Myers-Briggs Test & Personality

This paper intends to answer questions involving personality and attitudes based on an interview conducted. Interviewee The interviewee A. G. , my best friend, is just a year older than I. We met sixteen years ago and since then we never parted. We attended the same elementary, as well as, high school and now we also go to the same university. We laughed, cried, shared countless secrets, went through thick and thin together, etcetera and so I feel comfortable asking her with regards to personality and attitudes.

Remembering Information When I asked my best friend if “she remembers information more accurately if she observes the behavior being performed or if she prefers to read how the behavior is performed” and she said that if she has read the behavior, it is more likely that she remembers information more precisely (Morris et. al. , 2005, pp. 213 – 219). This is because while she reads, she can imagine it perfectly, thus remembering it more accurately as well (Morris et.

al. , 2005, pp. 213 – 219). On the other hand, if I am asked the same question and I am to reflect on it, I would say that I remember information more correctly through observation of a certain behavior; this is because I tend to learn from I have seen (Morris et. al. , 2005, pp. 213 – 219). Through what is technically referred to as “social learning theory”, I learned because I was able to watch what happened (Morris et. al. , 2005, pp. 213 – 219).

Since “observational learning” involves “paying attention and remembering”, then I tend to retain information correctly through it (Morris et. al. , 2005, pp. 213 – 219). Studying Preference Meanwhile, when I asked A. G. if she prefers studying in the library where it is extremely silent or at home where there may be distractions, she said she would rather stay in the library to study since there are no distracting noises there unlike at home (Morris et. al. , 2005, pp. 244 – 245).

This is because she is aware that information may tend to be taken out of her Long-term memory especially when “inadequate learning” occurred due to “interference brought about by competing information” which in this case may be simple distractions like music or people chatting around the house while my best friend studies (Morris et. al. , 2005, pp. 244 – 245). For me though, I prefer to stay at home. This is because usually all the things I need for studying are already at home, for instance, I concentrate better in my study table.

Besides, even though there are noises that serve as distraction, I can always manage that by minimizing it; for instance, if my brothers and sisters or parents are noisy, I can always play soft music to block such noise and eventually I can still learn and remember what I have to study on (Morris et. al. , 2005, p. 246). Also, I can really stay at home and study there because I can “stay focused” by concentrating on the details of what I am studying about or focusing on my emotions and thinking about what to associate it with for easy retention of information (Morris et. al. , 2005, p. 246). Myers Briggs Test Results

I requested my best friend to take the “Myers Briggs Test” (Personality Test, n. d. , n. p. ). The results are as follows: She said that according to the Myers Briggs Test, her personality type is “INTJ” which means that she is: 79% introverted and only 21% extraverted; 55% intuitive and only 45% sensing; 90% thinking and only 10% feeling; and finally 91% judging and only 9% perceiving (Personality Test, n. d. , n. p. ). It means that she likes to alone in dealing with important matters (Personality Test, n. d. , n. p. ). She has the ability to discern what will happen next through logic (Personality Test, n.

d. , n. p. ). She also does not rely much on her emotions; instead, she uses her mind thus her judgment is enhanced (Personality Test, n. d. , n. p. ). I also took the “Myers Briggs Test” (Personality Test, n. d. , n. p. ). It turned out that my personality type according to the “Myers Briggs Test” is “ISTJ” (Personality Test, n. d. , n. p. ). Like my best friend, the results showed that I am also introverted (79%), who prefers to carry out things alone and on my own instead of being extraverted (21%) or too sociable who typically easily mingles with other individuals (Personality Test, n. d. , n.

p. ). Furthermore, unlike my best friend, I am 55% sensing and only 45% intuitive, which means that I focus on what I feel is going to happen next instead of basing it on intuitions or logic or what I think of (Personality Test, n. d. , n. p. ). Moreover, the results say that I am 70% thinking and 30% feeling; however I am 100% in judging or logically thinking about the situation before making decisions instead of basing it on perceptions only (Personality Test, n. d. , n. p. ). Accuracy of Results My best friend was surprised since the results showed her exact personality (Personality Test, n.

d. , n. p. ). She said that the test was meant to give her the correct results indeed because the questions posted there were clearly stated; it is as if the questions were really meant for her (Personality Test, n. d. , n. p. ). In fact, she said that she did experience any difficulty answering the posted questions; she just had to reflect on her self and be honest in answering those questions (Personality Test, n. d. , n. p. ). Unlike my best friend, however, I was not that shocked with the results’ accuracy (Personality Test, n. d. , n. p. ).

