After learning MBTI, my greatest gain is knowing how to think as if I’m another person, with astonishing accuracy.
MBTI == conflict
Imagine working on a group assignment. As the leader, you want each member to do equal work, to be more fair and efficient. But one of your member thinks there’s no point doing this, and that person would rather die than make the slides. You’ll feel that it’s impossible to understand your member, because of a conflict you don’t understand yet.
However, it’s possible, because MBTI is a serialization of exactly the conflict. After understanding the conflict, it’s much easier for you to understand the initiator of the conflict.
Disambiguation
If you already know MBTI, please make sure it’s not the 16-personality version. The 16-p version just interprets F as Feeling, and T as Thinking, which provides 0 bit of information.
We need the Jungian version.
Derivation
MBTI is directly derived from the 8 Jungian cognitive functions:
- Se, Extraverted Sensing
- Ne, Extraverted Intuition
- Si, Introverted Sensing
- Ni, Introverted Intuition
- Te, Extraverted Thinking
- Fe, Extraverted Feeling
- Ti, Introverted Thinking
- Fi, Introverted Feeling
Not know what they are? They are the scaffold for expressing the conflicts.
For example, in the trailer conflict, you are using Te (values efficiency), and your not-doing-anything member is using Ti (values logical consistency, no logical statement says that efficiency is important). Te and Ti are in the “Enemy” conflict, so you will feel that your not-doing-anything member is like a enemy. However, by fighting against each other, you both are better motivated to prove the value of yourselves.
The “Baby” conflict is much more weaker than the “Enemy” conflict. For example, if another member wants to give up because the member feels the assignment is “too hard and depressive” (Fi), you might be irritated, but will more likely try to cheer up the member, and attempt to improve your efficiency to finish the assignment quicker.
The “Demon” conflict is almost impossible to reconcile, just like the “Enemy” conflict. For example, if one of your member uses Fe (values socializing and maintaining a pleasing atmosphere, more than actually implementing something), regarding your strict rules as destructor of social atmosphere, you might feel that the member is literally Satan (the member thinks the same way). However, socializing is in fact necessary for efficiency. If you somehow reconciled the conflict, you’ll grow.
Then?
These 3 types of conflict can explain a majority of things in your life. After understanding them, you can more easily put yourself in other’s shoes, instead of just imagining “if I were you”.
My situation
I’m a Fi-Ti user (at least I believe), so I can understand the full 4 judgemental functions (Te, Ti, Fe and Fi) more easily. However, it took me a long long time to reconcile the inner “Demon” conflict.
When using Fi, I tend to think that everything is alive, and intensively empathizing with everything. When someone treats an object (carpet, for example) badly, I can actually feel bad for it. I also value “motivation” highly, see Learning is a worth-playing game.
But when using Ti, I tend to think that everything is just dead programs, with some random-value generators inside. There was occasion when someone was treated unfairly and felt hurt, expressing his anger passionately in a group, but I thought the personal emotions were entirely unnecessary.
I use Fi mainly. If I must have a MBTI type, it will be ISFP.
Schrödinger’s Cat
How is it possible to think something is both alive and dead?
Honestly, I don’t know. I just feel it natural.