Should You Trust the Myers-Briggs Personality Test? (2021)

Good article. In particular the observation near the end: "A Barnum statement is a strategically vague description that says little of substance, but is written with just the right amount of ambiguity, so that people can read into it and conclude that it describes them beautifully."

It's an amazing effect (I'm glad I now know the name for it). My horoscope sign is Libra and for much of my early adolescence I tried to convince myself I was a good Libran - but I'm not. In fact I'm much more like my Chinese horoscope sign: a Wood Dragon - the best type of dragon, of course! Even my MBTI personality (ITNJ) is a better fit, even if that's just because it appeals to my vanity.

The best personality prediction I've ever read wasn't even a prediction. It was an article about people who live with Prosopagnosia (face blindness) which described my approach to, and problems with, social situations in exact, accurate and painful detail. Science wins out in the end!

Talking about Barnum statements, I once built out a whole astrology/prediction system thing which I used to promote sales of my SF novel (it didn't work, which I didn't see coming). But it was very enjoyable work and surprisingly easy to do once I got my head around how to say things in a way people might find attractive - and the little website I made for it is still up-and-running! http://vreskiwards.rikweb.org.uk/

Muchly hated and contested convention. One easily misused and misunderstood.

I will say…

All introverts know they are introverts

All those introspective figure out they are introspective (by full psychological maturity.)

All thinkers know they’re thinkers (and not feelers.)

Although…

Introverts can learn to “socialize” and even extroverts sometimes need to be “alone.”

Thinkers can feel and there are a lot of intelligent “emotes”.

Rather than a pseudo-astrological reading, after ~two decades contemplating psychological temperaments (and their cognitive strategies) I have had these revelations:

The most common important characteristics in group dynamics are N/S and J/P. These are as our “IO”. Those who introspect relate using abstract internal systems of rules and those who are extrospective are more keen toward empirical details.

Those who are “J”udging enact in abstract ways, and those “P”erceiving affect literal changes (these are the most poorly named.)

Other attributes are dynamic enough to be changed or augmented by effort (our versatile selves.)

This system reveals who communicates well with who (J=>N; P=>S), thus why some people can talk and talk and talk and not “relate” to certain others (NJ’s and SP’s will forever psychologically misalign.)

Not to be used to qualify who can get a particular job done, as our mind’s “convolution strategies” allow every obstacle to be solved through determination and resourcefulness.