I have always known that I would get the most accurate results from it since I have already taken this test thrice before and by staying completely honest I have gotten the same results repeatedly (Personality Test, n. d. , n. p. ). Experiences that Contributed Most in the Development of Personality “Memory” played a large role in the interviewee’s development of personality (Morris et. al. , 2005, pp. 224 – 257). Everything that she learned including visual and auditory registry helped develop her personality because she was able to retain this information on her memory (Morris et.

al. , 2005, pp. 226 – 227). “Cultural and environmental factors” contributed largely to her development as well (Morris et. al. , 2005, p. 335). For instance, in the family that she grew up with, it is almost a part of their culture to be independent in several ways (Morris et. al. , 2005, p. 335). For example, even if they are only in high school, they are already sent to boarding schools in another country to be trained to live alone, decide alone, and keep up with life alone (Morris et. al. , 2005, p. 335).

She said that’s probably the result of her “Myers-Briggs Test” is “INTJ” or that she is: 79% introverted and only 21% extraverted; 55% intuitive and only 45% sensing; 90% thinking and only 10% feeling; and finally 91% judging and only 9% perceiving (Personality Test, n. d. , n. p. ). She became a tough thinking person instead of a weak and emotional individual (Morris et. al. , 2005, p. 335). In the family, they are encouraged to: 1) solve their dilemmas on their own; 2) think quietly instead of articulating their thoughts; 3) making judgments carefully through logical reflection; 4) etcetera (Morris et.

al. , 2005, p. 335). Meanwhile, not only her culture is overflowing with characteristics like: introversion, thinking, and independent, her environment also upholds such; that’s why she turned out to be one as well (Morris et. al. , 2005, p. 335). However, she said that if she is to reflect carefully and spend some time doing so, “aggression” is an experience that contributed the most to her development (Morris et. al. , 2005, pp. 345 – 347). She said that like her, her father is an introvert, thinking, as well as, independent; however, he “inflicts physical/psychological harm on others” (Morris et.

al. , 2005, p. 345). For instance, if he comes home and dinner is not yet prepared, he would throw objects at his children or wife or anybody who is there (Morris et. al. , 2005, pp. 345 – 347). If he gets a hold of the person then he will hit that person without reservations (Morris et. al. , 2005, pp. 345 – 347). Also, if the kids receive low grades in school, he will punish them by slapping them in the face (Morris et. al. , 2005, pp. 345 – 347). He also slaps his wife if she arrives late or if he discovers he went out with a guy even if the guy is just an officemate or a friend (Morris et.

al. , 2005, pp. 345 – 347). He also destroys things around the house if he feels frustrated about something (Morris et. al. , 2005, pp. 345 – 347). My friend has experienced too much “aggression” that resulted in four of the basic emotions mentioned in Chapter 9: “fear, sadness, disgust, and anger” (Morris et. al. , 2005, p. 350). However, my friend accepted that that’s probably the real personality of her father which made it possible for her to “to adjust to the demands of her environment” (Morris et. al. , 2005, p. 350).

She did not let herself be affected, at least not negatively (Morris et. al. , 2005, pp. 434 – 435). She may not show the facets of the trait known as “extraversion” like “warmth, gregariousness, assertiveness, positive emotions” most of the time but she possess the following facets of the trait technically referred to as “agreeableness”: “trust, straightforwardness, altruism, compliance, modesty” (Morris et. al. , 2005, pp. 434 – 435). Moreover, because there has been “acceptance” on her part, the facets of “emotional stability” also exist in her (Morris et.

al. , 2005, pp. 434 – 435). Most importantly, she turned her depressing experiences’ negative impact into a positive one; that’s why she is now competent, dutiful, always strives for the best, and self-disciplined (Morris et. al. , 2005, pp. 434 – 435). She also said that she cannot do the same thing her father did because she knows how harmful it is for people to experience such thus she made up her mind not to that especially with her future children and husband. I also experienced aggression however I allowed it to negatively affect me.

Self-Monitoring I asked my friend if she has been self-monitoring and she said yes. She always thinks about her experiences to see if it impacted her attitudes negatively and if it does then she changes her attitude. The same is true with me. Strongest Influence She said that the strongest influence on her attitude is the aggression she experienced from his father. The same is true with me, the attitudes I now possess resulted from the aggressive behaviors that I have gone through. Race, Gender & Ethnicity

Race, gender, and ethnicity are factors involved in stereotyping; usually when one belongs to a certain race/ethnicity or non-dominant gender, it affects the positive formation of one’s traits/attitudes/personality. This idea of hers I agree with as well. Intrinsic versus Extrinsic Motivation “Intrinsic motivation” which is the “motivation provided by an activity itself” is much better than “extrinsic motivation” which “refers to motivation that derives from the consequences of an activity” (Morris et. al. , 2005, p. 332).

The latter is preferred because the former may involve an act that may not be happily or wholeheartedly carried out by the individual and will only be doing it because of the consequences of the act whereas in the latter, the act may provide happiness/reward in itself already (Morris et. al. , 2005, p. 332). I also prefer intrinsic over extrinsic motivation. References Morris, C. G. & Maisto, A. A. (2005). Psychology: An Introduction, 12th Ed. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall. Personality Test. (n. d. ). Retrieved October 24, 2008 from http://www. kisa. ca

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