it interesting which Hogwarts house people find themselves to fit in. Doesn't mean I think of it as science. I'm aware that these are stereotypes.

I completely understand, as I'm always trying to figure out what makes people do (or think) the way they do. What I've found though, is that most people can find at least some common bond or interest to connect with.

I recently met a very introverted young lady (about 40 years younger). When she heard I was interested in music (and was a writer), she shared that she was a songwriter/musician. She shared how socially anxious she was, and how she was hesitant to perform, etc.

I started by giving her some words of encouragement. Then, I'd take her aside for five minutes or so and ask if she was open to some "mentoring" to (hopefully) boost her confidence enough to "blossom" into the person she could become.

I explained that, if I was crossing any boundaries, or she just wasn't interested, to let me know -- and I'd back off. She shared that she thought I "understood" where she was and she welcomed me input, although she couldn't promise to follow it. (Boy, do I know THAT feeling!)

We've made a "connection" in which I have the ability to "inspire" someone. I humorously explained that "looking like you know what you're doing," is 1/2 the battle. I also said, "You owe no apologies for your music -- it's who you are. All you have to do is "own" it!"

She's still quiet, still introverted, still plugging away. BUT, she knows when she needs to vent, talk, or unload -- I'm there to listen and (if applicable) advise or motivate or just encourage.

It's not a "let's get together and PARTY" connection, it's just very low key (for me) and probably different for her.

As for the MBTI letters, to me it would just be something else to obsess over, so I try to keep obsessions to a minimum. In fact, I took an online OCD test and I told my friends if I didn't get 100%, I'd keep taking it until I did (ha!).

I wasn't making any "negative" comments on your question, just that personally it doesn't seem to matter to me, because I'm going to keep obsessing on their thought processes (or mine) anyway.
 
13 Reasons Why The Myers-Briggs Test Is Absolute Nonsense

I really, really don't think we should take pop-psychology too seriously.

I would wager that it is pop-psychology to some. It was, however, a spiritual moment for me in college to read about how INTJ's think. It was a window into my own meta-cognition.

It is also useful to think about the spectrum of thought process that seems to run between logic and emotion.

At work we took a personality test that was horribly written. Several of the questions made the assumption that (a) people are not aware of their thought process, and (b) people think with their emotions. I literally could not answer several questions as (a) I am aware of my thought process, and (b) I do not think with my emotions (doing so is rare for me).

Basically I start with logic, and then sometimes bring in feelings. Starting with feelings and then sometimes bringing in logic as an afterthought is not how my brain works.

Understanding that there are people who do not think with logic is confusing, but is something that we (?) need to understand.

Thinking with logic while we are aware of how we are thinking is likely a major contributing factor to our high IQ's. IQ is a test for the speed of logic . . . and if you start with logic, then you are way head of the other guy/gal who thinks with emotion (in an IQ test).

So perhaps the Myers-Briggs test is useful for some results (or people), and not others.
 
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[1.0] I think that the Myers-Briggs test may have similar usefulness to that of an IQ test (in that some may find the it useful, and others will not).

[2.0] In my opinion an IQ tests main function is to test for individuals with special needs (IQ 70 or under).

[2.1] The measuring stick we use for intelligence somewhat changes from time to time.

[2.2] Pre-1960 intelligence was measured in vocabulary, post-1960 intelligence was/is measured in problem solving.

[2.3] One can teach vocabulary, and one can teach problem solving.

[2.4] IQ's effectively go up every generation. Each generation scores higher on similar tests, and then the score for each generation is then converted to a number on a bell curve. The test score is one part, and then forcing it onto a bell-curve is the IQ part. Two people who scored the same on the test a generation apart could/would have different IQ's.

[2.5] One cannot teach another to not have a low-functioning brain, but one can teach someone else how to solve a problem.

[2.6] We can therefore identify those who struggle to learn whatever the standard for intelligence is.

[3.0] IQ tests can have useless results for some.

[3.1] Having an IQ of 95 or 105, I don't think, makes any lick of difference.

[3.2] For those folks, aside from them testing above an IQ of 70, the test is useless.

[3.3] Even if someone has a 95-105 IQ, this result is rather useless as most observers can see that most of the 95-105 IQ population observed are in the center of the bell-curve.

[4.0] Some people's test results are not useful, and other people's test results are useful. Having useless test results does not make the test useless.
 
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I don't particularly understand them and, when I asked, my therapist didn't either.

I know that I'm an Extrovert -- That's the "E" at the beginning. An Introvert would have an "I."

Other than that, I can get a score of any combination of letters, depending on my mood, the day, the months, etc.

All I really need to know about anyone is the I or E. Other than that, I want to meet and interact and SPEAK to someone before determining if we are compatible as friends, coworkers, etc.

Personally, I don't put much stock in "evaluating" a person based on their self-evaluation. It might be helpful for the person who does the test, if they are interested in that sort of thing, but to me, I'm just outspoken and social, and different things are important (or unimportant) to me on a rather random basis at times.

.... except after 'c'.....
 
INTP, and also got into type theory enough to go and get certified for MBTI (my wife and I thought we should have that "credential" since I was so into it).

I've been expressing the theory in terms or the way we divide reality, like we can only look in one direction at a time, and the others are still there, but the opposite direction is completely invisible to us (since it's "behind" us), and the directions we call left and right are only partially visible. This is basically how the division between S/N and T/F work.

It seems INT is the most common for Aspies, because it's easier to deal with the conceptual (N), impersonal (T) and individual (I) than the tangible (S), interpersonal (F) and environmental (E).
 
I tested INFP 10~12 years ago but recently I didn't feel like one anymore so tested again as an INTJ last year which fits me better. It's nice to be in the majority group for once but it's also unsettling for unknown reasons. It's strange that INTJ is one of the rare groups and to have so many here in one place is even more strange.
 

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