Are you a thinker or a feeler, and why it matters.

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   Sophia Angeliqueposted 12 years ago

   Myers Briggs created the world's most famous industrial psychology test.
   
   Part of it is dividing people into thinkers and feelers.
   
   Loosely, thinkers base their decisions on what they think using factual information while feelers base they decisions on what they intuit.
   
   More rarely, thinkers will use intuition to make decisions and feelers will use factual information (information gained from their senses, i.e. sight, sound, smell, etc), but this is more rare.
   
   About half the people in the world are thinkers and the other half feelers.
   
   Why does it matter?
   
   Feelers tend to be artists, mystic, religious, people persons. They tend to be more warm in their association with others.
   Thinkers tend to be scientists, inventors, etc. They tend to put facts above people and are more task orientated.
   
   Which are you?

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      EmpressFelicityposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      The dimension of intuition/sensing in Myers-Briggs is separate from thinking/feeling so it's a bit misleading to cludge them together. Someone who is ESFJ, for example, will mainly base their decisions on feeling and mainly use their senses (as opposed to their intuition) to gain information from the environment. (The "S" in ESFJ stands for Sensing.)
      
      It's really hard to explain the difference between thinking and feeling in Myers-Briggs terms - much harder than explaining the difference between introversion and extroversion, or sensing and intuition. You are right about thinkers being more fact-oriented and feelers being "people people". My way of describing it would be to say that feelers tend to consider the social/human aspects when making decisions, while thinkers are more likely to consider the objective dimension (or what they believe is the objective dimension). To illustrate with an example: in an online debate, the thinkers are the ones who will happily argue a point without being all that bothered when things get heated, while feelers tend to be more unhappy when there's conflict and try to smooth things over.
      
      
      
      I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you

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         Sophia Angeliqueposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         Well, I have nothing to hide... I am an INTJ.

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   prettydarkhorseposted 12 years ago

   I think I am more of a feeler!
   
   But I do use statistics at times and analyze problem in a positivist way. It means I gather data first.

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   jacharlessposted 12 years ago

   A true thinker does not divide the elements of Logic. The senses are apart of the human essence, their minds. Feeling is spawned by thought as equally thought is spawned by emote. Both are essential to the other, forming a perfect cohesive expression. Granted, the variables of the expression are as many as a billion million, times itself, times five. As to rationale and use of facts, humans implore similar informations, observances and emote from the aforementioned equation to deem fact or not. The probabilities then of fact are equal to that number.
   
   A short example: the sky is blue.
   The sky is not blue but appears so dependent on x factors. That blue sky triggers emote and x number of thoughts correlative to experiences of a blue sky factor.
   
   The problem again is creating duality or micro-duality within duality within a whole that need not be divided.
   
   James

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      Sophia Angeliqueposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      James, you are a thinker! You analyzed a comment. That is what thinkers do...

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         jacharlessposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         you got me, Sophia.
         I fell right into that one, head-first.
         Yes, I am a very critical thinker. A dangerous pastime, no doubt.
         But, I might add, the passion behind my analysis is equal to it.
         James.

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            Sophia Angeliqueposted 12 years agoin reply to this

            Some would say that there is no such thing as a critical thinker. However, that's not true. Myers Briggs give a scale. I am 52% thinker 48% feeler and 52% introvert and 48% extrovert.

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               jacharlessposted 12 years agoin reply to this

               Are you familiar with the Da Vinci Effect or Ambicranial? I have "suffered" from it since childhood. I used to be ambidextrous, can still read backwards and upside down {used to freak my father out. lol} and am highly creative-logical. Insomnia was a very common occurrence throughout my twenties. Even now, I get so exhausted, when I sleep, it is deep delta.
               
               Is there a link to this Brigg's Test?
               James.

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   WriteAngledposted 12 years ago

   I do both.
   
   Sometimes I use my intuition, sometimes I base my decisions on theoretical and factual information. I do not think I base decisions on sensory input very much, though.

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      Sophia Angeliqueposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      WriteAngled, so you'd be predominantly intuitive and thinker with lesser scores in sensing (using the senses to determine fact) and feeling? Have I got that right?
      
      You'd be a good writer with the 'thinking/intuitive" combination.

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   WriteAngledposted 12 years ago

   Introverted (I) 77.14% Extroverted (E) 22.86%
   Intuitive (N) 76.47% Sensing (S) 23.53%
   Thinking (T) 54.05% Feeling (F) 45.95%
   Perceiving (P) 76.47% Judging (J) 23.53%
   
   Your type is: INTP

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   Mighty Momposted 12 years ago

   Empress Felicity's explanations are great!
   But I have often found the two dimenions "cludged" together. Quite often in Meyers-Briggs the N/S and F/T measures are lumpedtogether. I don' t know why that is.
   NFs, NTs, SFs, STs are like the 4 major quadrants of the 16 typing possibilities.
   
