Nathan (Smith) twittered tweeted twitted posted to Twitter the other day a test he had to take as part of a course. With nothing better to do for twenty minutes this morning I thought I’d take it too, thought it might be fun. Well, it’s like when I pass a window and catch my reflection and go, Crap! Why didn’t someone tell me my shirt was on backwards! I saw myself and didn’t like everything I saw.

As it turns out, I’m what they call an INFJ (Introverted iNtuitive Feeling Judging), with mostly the intuition part and only a tiny bit of the judging part. It’s interesting because I remember taking this same test with a #2 pencil in high school and the results were the same. Today the short list of career suggestions actually includes web designer, so it’s good to know I’m doing something that suits me. Back in high school the career options were primarily writer, counselor, teacher. I was a lot more of the introverted part back then and more of the judging too, so that might have had something to do with the results.

Anyway, what had me reeling when I read the results was how dead on everything seemed to be, despite the unfairness in the questions: there were lots of “always” and “never” types of questions with only yes or no answers. For instance:

Introverted Thinking

The INFJ’s thinking is introverted, turned toward the subject. Perhaps it is when the INFJ’s thinking function is operative that he is most aloof. A comrade might surmise that such detachment signals a disillusionment, that she has also been found lacking by the sardonic eye of this one who plumbs the depths of the human spirit. Experience suggests that such distancing is merely an indication that the seer is hard at work and focusing energy into this less efficient tertiary function.

I’m not ignoring you, I’m just thinking really hard. :)

Extraverted Sensing

INFJs, like their fellow intuitives, may be so absorbed in intuitive perceiving that they become oblivious to physical reality.

Crap. It’s true. Someone once told me that if they gave me an ashtray and asked me to explain what it was, I’d come up with a million creative uses for it before ever suggesting it be used to put out a cigarette.

The INFJ under stress may fall prey to various forms of immediate gratification.

Yikes! I have a credit card bill to prove this one.

Extraverted Feeling

INFJs, like many other FJ types, find themselves caught between the desire to express their wealth of feelings and moral conclusions about the actions and attitudes of others, and the awareness of the consequences of unbridled candor.

I’m way too aware of what the world around me is saying, thinking, doing, and I’m typically very open about it, but I’m also incredibly sensitive to how I can hurt people, so it’s a constant battle. Do I say something? Do I not? Do I be the one hurt or risk hurting others?

I suppose it’s better than being one or the other. If I didn’t care what people felt I’d run off at the mouth with every wacky thing that comes to mind — believe it or not there’s a lot I don’t write on my blog. I know, hard to believe. :)

On the other hand, if I only cared what other people felt I’d spend my life letting people be, do and say, whatever they want and I know people like that. They’re lonely passive people who are never happy. I used to be like that and I was lonely, passive and unhappy.