I am not sure if any of you are familiar with the Myers Briggs Type Indicator. It is an incredibly interesting personality test. I was first introduced to it as a Psychology student and my husband administers this test in his department at work to help colleagues better understand themselves and each other. Anyway I recently read a study where someone gave the test to a large group of Exmormons. According to the study the majority tested as INTP. I was interested in this study because I happen to be an INTP myself. The letters stand for Introverted, Intuitive, Thinker, Perceiver. It is one of 16 different personality types that one can test as. Just interested if any of you out there know your letters and have taken the test before. For those of you that haven't here is the website where you can. I would love to know what some of the personality types are on this forum. It is a very unique,rare,insightful personality that can see the warning flags in Mormonism and have the guts to get out. I am interested in knowing what it is that we all have in common. This website offers the personality test and an explanation as to what the letters mean. I think that the letter we will all have in common would have to be the "N"
http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/JTypes2.asp



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 01/10/2012 04:40AM by Regan.

INFJ

I also got INFJ. And I think that's what I got twenty something years ago, the last time I took this test.

I took the test and I'm ENFP.

INTJ

Ditto INTJ, but borderline ENTJ.

I am very interested in seeing a peer reviewed academic study on exmo personality types.

I don't know the personality type of my natural family, but I always felt I was different. I was BIC and never really *got* Mormonism. For years I accepted it as true, even when so much of it didn't make sense, but now I am out (mentally, at least) I can see how my Myers-Briggs personality type was always going to be in conflict with a "testimony" of Mormonism. In a nutshell, I simply never had one, and now I know why.

Lots of INTJs here.

I have to say that I'm introverted and thoughtful. There never was a place for me in Mormondom.

So far this is so interesting! Everyone has an "N" in their personality type which is what I was thinking might happen. The "N" is what I think allows us to see through the fake Mormon mirage. "N" stands for intuitive. Basically out of the four letters the "N" would be the most important because it is how you see, interpret, and analyze experiences and the world. People who share a common "N" can see inconsistencies in ideas and thought. They can be skeptics because they analyze so much and are very deep thinkers. They also believe in being true to oneself even if that means rocking the boat a bit. They are intuitive in thought, idea and feeling. They are also very stubborn. I think these abilities are what help us all to see outside the box. The other letters might just be inconsequential to the exmormon personality type.

I/E stands for introversion or extroversion
S/N stands for sensory or intuitive
F/T stands for feeler or thinker
J/P stands for judger or perceiver (actually the words aren't really related to the definition. Judgers are organized and have good planing skills where Perceivers are more spontaneous and disorganized.

If you are a mix of two letters means you are an X. So I am sort of an INXP. A lot of people are mixes.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 01/10/2012 04:42AM by Regan.

I am INTP again. And strongly N. My wife was INTJ back when I first met her. I sometimes think she is only mormon because change is inconvenient for her.

INFJ!

Sorry to be the confounder in the group but I was ESTJ 20 yrs ago, and again today.

And I'm female, SHOCK SHOCK.....

Flare, whats your exit story? What led you to leave?

Idealists and rationals exist to weed out the irrational and non-ideal and evolve the human species to greater efficiency. Guardians exist to defend the current social institutions at all costs (even if it is not rational or ideal), while artisans exist mainly for making things fun.

Many people might find themselves fitting in more than one quadrant, but one quadrant and one personality are usually dominant. I myself have idealist and rational characteristics (but mostly rational).

Ha! Meant to post this along with my other post at the bottom.

INTJ

Some of those questions I could have gone either way or needed a sometimes. :)

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 01/10/2012 07:16AM by Soft Machine.

Most Ex-Mormons will be either xNTx or xNFx. Keirsey "Idealists" or "Rationals". Most hardcore Mormons will be xSxJ.

http://www.keirsey.com/4temps/overview_temperaments.asp

I myself am... drum roll please... INTP. Shock!

Idealists and rationals exist to weed out the irrational and non-ideal and evolve the human species to greater ideals/efficiency. Guardians exist to defend the current social institutions at all costs (even if it is not rational or ideal), while artisans exist mainly for making things fun.

Many people might find themselves fitting in more than one quadrant, but one quadrant and one personality are usually dominant. I myself have idealist and rational characteristics (but mostly rational).

ENFJ here! Very strong J @ 67

E-1
N-25
F-25
J-67

It said I would make a good teacher. Funny thing is, that's exactly what I'm going to school for. Lucky me!

and most were INTJ and ENTJ, if I recall.

Do you think ENFJ, INTJ, or ENTJ personalities have more characteristics that would cause them to leave the church?

I'm ENTJ (The Fieldmarshall!) and I can see how a take-charge attitude would build up resentment of the control and self-direct themselves on out.

Hmmm. ISFP. Very "I". Yeah, that's me.

