We must talk about our problems, we are in a state of flux.

[momebie]

I am so damn intrigued right now. cleolinda has a poll going here where she's trying to correlate instances of INFP-ness to instances of someone being an empath. She has links to a Myers-Briggs test and explanations of what an empath is and it's all very interesting. If you're so inclined, I urge you to be a sample case for her poll. But really, that's

Comments

[lilithisbitter]

Empathy is overrated. Too much empathy leads to codependence. And I speak that as an INTJ, the mastermind personality type.

[momebie]

There are definitely pros and cons to every type. I can see how too much empathy would lead to codependence, but I don't think it does across the board.

[murphstheman]

wow..I'm INFJ...pretty much nailed it...how'd that happen?

[momebie]

Haha. Those dead psych type guys, they're pretty clever.

[soundandvision]

Because you're very curious about how people perceive you (and worry/care about it) I'm positive it's INF but the P or S I'm in the air about. (Well, that and you're a writer, heh).

I read and write a lot about this so it's exciting to find other friends as interested as I am. I think we should all keep the dialogue opening, it's good to learn more about one another. :D

[momebie]

I agree. That's most of the reason I made the post, hoping that other people would talk about their own experiences with the scale and how they're perceived. In looking at the Composer type, which is what the ISFP correlates to, the final sentence sort of sticks out: Composers tend to be emotionally well rounded and sympathetic toward others. I don't really see myself as either of those things. I'm pretty emotionally incompetent, and while it was a surprise to me that people don't see me as EMPATHETIC I wouldn't be surprised at all to find that people don't think I'm SYMPATHETIC, since I tend to view empathy as a reaction that can't be controlled a lot of the time, and sympathy to be an action that you can control and that I often don't exhibit regardless of my feelings.

The Counselor role though (INFJ), seems to fit me to a tee.

And I could go on for ages

[soundandvision]

Wow please excuse like my 80 sentence failures in my first comment, this is what I get when I write while half asleep

[momebie]

I just took an empathy quotient thing I found on the net and got a 38, but I wouldn't be surprised if the actual score was lower than average on a day when I'm being less pensive about it all. And I honestly only think it means what we let it mean. Most people aren't aware of these scales, and in the long run they don't rule our lives any more than astrology does.

[laetificat]

I think the Myers-Briggs test is flawed because it only has sixteen types. There are over six billion people in this world; there *have* to be more ways to think than that.

[laetificat]

... although I do have to say that the ENFP category is pretty much me to a T.

[momebie]

Well yes, there will always be outliers in any test that narrows the field down so much. Not everyone is going to fit into one of the correlating roles. However, the correlating role for INFJ, the Counselor, aligns quite well with how I see myself. And I can definitely see where you're a Champion.

[laetificat]

I can see that for you, definitely.

I actually ended up talking a little bit to Oz about it this morning, and he says that he's taken it a number of times and comes down on the middle of the line quite a bit; sometimes he's one thing, and sometimes he's another. Maybe that's you; you're not just one thing.