'J'

Recently my group of friends here got into a discussion about everyone’s Myers-Brigg test results. For those of you who aren’t familiar with this, it’s a Personality Test based off of Jung, a predecessor of Freud. A person is classified by where they fall on a series of 4 continuums. The first is Extroverted verses Introverted. The second Sensing verses Intuitive. The third Thinking Verses Feeling. The last is Perceiver verses Judger. A perceiver is one of those people who always fly by the seat of their pants, and a perceiver is a super anal planner (my university chemistry professor being a prime example! Chemistry boot camp clad in pink and green strips!) I recall myself being ‘ENFJ’, but don’t put much stock in it, as personalities are far more complicated and unique than any test could classify. How could one’s personality possibly be classified between 4 continuums? I rather find that it’s the interplay between the situation and where the person ends up on the continuum that’s interesting. We are all situational people, are we not? No test can account for that, but merely take the average, and thereby miss all the deviations that cause the interesting quirks that we posses.

My friends were attempting to guess each others’ classification. When it was my turn, a friend that I’ve known for less than a year, who I always had thought ‘she’s a ‘J’ like me,’ piped up and said ‘You are definitely a ‘P’!’ I was rather taken aback. My whole life I have been an obvious ‘J’. I’ve been teased about it countless time, told to relax, not try so hard and let things flow, breath a little, not worry about all the details but take it as it comes. Shudder -they might as well have sworn at me for the way those things sounded. I never missed a day of High School for goodness sake, and everything on my desk had a place – don’t you dare turn my stapler sideways! I realized that it’s been part of the way that I have defined myself for a long time.

I know that this culture has had an effect on my life – but apparently more than I thought. I do remember how much of a struggle things were at first – I’d plan to meet a friend at 6 and stand around for half an hour waiting. Or I’d get a call asking if I wanted to go away for the weekend, at 4:00 on Friday. They were leaving at 5. People cancel at the last minute. Waking up on Friday thinking I’d have a relaxing day on Saturday because I had no plans, only to find that by Friday night my entire Saturday was chuck full. I couldn’t even walk! Not in my American speed anyway. I think I remember the day I broke – just flat gave up. I was trying to make a quick stop in at the mall. I just needed to buy one thing, some flour or something. There I was trying to walk with a purpose, while the rest of the world was sauntering along and blocking my way! I’d finally get around one group, just to be stuck behind another. I felt like those jerks in traffic jams who keep changing lanes only to end up in the same spot at the light. And so I just gave up. If you can’t beat ‘em join ‘em! And apparently that is what I have done. When I was at home I don’t know how many times my Mom said to me ‘You just can’t hurry up anymore.’

Well I am still a ‘J’, yes I checked, took a little online test. However, I’m not nearly as ‘J’ as I used to be, but ya know what? I’m okay with that. In fact I rather like it this way. This change has definitely been for the better. Guess I have to change my definition of myself. Thanks Malaysia and all your sauntering folk!

Want a rough, free idea of your Myers-Brigg? Try this site: http://www.humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/JTypes2.asp