How does your MBTI type or Personality effect your spirituality?

[BilliardsBall]

I believe my spirituality is highly effected by my personality.

The MBTI types me as an Introverted iNtuitive Feeling Judging sort (INFJ). This type has at different times been called the Counselor, the Advocate, the Confidant, and the Ethicist. We are the rarest of the 16 personalities, and the hardest to get to know -- we are often referred to as mysterious. If you google INFJ I guarantee everything you read will fit me like a glove; you'll know more about me in five minutes than most people in real life know about me in years. Famous INFJ's are Mahatma Ghandi, Martin Luther King Jr., Jung, Dostoyevski, Jimmy Carter... The most famous fictitious INFJ is problem Lisa Simpson. As you can see, we are all idealists who care a great deal about our fellow human beings.

INFJ's can be found in every religion, and can be atheists and agnostics as well. But they are uncommonly spiritual even when non-religious, finding meaning in things like humanism and the intricacies of the scientific world. It is well known that even though only 1.5% of the population are INFJ, more than half the books on how to pray are written by INFJ's. They are also found disproportionately among the clergy.

How has being an INFJ effected my spirituality specifically?

The biggest way is that it has driven me and driven me and driven me to cultivate myself. I have forever pursued the virtues. Every flaw, every slightest stumble, even if I gloss over it for a long time, eventually I face up to it, cop to it, resolve to conquer it with God's grace, and make plans how to do that. This means I have spent a lot of time in self reflection--the gift of the introvert. But as perfectionistic as I am, I have never felt that God condemns me. He is brutally honest with me, and demands that I own up to my shortcomings. But I never feel rejected or unloved. I just know that he expects me to do better.

As much as I am a perfectionist with myself, my INFJ empathy and compassion makes me accepting and tolerant of others and their mistakes. It's not that I don't see wrong when wrong is there. It's that I love people anyhow. My job as a human being is to accept people as they are and help them become the best that they can be, NOT to condemn them. After all, God has not condemned me


As an INFJ, I see everyone's unique potential. Everyone is a unique snowflake--no two are alike. My job is to help each person become the very best "them" that they can be. Religiously, that means they aren't going to be like me. Heck, I want to be a Tzaddik (a Saint, a Buddha). Maybe she is beautiful just being the sweet Christian girl that goes to Church every week and sings and brings chicken potluck and clothes for the homeless and will drop everything to come over and pray with you if she things you are hurting. Maybe he is wonderful as he is not going to any religious congregation at all (unless maybe it his regular attendance at the Dodger Stadium!) but you couldn't ask for a more loyal friend, or devoted employee, or loving father. Sometimes I see these people as simply being in a different place on the journey. Other times I see them as being a different kind of flower in the garden.

As an INFJ, there is a difference in how I read scripture. Seriously. I read about it in a book called Prayer and Temperament. It's called the "TRANSLATIONAL" approach. Basically when I read the Torah, it's as if HaShem is speaking to me personally. Yes, I know in my mind that He is speaking to Moses, to Israel. I go through the whole thing of asking what was going on historically and culturally and all that. But in the end, it's still a personal message to me. What does the Lord want *me* to get out of reading these exact words at this exact time?

As an INFJ, religion can never just be about beliefs in my head. Nor could it ever be limited to being just about me. It has to be about other people. Loving my neighbor as myself. Repair of the world. If I could borrow from the New Testament, "You tell me you have faith. I'll show you my faith with my works."

As an INFJ, the intuitive is what is obvious for me. The figurative, the imaginative, the analogical are where I live. Religious teaching stories, myths, parables, etc. are simply not hard for me to understand. I read Zen stuff and its more pleasurable than sipping a chocolate milkshake. I read Jesus' parables and I think, "How come the disciples didn't get it? I read about the Baal Shem Tov and think, Oh my gosh, everyone has forgotten what this guy was really about -- they've tried to squish him back into the same old mold again because they don't understand him.

