I am an ENFJ with qualities such as warm, empathetic, responsive, and responsible. I feel like those qualities represented a cute dog because a dog can be all of those characteristics. (This is my future dog BTW because he is so lovable and cute!)
I was very excited to get my results from the Myers Brigg's Survey. I was categorized as an ENFJ and I was not too surprised by the description that came with it. Although there were some qualities that seemed limiting.
In that sense, I feel that the criticism of the MBTI is correct. If people know what they are good at, then they will feel like they do not need to explore any other options because their personality is already pre-determined for them. I think this limits someone from being diverse and free to be whoever they want. For example, when it came to the P's and J's, I noticed a lot of people in the class could identify with both sides. But the MBTI would only classify someone as one or the other, so the survey is limiting in that regard.
Although I read what ENFJs are good at and what they need to watch their tendency with and I could not help but feel as if someone was reading my mind. As an ENFJ, it said I am good at public speaking and leading group discussions as well as getting things done and exciting others with my ideas. I completely agreed and saw myself displaying those qualities. Also, when it said I need to watch my tendency to take any criticism too personally and see people as I wish they were, rather than as they really are, I felt as if this survey knew me better than I knew myself.
I feel like some personalities from this survey are viewed more highly than others. I think some people think it is a bad thing to be a quiet, intrinsic person because that means that the person is not considered a leader or self driven. However this assumption is false. I believe a great leader comes from within and the values one has, being extrinsic or intrinsic has nothing to do with that.
All in all, I think each type has its positives for that individual person and the reason why we all work well together is because we are all compromised of different strengths and weaknesses.

Molly we are pretty close in our personalities! I am an ENTJ and I think that I am more of a feeler like you rather than a thinker. I completely agree with your opinion on some personalities being viewed more highly like extroverts versus introverts. I love what you said about great leaders coming from within and I believe that if you want to be a leader then you can be a leader.
ReplyDeletePersonality buddies! I am also an ENFJ and proud of it! I love the picture you used to describe an ENFJ, it's very fitting. I too could identify with both sides of the spectrum and agree that the test is somewhat limiting when it comes to describing the whole personality of someone. You make a great point that people do view some qualities of the test in a better light than others, and it was a very interesting post to read!
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