   Truly all of the measures tell us something valuable about the person.
   In fact, for me, I think the P/J measure -- are you a perceiver or a judger -- is often the #1 most valuable piece of information about a person (especially in business)
   Lets me know right off the bat if you're open or closed to alternatives. A black and white person or more shades of gray. Rules and regulations or possibilities.
   The I/E measure is (I find) the least useful. It's not about whether you are outgoing (classic definition of "extroverted") or "shy" (introverted) but really about how do you restore your energy. Although it can also help with understanding why some people prefer in-person meetings or phone calls whereas others prefer email communication.
   
   I am smiling here because I can make "Mighty Mom" a totally different personality type than I am myself. Hmmmm. It's probably too late, though. She's pretty much shown her true M-B colors here.
   

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   Hollie Thomasposted 12 years ago

   I'm an INFP, same as ten years ago.

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      Sophia Angeliqueposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Hollie, that's very interesting. Once someone told me that they could change. I really didn't want to be an INTJ because their weak point is getting on with people and that has caused me so much suffering, I just wanted desperately to be someone else. However, 15 years on, I'm still an INTJ!

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         Hollie Thomasposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         Can we change our basic personalities, who we are intrinsically, I don't actually believe we can. I wouldn't describe myself as a *moralistic* person, but shooting my mouth off when I believe that people, or situations, are not as they should be has cost me so much in the past. I haven't changed, but I have become a bit more diplomatic as I've aged. Hallelujah, the girl got there in the end.

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            Sophia Angeliqueposted 12 years agoin reply to this

            Sad. I can't help wishing everybody was a thinker! But, of course, I know that feelers are essential to our world as well.

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            Mighty Momposted 12 years agoin reply to this

            Hollie,
            You do know that INFPs are IDEALISTS, right?
            Of course we want to make the world a better place and get frustrated easily with those who do not share this lofty goal.
            

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               Hollie Thomasposted 12 years agoin reply to this

               Yes, if anything we are not constrained by what others might believe is impossible. We don't see barriers, just opportunities.

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               Sophia Angeliqueposted 12 years agoin reply to this

               Yes, I can see that an INFP would be an idealist - and very accepting.

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   Sophia Angeliqueposted 12 years ago

   So here's a link that pretty much explains all the types...
   
   http://www.mypersonality.info/personality-types/
   
   It's a pretty good site as it links everything that has been said about the Myers Briggs profiles...

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      Hollie Thomasposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      That's really interesting thanks, Sophia. Quite chuffed to hear that Orwell and Shakespeare were also INFP's.

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   Miki Korhonenposted 12 years ago

   I see the Myerr-Briggs test as an elaborate psychological joke, just like most tests that can be done online. I had friend who was very into this sort of thing and she forced me to do the test:
   
   I was an INTP.
   Even though I don't put too much emphasis in the result, I guess it's a thinker thing to be all skeptical about this. Go figure.

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      Motown2Chitownposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      The MBTI has been around a heck of a lot longer than the internet, so it's not exactly 'like most tests that can be done online.'  Its development began during World War II, to discover the best career paths for women entering the workforce.  It draws strongly on Jungian psychology (which I think most folks wouldn't describe as a 'joke.'
      
      

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         Miki Korhonenposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         Please, do not misinterpret what I said.
         I do know of the roots of the MBTI, but I doubt that most people who do them these days have done it with a certified psychologist. People find about it on the internet, read, about it, do the test, and read what it says.
         
         There is no big magic behind the MBTI in truth, it just tells you what you tell it. Just like most psychological personality tests.
         
         As for Jungian psychology, it is not a joke, just like many things in the world aren't a joke. Yet, I do not take the MBTI too seriously no matter how much it draws from Jungian psychology.
         
         If someone else gets more out of it, then they are completely free to take it seriously. I do not wish to force others to see it the way I do.

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            Motown2Chitownposted 12 years agoin reply to this

            Gotcha. 
            
            I think I did misinterpret what you said.  I apologize if my response sounded snarky in any way.  I have actually taken it with (a) qualified psychologist(s) - about ten years ago before entering a Catholic religious community.  I found it fascinating.  And you're right - it tells you what you tell it, but then you see yourself in a way you may never have before.  For me, it was very educational.
            
            I've taken it two more times since (with qualified professionals), and my type has never changed, except as I've become older, I've become more of an introvert.

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      Sophia Angeliqueposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      The test on line isn't the real test. You need to take it with an industrial psychologist.

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    cheaptrickposted 12 years ago

    Thinker...Feeler,now That's something worth talking about.
    You can get one to think about a taboo and refrain from it.People who then indulge in it have changed their mind's[thought changes].
    
    Or,you can do some Skinner type stuff that digs deep down into their emotional-core...well that person will never change their thinking.
    
    So,what's the point?
    I don't have a clue...just expressing my morning double Espresso shots.

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    Hollie Thomasposted 12 years ago

    I had to take the test, as part of a series of tests, before working in a Prison.(with a psychologist) It was far more in depth than the online version, however, they both appear to have reached the same conclusion.

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