Recently, I wrote a 5 part series of essays where I reacted to my results on the BIG FIVE PERSONALITY TRAITS test. It was a fun experience to go through my results and use them to satirically tear myself a new one, following the classic British comedic tradition of self-deprecation.
It was also nice to delve into my own mind and behaviours a bit as introspection is often illuminating. I have decided to continue this series by taking other personality trait and psychology tests such as the Myers/Brigg 16 Personalities, Dark Triad and Political Spectrum tests and seeing what kind of aspects of my own personality that I can take the piss out of.
I’m picking up the series with the first of these, the Myers/Brigg 16 Personalities on recommendation of
as she expressed an interest that I do so in a comment on a previous entry. Thank you, Arathy and anyone else who read my ‘BIG FIVE’ series.I took this test years ago for a bit of fun and remember my results being eerily accurate in their description of me. I mean like SCARILY eerie. Like they had read my mind, or had reached into my brain and stolen my thoughts and desires clean out of me.
I felt violated, and not in the good old fashioned, ‘what happens in Cardiff, stays in Cardiff’ kinda way. I wonder if my results have changed much now I am taking the test as a much older (and somewhat more mature) man than I was the first time around? One way to find out, I suppose. Grab the KY Jelly, Pete’s gonna get violated again…
[note]: I am aware that the validity and accuracy of the Myers/Brigg 16 Personality test is heavily contested by many notable psychology academics and institutions. This is just a bit of fun and not to be taken too seriously (except the KY Jelly bit).
I took the free test on the 16 Personalities website found here.
This test collects data in a similar manner to the previous one, by asking you to grade your agreement level to a list of propositional statements and interpretations of scenarios. The scale is a 7 point scale between ‘AGREE’ and ‘DISAGREE’ with the middle spot representing a neutral position.
Full Disclosure: All I remember about the first test was that I was scored as a (ISTP) ‘Virtuoso’ personality type and that it seemed to know me better than I knew myself. When taking the test this time, I did what it suggested and answered each question as honestly as I could. But all the way through I couldn’t help but think, ‘Young me would have answered that differently’ or ‘Young me was more liberal back then’ or (more often than not )‘Young me wouldn’t have understood this and would have probably guessed what it meant’, et cetera.
Very early in the test I fully expected to be branded a different Personality type and my results confirmed those suspicions. This time around, I am apparently a (INTJ -T) ‘Architect’.
This means I either lied to myself during one of these tests (I’m pointing the finger at Young Pete because he doesn’t exist anymore and therefore can’t defend himself (that little punk): or I have changed so markedly in the last decade or so that I’m essentially an entirely different person. Could be a little bit of both, of course.
Which of the results I achieved a decade apart truly represents me best I can’t say. I may return to the ‘Virtuoso’ category to analyse it at some point to cross examine it against this one.
The results are pretty extensive so I am only drawing from the summary found in the ‘Introduction’ section. If you want to read the full breakdown of the INTJ ‘Architects’ personality type, you can read it here. Here we go!
Myers/Brigg Test - 2024.
Result = (INTJ -T) ‘Architect’
‘People with the INTJ personality type (Architects) are intellectually curious individuals with a deep-seated thirst for knowledge. INTJs tend to value creative ingenuity, straightforward rationality, and self-improvement. They consistently work toward enhancing intellectual abilities and are often driven by an intense desire to master any and every topic that piques their interest’.
So far this seems legit. Without tooting my own horn (Ooh, Matron!) I am definitely a ‘curious’ individual with a seemingly insatiable ‘thirst for knowledge’. I am an artist so that covers ‘creative ingenuity’. I take a strictly ‘no bullshit’ approach to everything and pride myself on my reasoning and logic skills, so ‘straightforward rationality’ vibes with my whole ‘Common Sense’ branding, for sure. ‘Self-improvement’ is a new thing really that has resulted from the deep dive that I took into Philosophy a few years back after my interest in it skyrocketed.
They go on to describe INTJs as ‘logical and quick-witted’ (Why, thank you!) and claims that we value the ‘ability to think for ourselves’. My question is, who doesn't? Are some people literally hard-wired to be sheep? I had always attributed the ‘follow the herd’ mentality I observed in people to either cowardice, idiocy or a combination of the two. I gotta read the rest of these ‘type’ summaries at some point.
My allergy to ‘bullshit’ is catered for with the line about Architects having ‘an uncanny knack for seeing right through phoniness and hypocrisy’. Damn straight! ‘Live not by lies’ is my life’s mantra.
Overtly fake people make me nauseous but the part I can never understand is how readily some people accept this behaviour. I can’t tell you the amount of times I’ve been pissed off at some smarmy bastard at a hotel desk, dealing with us with a pretentious smile and eyes that say ‘I’m going to tell the chef to shit in your soup’ behind it. After he says ‘have a nice day’ with the most snide, passive aggressive and disingenuous tone I have ever heard, my Mrs will invariably say ‘He was so nice’. I’m always perplexed at that, and she is always the same in return when I describe how he was clearly being facetious and hiding the fact he wanted to tell us to ‘Fuck off all the way back to C**tsville or wherever it was that you came from’. Come to think about it, I might be overthinking this shit.
