Problems with Assessments
The “Strength of Preference” Misunderstanding
Many versions of the MBTI and related instruments reveal a “strength of preference” score beside each of the 4 letters in the code. This score is simply an indication of how sure you were about answering the questions the way you did. These scores are primarily intended for the type professional administering the instrument to use when assessing the true type of the client. They are NOT an indication of how “strong” you are at “doing” any of the functions!
The MBTI is based on Jung’s theory of psychological type, which posits a dichotomous preference between the pairs of functions. A low score on any dimension does NOT mean that you can easily flip between them, or that you’re not sure which you are — all it means is that the prevailing conditions that influenced the way you answered the questions meant that you were unsure about some of the answers you gave. It simply means that your contextual or developed self was intruding into the answers that your core self would have given.
If you answer the instrument more than once over a period of time, you may find that you get different values in these scores. This is normal and is merely an indication of the different environmental factors at work — it does NOT mean you are “becoming more INTJ” or “less INTJ”. What’s significant is that the basic code should stay the same.
On-line Personality Tests
I always caution people against doing any personality type indicator online since you don’t then have the benefit of a live facilitator explaining it all to you beforehand and giving you proper feedback afterward. Also, multiple-choice personality tests are never more than 70% accurate — the only way to determine your true personality type is to a attend a multi-day workshop that uses several intersecting methodologies with lots of experiential exercises that allow you to self-select your own type with confidence.
However, I recognize that the cost and inconvenience of attending such a workshop may make it unlikely, so I would then suggest reading some good books on different methodologies. I have some favorite authors, one of whom is Dr. Linda Berens. (She runs workshops for type professionals, many of which I’ve attended). Another is Prof. Dario Nardi (also INTJ). (Click the “Recommended Reading” link to the right.)
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