Myers Briggs

I spent the summer of 1996 at the Young Scholars Engineering Program at the University of Maine.  1996 was a different time-- the US women's gymnastics team had just won the gold and a foreign song with a goofy dance was a big hit.  (I prefer PSY's horsey dance to the Macarena, but I liked the '96 gymnasts better than the '12 team because they were around my age and Kerri Strug's vault with the injured ankle was epic.)  I turned 16 during my month at dork camp, so for half of my life I have been intermittently obsessed with the Myers Briggs personality test results that I received that summer.  Over the years I have re-taken the Myers Briggs test a few times to see if my results ever change.  They do not.  I am consistently an ISFJ.  No matter how many times I read the description of ISFJs, I always have the same two thoughts, "Yep, that is pretty much me" and "Dang, what a boring personality."

Here are two very brief descriptions of my personality type and The Dude's:

Herself (ISFJ)

Quiet, kind, and conscientious. Can be depended on to follow through. Usually puts the needs of others above her own needs. Stable and practical, she values security and traditions. Well-developed sense of space and function. Rich inner world of observations about people. Extremely perceptive of others' feelings. Interested in serving others.

The Dude (ESTJ)

Practical, traditional, and organized. Likely to be athletic. Not interested in theory or abstraction unless he sees the practical application. Has clear visions of the way things should be. Loyal and hard-working. Likes to be in charge. Exceptionally capable in organizing and running activities. "Good citizen" who values security and peaceful living. 

One part of the results that I find especially amusing is the suggested list of famous people with each personality type.  I've got Mother Teresa, who took a vow of poverty, and The Dude has three presidents, the founder of Walmart, and a Rockefeller.  I wonder which one of us is more likely to be buried in a pauper's grave.  (Hint-- it is me.)

Here are my people:

• Mother Teresa, nun and humanitarian
• Louisa May Alcott, author
• Elizabeth II, Queen of England
• Robert E. Lee, general
• Mary I, Queen of England
• Kristi Yamaguchi, figure skater
• Michael Caine, actor
• Alfred, Lord Tennyson, poet

And The Dude's:

• James Monroe, U.S. President
• Harry S. Truman, U.S. President
• George W. Bush, U.S. President
• Sam Walton, businessman
• John D. Rockefeller, philanthropist and industrialist
• Billy Graham, evangelist
• Bette Davis, actress