My Myers-Briggs Personality Type

I’m a sucker for personality tests so when I came across www.personalitypage.com, a site that tests for your personality type, I got excited. With little regard for the integrity of the site, I eagerly surrendered my credit card number. The test cost me $5 (and probably Chinese takeout for the site administrator and his entire fraternity) but it was well worth it. I'll spare you most of the boring details and hit the high points.

I am an

INFJ

That means I am an

Introverted iNtuitive Feeling Judging type.

This particular type is labeled "The Protector." I have no idea why.

According to my results, as an INFJ my

"...primary mode of living is focused internally, where you take things in primarily via intuition. Your secondary mode is external, where you deal with things according to how you feel about them, or how they fit with your personal value system..."

This is definitely true. When faced with an important decision, I will research, collect data, and analyze until the cows come home, only to end up going with my gut feeling. And my gut is usually right.

"INFJs are gentle caring, complex and highly intuitive individuals. Artistic and creative, they live in a world of hidden meanings and possibilities. Only one percent of the population has an INFJ Personality Type, making it the most rare of all the types."

I knew I was a freak of nature. This just confirms it.

"INFJs place great importance on having things orderly and systematic in their outer world. They put a lot of energy into identifying the best system for getting things done...INFJs put a tremendous amount of faith into their instincts and intuitions. This is something of a conflict between the inner and outer worlds, and may result in the INFJ not being as organized as other Judging types tend to be. Or we may see some signs of disarray in an otherwise orderly tendency, such as a consistently messy desk."

Sombody alert the authorities! These people have found out where I work, broken into my office and surveyed my desk! The lengths some people go to achieve accurate results.

"...most INFJs are protective of their inner selves, sharing only what they choose to share when they choose to share it. They are deep, complex individuals, who are quite private and typically difficult to understand. INFJs hold back a part of themselves, and can be secretive."

Anyone who knows me can attest to the accuracy of this statement. I've been told that I am not very open and that I am very hard to get to know. In addition, I am so secretive, that nobody, and I do mean nobody, knows everything there is to know about me. I always hold back something. There are a few people that if you locked them in a room together to confer with each other, they might begin to have a grasp on who I am. I have a difficult time being vulnerable enough to allow one person to see the whole me. This is an area of my life that is a work in progress.INFJs are"...very sensitive to conflict, and cannot tolerate it very well. Situations which are charged with conflict my drive the normally peaceful INFJ into a state of agitation or charged anger..."causing Shenequia, the goddess of angry black women, to rise forth and crush all those who dare step in her path."...INFJ is a perfectionist who doubts they are living up to their full potential. INFJs are rarely at complete peace with themselves - there's always something else they should be doing to improve themselves and the world around them..."This is it! This is why I am rarely ever happy or content with my life. Now I understand! This is the best $5 I have ever spent."INFJ is a natural nurturer; patient, devoted and protective. They make loving parents and usually have strong bonds with their offspring. They have high expectations of their children, and push them to be the best they can be. This can sometimes manifest itself in the INFJ being hard-nosed and stubborn."The two young boys I babysit can vouch for the fact that I am very hard-nosed. But I do it with their best interests at heart. I require a lot from them and I expect them to meet those requirements. There have been instances where homework time has resulted in tears and cries of "I can't do it!" and "I don't want to do it!" I tell them to suck it up and do it anyway. When they quit the negative self-talk and put their minds to it, they end up doing the very thing they declared they could not. Now, when the kids have to study for a test, they opt to study with me instead of their mom, because my stubborness and hard-nosed approach usually results in a better grade.