I = 89

S = 12

F = 25

P = 22

Edit: Just noticed the famous people with this type: Princess Diana, Auguste Rodin, Elvis Presley, Frederic Chopin.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/10/2012 08:30AM by Greyfort.

INTJ

ENFJ too (with a value of 89 for J). That's very interesting about the "N". I wonder, too, if there are other elements of the personality that make ex-mos more likely to cut ties and dissociate themselves with Mormonism, as opposed to those who see the flaws but are more content with staying put.

INTJ

ENTP

Me: INTJ. Ns have a low capacity for swallowing baloney.

I=44%
N=25%
F=25%
J=22%

I found it interesting that I am a Idealist and under that Counselor. I knew that I was an Introvert who had to push myself towards being in non-introverted situations.

Too much "social stimulation" tends to overload my ability to think...I just turn off! Crowds overwhelm me...too much stimulation. It is like I am receiving all their emotions at once--I have always thought that I was some kind of freaky empathic, because I can actually feel emotions in a room.

Example: If I walk into a room and someone is VERY ANGRY, but appears calm on the outside...I become angry. It took me a long time to understand that the emotion that I was feeling was not mine, but someone else's. Then I had to learn how to "block" that person's emotion from overwhelming me. I use to think that I was just "nuts". After I took the MMPI, I was surprised to find out that I was "within the normal range" and other helpful insights into my personality.

Odd observation about myself: All the females in my family love to shop...very fond of large stores and malls. When I get in one of those, all I can want is OUT! I prefer browsing in small quaint shops or flea markets on their "slow" days.

Thanks for the Topic and link. I did wonder at the over 100% score! Must be some form of "overlap"...maybe...just a guess.

INFP

INTJ.

I-100 and N-75. I've taken it several times and I always get a 100 on the Introverted (go to a party or stay home and read a book? Duh!)

Maybe there are a lot of us introverts here because Mormonism uses social ties to keep people in the church, but we introverts are less susceptible to social pressure so it's easier to leave.

Also, introverts probably spend more time online.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/10/2012 09:19AM by Stray Mutt.

Interesting point... I'm always one to look at the sample used, and this sample is people who are using computers/internet to communicate. What about all those exmos that don't hang around here? So, I'm not quick to conclude that we are representative of the entire exmo community.

(INTJ for me.)

I've studied MBTI/Keirsey/Big Five, etc. for quite awhile. I believe it has more to do with using dominant intution (xNFx and xNTx) rather than introversion.

...Mormonism is about feelings, maybe those of us who rely more on intuition are more likely to intuit that something isn't right with the church.

Whatever it is, I think belief and disbelief in Mormonism is somehow linked to personality (given the same amount of from-birth indoctrination and cultural immersion).

Those with strong intution (N) and strong feelings (F) (the "idealists" - they want things to be ideal) can develop strong hate/resentment toward the church IF they experience certain negative feelings about the church that makes them realize it is far from ideal (say, proposition 8, improperly handeled case with bishop, etc.).

That's because those with dominant intution (N) think more in the future and believe it is their duty to change things that cause people harm, while those with dominant sensing (S) think more in the present and might not care as much / forget about the issue.

Mormonism absolutely violated my sense of justice and mercy.

I also wonder if there isn't a gender difference here. Surely, many introverts of either gender are going to have difficulty within the Mormon system because of the level of involvement expected of believers.

But as an extroverted female, I can tell you, it was no picnic. Extroversion is only tolerated to a point. A strong, extroverted female leader would not be allowed to behave in the same manner as a male with the same traits. After all, the Priesthood must always preside, regardless of organizational skills or familiarity with the project.

Yes, I can definitely see how that would be a huge frustration for an NF. I think one who hadn't developed their intuition as strongly might not OPEN themselves to the idea that the system was flawed in this way (in that, perhaps, things would be better if a more experienced female were doing the tasks that the said male were deficient in instead).

I'm ENFJ:

E: 44
N: 38
F: 25
J: 1

Maybe we should start a new thread on Mormon personality types.

Mormon personality types - http://www.keirsey.com/4temps/guardian_overview.asp

The Guardians. xSxJ

INTP here. Have done the test several times over the years with same result...

The first time I took the test I was I---, I didn't like that because I work very hard at being extroverted, so I retook it and got ENTP, which is what I wanted. It's too easy to answer the questions in the way that gives you the result you want, so to me the test means about as much as the Sorting Hat - you could just as easily choose your result without taking the test and it would mean just as much.

Basically what this is saying about my personality is that I ask a lot of questions and don't tend to accept things on authority - even if that authority is "scientific research". I feel like I could just as easily make a personality test to test for your favorite color, and have a list of questions like, "Do you prefer to look at a field of grass or at the daytime sky?" to see if you are more of a "G" (green) or "B" (blue) personality. I know the researchers say that these particular themes are the ones that kept coming up in their research - but their research was only done in a particular time and place, their own biases were obviously going to be involved in which themes they noticed, as well as the biases of the people they studied. It's too subjective for me.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/10/2012 10:00AM by sexismyreligion.