If I am, that might be because the mind of an Architect is apparently ‘never at rest’. This explains why I feel compelled to write songs and essays constantly. It explains why I can’t sleep when I have something on my mind, which has been every sober night since I can remember. (I used to drink so I could sleep. Not anymore though, don’t worry. I write essays now instead. Much cheaper). It explains why I can’t stand mindless, ‘just shut your brain off’ popcorn movies like the Transformers or the Fast & Furious franchise.
According to this test, Architects struggle to find people who will talk at their level of analysis and depth. This along with the restless mind issue explains why I can’t abide small talk. (The problem is, most people I meet in real life don’t care much for casual conversations about Descartes’ Genius, Hard-Determinism or the Problem of Evil. I know, I’ve tried. That was an awkward prostate examination).
But when we find our people, we apparently build strong bonds for life over our shared love of deep, nerdy thinking and conversation. (Thank You, SubStack).
‘INTJs question most things, basing their beliefs on solid evidence, reasoning, and rationality’.
Yep! I am a born sceptic. Atheist, rationalist and centrist. Evidence based beliefs and a strong aversion to articles of faith across the board. Guilty as charged! Jeez, this thing really does know me.
‘In their quest to find better ways of doing things, they aren’t afraid to break the rules or risk disapproval – in fact, they often rather enjoy it’.
Yep!
‘Independent to the core, INTJs want to shake off other people’s expectations and pursue their own ideas’.
Yes. I’m a strong, independent boss-bitch. I don’t need no man!
‘INTJs don’t mind acting alone – in fact, they prefer their own company most of the time’.
Yeah. As with the BIG FIVE test. I’m clearly a recluse. It’s not about independence or being a ‘lone-wolf’ or anything though. I just like the quiet.
‘It would be a mistake, however, to view INTJ personalities as uncaring. Whatever the stereotypes about their stoic intellect, they feel deeply. [...] These personalities may not always value emotion as a decision-making tool, and they have a very hard time relating to people who lead with their hearts, but they are still authentically human’.
Damn! Right in the ‘spot on’ button. I care. A lot! I’m emotional as all Hell. But people often think I’m a bit of a robot because I don’t show it much outside of my songwriting and performance. But artist’s are by definition emotional beings (wrecks) and I’m no exception. I just have ‘UNAGI!!!”
‘INTJs can be both the boldest of dreamers and the bitterest of pessimists’.
‘Strumming my pain, with his fingers…’!
‘But these personalities may be cynical about human nature more generally, assuming that most people are lazy, unimaginative, or simply doomed to mediocrity’.
Yeah! Fucking Muggles! (Who am I kidding? I’m the laziest prick alive!)
‘In school, they may have been called bookworms or nerds’.
Umm, yeah!... Fair enough.
‘INTJs don’t just learn new things for show – they genuinely enjoy expanding the limits of their knowledge’.
Yeah, my addictive personality extends to my thirst for knowledge. I’m like Jim Carrey’s Riddler in Batman: Forever.
[INTJs] ‘can sometimes be single-minded, with little patience for frivolity, distractions, or idle gossip’.
You can say that again.
‘That said, they’re far from dull or humourless. Many INTJ personalities are known for their irreverent wit, and beneath their serious exteriors, they often have a sharp, delightfully sarcastic sense of humour’.
They forgot twisted and dark, but maybe that will be covered better by the Dark Triad test when I do that.
‘INTJs aren’t known for being warm and fuzzy’.
HAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Painfully true of me.
‘They’d rather be right than popular’.
Wouldn’t know. Never been popular. Or right, for that matter!
‘Because they value truth and depth, many common social practices – from small talk to white lies – may seem pointless or downright stupid to them’.
We’ve covered this already. Allergic to bullshit. ‘Live not by lies’.
‘As a result, they may inadvertently come across as rude or even offensive when they’re only trying to be honest’.
‘At times, they may wonder whether dealing with other people is even worth the frustration’.
FUUUCCCKKK!!!! I felt that.
‘INTJs do crave social interaction – they’d just prefer to surround themselves with people who share their values and priorities’.
Yes! Ergo, Substack!
‘Often, they can achieve this just by being themselves’.
Authenticity = Live not by lies.
‘When they pursue their interests, their authenticity can draw people to them – professionally, socially, and even romantically’.
I wish. I could do with the subscribers TBH and I haven’t been laid in so long my virginity is growing back. Wait! No one’s gonna be able to read this, RIGHT??!!
‘INTJ personality types are full of contradictions. They are imaginative yet decisive, ambitious yet private, and curious yet focused’.
Like shooting ducks in a row. BANG! BANG! BANG!
Apparently a running theme with these INTJ types is that they try to strategise and intellectualise their way through problems and life in general. That’s definitely true of me and, even though I have accepted there are exceptions, I still maintain that a dispassionate and calculated approach is invariably the more expedient course of action when faced with an obstacle. Getting angry, upset or offended has improved the outcome of precisely zero situations throughout history when looked back at retrospectively. And I stand by that assertion.
This was fun, and I got through without needing any KY Jelly (just). Why not take the test yourself and better ‘Know Thyself’? It could be an illuminating experience.
I may yet look at the description of my younger self's personality type ‘Virtuoso’ in a later article.
Until then, thanks for reading - The Common Centrist
"Are some people literally hard-wired to be sheep?" Yes... yes they are. Just as you were wired to fit into the category you did. You are among the winners of the genetic lottery!
I was into the MBTI, once upon a time. I was also into astrology, once upon a different time.
I now consider the two roughly equivalent.