Can 4 Letters really explain me?

    As a big fan of psychology and writing, I must say, it’s both nice and convenient to have some sort of way to categorize the human personality. I mean, for writing itself, it would be nice to have some sort of way to help create your characters, other than trying to pick up the pieces of a hero from the recesses of your mind. Character creating is hard, especially if the character is not completely like their writer. So this is where Myers-Briggs steps in and helps me out.

    Just took a test through my school, and though I was categorized as ENFP(Extrovert, Intuition, Feeling, Percieving) at first, when I looked over the factors between Introvert and Extrovert, I find myself in the introvert category. Yes, I can talk easily to people and strangers, if I’m in my group of friends. However, you put me into a hall full of people I have no idea who they are, you might as well throw me into the ocean. Plus, one-on-one conversations? Unless you like talking about what you did today or about the weather, I’m really not the best at this kind of thing. A lot of my conversations, when I talk a lot, are things I’ve turned over in my mind beforehand, so then, I have something to go off of.

    So yeah, I’m INFP. Most other tests agree with me. I agree with it too.

    Of course, such tests cannot explain every human being on the planet. We divulge off of our personalities all the time. If you’ve read Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman, you might remember him saying that actually, most things in life are random. Funny thing about us humans is that we like to think we’re right, or we know how something will unfold because we know what happened beforehand. I hate to break it to you, but we don’t know as much as we think we do.

    Ah, but don’t sell yourself short. You’re fine thinking you’re right all the time. In fact, it’s necessary, when being human.

    It’s probably for esteem that we need to think we’re right. I mean, if we had no control over this crazy world, I think our race would have been extinguished by now. But, I suppose that’s a guess. Like I said, us humans don’t really know. Maybe we’d be just fine. Maybe we’d live on Mars. You get my point.

    Going back to the Myers-Briggs, these tests can really help you figure out who you are. For example, for myself, the two middle letters NF(iNtuition, Feeling), which are the driving force of my personality, cause me to go with what my heart tells me, instead of logic. I also tend to go by my intuition, I’m very aware of situations, and form ideas easily, and then I go with them. It means that sometimes, I can make decisions before thinking them through, which actually I think leads to me being somewhat of an extrovert when I really am an introvert, at least by genes. Though I knew this about myself already, it helps being able to put it into words. Which, putting things into words is exactly what a writer does.

    In the end, the Myers-Briggs is a helpful tool in story-making, for the very reason I mentioned earlier: characters. Humans are complicated things, and no matter how much you analyze yourself, not everything will be completely graph-able. Yes, this test won’t explain your deepest darkest secrets, but it can sure give you a reason why you do some things and like others. It can give some relief to know somewhat of your outward, and somewhat inward persona, which, when first making characters, is what you need to deal with. It might, perhaps, help you get into the nitty gritty things which make them tick.

    So try taking one. I personally suggest this one: http://www.okcupid.com/tests/the-brutally-honest-personality-test because it’s funny, and helps you laugh at yourself. Basically, it takes your personality profile to the extreme and makes fun of it. It might not be your most scientific one, but if you take the one by the actual foundation, you’ll be having to pay $50 dollars… though if you feel like paying, be my guest. It’s worth it.

    That’s all there is! Not really much of a lesson, but it’s a fun fact I guess. Keep being awesome, and ticking in the ways you do!

    I will NOT be writing blogs next week! Instead, I’ll reblog a post per day, because I have PROJECTS & FINALS at the end of next week, and a little bit of the next. So, I’ll apologize beforehand! Darn College!

    A.C.Rooks