(03-05-2013 8:32 PM)dexter Wrote:  The questions on the test are hard sometimes, because you need to ask the question the correct way. Because anybody can perform any of the functions the mindset of the question is "VERY" important.

Before reading the question, preface it with: If there were no external demands on your time or resources, and no mental baggage with the individuals involved in the following situation/question, would you prefer...

Many times people think of situations in their lives that are similar to the questions and accidentally bring in some of the constraints or requirements that were associated with prior life situation. Those constraints may skew the answer.

A Great/Awesome book to read in order to understand the test and shine a new light on MBTI is "Functions of Type" by Gary & Margaret Hartzler. This book breaks the MBTI down into 8 Functions. These functions are learned skills that you use in your everyday life. You can look at these to figure out what is your Dominant Function and Secondary function. Those 2 combine to give you your 1/16 MBTI 4 letter combination. If you pick your dominant from the 8, you will then have an option of 2 to choose from for your Secondary. 8x2=16 combinations.
The 8 types are Se, Si, Ne, Ni, Fe, Fi, The Edge, Ti.
You will see how different the Ne and Ni are, especially the Fe and Fi.

Another neat thing to learn is this book tells you how learn these functions (skill sets) if you don't already have them. Helping you understand others, and be able to tackle problems that your personality type has trouble with.

"Functions of Type" also helps identify which type you really are, going about it in a functional way rather than a multiple choice test.

Thanks for the suggestion! I'm getting back into my reading hobby now so this would be a great start!

I'm adding this because I put it in my journal, but I figure it is relevant here too.

(05-24-2012 6:39 PM)dexter Wrote:  the I/E thing is a big thing in MBTI, because you aren't an I or an E, you are both.
the I/E represents the Dominant Function being I or E. Your secondary function will be the opposite.
In my case,
ENFP is
ENFP — Discoverer Advocate Ne Fi T'e Si | Ni Fe Ti Se

Ne - dominant function is Extroverted Intuitive
Fi - Secondary function is Introverted Feeling
T'e - Tertiary function is Extroverted Thinking
Si - Fouth function (Duniho's Shadow Function) is Introverted Sensory

You can read up on the 5th-8th functions if you want.

The Ne and Ni are different. Same as the other Functions except for J/P which aren't modified by the I/E.

Quote: EDITED ON 2013-03-12
The J/P actually is an alias with your communication type, if your N or S is introverted, you are a J, if your communication style (N/S) is extroverted then you are a P type. The J/P is just a way to say if your communication is I or E, while the I/E in a MBTI tells what your dominant function is, and your 2nd Function is the opposite.

example: me = ENFP
N => my communication style (N or S) is N (iNtuitive)
P => my communication style is E (Extroverted)
E => my dominant Funtion is extroverted, my Dominant is Ne (Extroverted iNtuitive) because the P tells me that my communication style (N or S) is Extroverted.

so thru deduction for ENFP:
If Dominant(1) Function is N
Then Auxiliary/Secondary(2) Function is F.
If Dominant Function is Ne,
Then Auxiliary Function is Fi (it will be the opposite I/E from dominant, so since Dom was E, Aux is I, and vice versa).
If Auxiliary is Fi,
Then Tertiary(3) Function is The Edge (Tertiary is opposite of Aux in both I/E, and N/S or T/F).
If Dominant is Ne,
Then Inferior(4) is Si (Inferior is opposite of Dom in both I/E, and N/S or T/F).

So my 4 functions are
1 2 3 4
Dom Aux Ter Inf
Ne Fi T'e Si

The 1st function is noticeable from around birth. Dominant Preference.
The 2nd function is used around age 8. Secondary Preference
the 3rd function is used around age 18. Tertiary Preference.
the 4th function is used around age 35-50 (cause of mid-life crisis).

The older you get more functions come into play. The 4th function is often not understood, and so it just messes with you. You all of a sudden have a subliminal preference pulling you in a different direction than you've gone for the first 35-50 years of your life, and you don't expect it, it's just there. Most people never learn to use/deal with their 4th function.

I'll post this in the MBTI thread as well.

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(03-12-2013 8:04 PM)dexter Wrote:  I went back and edited my post from 2012-5-12. I added the text in blue above as I've been thinking about this.

It helps me when I look at people sometimes and try to figure out their MBTI without giving them a full blown MBTI test, or without them knowing.

Sometimes the J/P part is easy to distinguish in people. If they have a strong preference for being open ended and unresolved then they are P type, if they drive decisions to closure and don't like leaving things undecided then they are J type.

Turns out that the P and J are just another way of saying that the communication style, either N or S, is Introverted for J types and Extroverted for P types. The flip side is that the process style (T/F) is Introverted for P types and Extroverted for J types.

So you could throw the whole MBTI 4 letter scheme on its ear and use a different scheme that shows the Dominant and Secondary Functions and attach the same meaning to it.
for example:
ENFP = NeFi (Ne=dominant, Fi = Auxiliary)
ISTJ = SiTe (Si=dominant, The Edge = Auxiliary)
ENFJ = FeNi (Fe=dominant, Ni = Auxiliary)

So it could be more intuitive to think of it this way, instead of having to decipher that Ne was the dominant Function of ENFP using the E and P, but the naming/typing convention is already in place, and possibly the 8 Functions may not have been identified and understood until the MBTI Naming/Typing convention was so well engrained that it is too hard to change it.

Anyway, learning this little trick can help in discovering others type during a conversation and the knowledge of their type can help immensely in communication, understanding, persuasion and relationships.

while not totally pheromone susceptibility, this article is about statistical info of MBTI personality type and how it relates to drug abuse susceptibility.

https://www.capt.org/JPT/article/JPT_vol65_0805.pdf
Typology of Adjudicated Youth in Substance Abuse Treatment
H. Mike Kanitz, Kate Hanley, and Sue Kramer

Looks like the "S" type are more likely in the drug tank.
Especially the ESFP and ISFP.