True. The questionaire might not be perfect. But that doesn't make these personality traits any less valid.

The traits as measured in the MBTI have strong correlations to the characteristics measured in the Big Five, which are characteristics that have decades of strong scientific research behind them.

Took it twice. INTJ and ISTJ.
Thinking and judging seem to be my strong points...no wonder I'm an exmo.

It's the NT combination that's causing you to care about all the stuff everybody else doesn't. INTJ especially, is a VERY rational type that does LOTS of research before making any important decision. That's a strong combo that causes you to use very rational approaches to deciding on religion.

J alone doesn't actually cause a person to leave, though. Actually, P's are much more likely to question than a J. J's like rigid schedules and plans. P's are more likely to look at things they're not supposed to. INTP's are likely the least religious. It's because of the strong J and weak intuition that that many stake presidents (usually xSxJ - http://www.keirsey.com/4temps/guardian_overview.asp) might seem like they're on auto-pilot and don't care as much about doctrinal/historical/etc. issues.

But overall, I'd say since you seem about 50% (more or less) intution (N) combined with thinking (T) and introversion (I), is what has led you here.

ISTP

INFJ

ISTJ. No wonder I'm FUBAR.

ISTJ

Always have been. I've worked on my intuition so the S isn't as strong as it used to be, but the ITJ part is near 100%.

I left the church because when I analyzed it, it didn't make sense.

A few SJ's here (although most seem NT/NF). I'd be interested to hear their stories about what caused them to leave (as there are obviously other factors involved than what is tested in the MBTI).

I switch between INTJ and ENTJ.

ENFP

It's been years since I took the test but found it uncanny in its ability to describe my collegues and myself and our respective roles at my school.


Retook the test just now. Still an INFP.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/10/2012 11:01AM by Twinker.

ISTJ.
Never, ever was a believer... not even a little bit. Didn't buy if from day one. My sister did, though and still does. I wonder what she is?

So you didn't buy it from day one. Plus you were raised by Jack Mormons. Now, being an ISTJ, that makes sense. So there wasn't much of an "exit story" for you.

New hypothesis - if strong SJ's are inactive they are more likely to be the "jack mormons"? Sounds like a good hypothesis to me.

INFJ

every time I take this test. But the IN (Idealist/Intuitive) stays the same).

I'm not always sure how I want to answer some of the questions, maybe that's why it keeps changing. It depends on my mood.

It says I'm an INFP, but when I've taken this test before, I've been an ENFP. Guess it depends on my mood.

I am usually IXTJ, I go 1% one way or the other on the N/S. I feel INTJ describes me very well.
I know I'm not one of the "feely" people. I didn't get any good feelings at church. I don't get good feelings from social events, unless it is my party and going well so I can be proud of it. :D

Social misfit indeed!

Me neither. I think the "feely"'s are strong SF's. (requires both the S and the F to be the "super-feely" type).

ENTJ

with Myers-Briggs instructors when I was in the process of leaving the LDS Church. Took it several times after, sometimes the results change.

The count (so far):
INTJ - 15
INTP - 8
INFJ - 7
ENTJ - 6
INFP - 5
ENFP - 4
ISTJ - 4
ENTP - 3
ENFJ - 3
ESTJ - 1
ISFP - 1
ESFJ - 1
ISTP - 1
ESTP - 0
ESFP - 0
ISFJ - 0

Rationals (xNTx) (32 total):
INTJ - 15
INTP - 8
ENTJ - 6
ENTP - 3

Idealists (xNFx) (19 total):
INFJ - 7
INFP - 5
ENFP - 4
ENFJ - 3

Guardians (xSxJ) (6 total):
ISTJ - 4
ESTJ - 1
ESFJ - 1
ISFJ - 0

Artisans (xSxP) (2 total):
ISTP - 1
ISFP - 1
ESFP - 0
ESTP - 0


***

Dominant (N)'s - 51 total
Dominant (S)'s - 8 total
Dominant (I)'s - 41 total
Dominant (E)'s - 18 total

(Granted, this is all confounded by this being an Internet forum, dang it).

Keirsey suggests that only 20-30% of the US population are dominant N, with the rest being dominant S. However, I don't see the evidence from where he drew his conclusions.

"Granted, this is all confounded by this being an Internet forum, dang it"

How very rational of you

The J/P result is the only result that can change over time. We all become more judging the closer we get to death. Hence the saying "He/She is putting his house in order" The other areas of this test do not change unless you took it before you where dianosised with a mental illnes, or took the test while not talking meds for your mental illness for a few days. If you have been medicated properly your results should be fine..

I got ISFP/INFP If your score is under 3 you don't have a preference in that area and use both equally

I-56
S-1
F-56
P-22