Your turn. What is your MBTI type, and how do you think it influences your spirituality. Or, if you've never been tested, describe your overall personality and do the same.

BTW, you can always google the MBTI and take one of the many online free tests and read up on yourself. The freebies are shorter an less accurate than if you pay for the full version, but you may surprise yourself. There are no wrong answers, and no type is better or worse than any other type.

I have a few issues in the faith myself, being an INTJ.

I sympathize.

 

[Rival]

It's this general acceptance of these personality "tests," and putting a great deal of stock into them, without even bothering to first see if they are any good and measuring things in a meaningful way. And, worse yet, is unchallenged acceptance of what is truly rubbish, to the point even some employers administer this junk science test for hiring decisions. This garbage should be challenged as readily and quickly as other junk ideas such as YEC.

I just think that, if you don't believe it, then don't participate in the thread? The thread opened with a premise and asked a question based on the premise, not to debate it.

 

[ChanaR]

Thanks. Your reply demonstrates the problem I have with the word "spirituality". It can mean virtually anything.

This is the definition that chaplains use.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

This is the definition that chaplains use.

It makes sense that someone who puts themselves forward as being in the business of “spiritual care” would push for as broad an understanding as possible of what “spiritual” should mean. For a chaplain, that’s job security.

 

[illykitty]

Well, I'm supposedly an INFP and I'm agnostic atheist. I often doubt myself.

I'm not closed-minded about the possibility of a deity or more to exist, it's just I don't see any evidence of it. I'm also more open about less specific deities, like deism or pantheism, since to me the more specific it gets, the more evidence it would require. Especially when that god is demanding worship, belief without proof, allowed/disallowed behaviours, etc. It just makes no sense to me how a supposedly perfect creator would make an imperfect creation.

I also think it's possible that the creator of the universe could just be another life form, like us. Just one that is much more advanced. It would at least explain why there's so many things that are messed up and also advanced technology can look like magic. So our perception of it would be awesome power, when it's really just another being like us using technology. This isn't my belief though, it's just my brain considering many options other than my default.

If a god does indeed exist, demands worship/belief and so on... It hasn't made a good job of convincing me. Not even personal signs. Surely it would know what I require to believe and it wouldn't be very hard.

Oh and to add more data to your question, my husband is an INTJ and he believes in a deistic god. He doesn't believe in religion.

I don't put that much validity in MBTI, but it's just fun to me.

 

[sealchan]

I am a big fan of the MBTI and the Kiersey Temperament Sorter. I'm not surprised by the skepticism here.

I would say that modern neuroscience has progressed toward showing the basis for much of Jungs understanding of cognition. From the way the two hemispheres operate to the functional distinction between thinking and feeling there is much ground to find for Jungs phenomenological understanding.

I am an INTJ and this type fits me very well. The whole Jungian typology has helped me immensely in making space for myself and others to be different but equal. My natural desire to make a rational comprehensive system of the world has been deeply guided by my psychological type.

I have a step daughter who I think is your type. She too is deeply concerned about the world and the people in it. She recently received a degree in psychology. I suspect that my own perception of her personality and my suggestion that she try psychology may have had an influence in that decision.

People who take the test without someone present to help them to understand it may find it hard to understand or easy to dismiss. We all make use of the four functions and often the one that speaks loudest to us is actually our weakest. The activities we engage in may bring out different functions, but in the long term a careful observer can determine what a person's operative preferences are.

Thanks for your post.

 

[sealchan]

I believe my spirituality is highly effected by my personality.

Agreed. I'm going to do a riff off of your post to help me think out my own perspectives on this topic...here we go...

Warning: I may veer sharply from the main thrust of what you are saying. Please don't be offended or feel unheard. I hope I will be on-target at least some of the time.

The MBTI types me as an Introverted iNtuitive Feeling Judging sort (INFJ). This type has at different times been called the Counselor, the Advocate, the Confidant, and the Ethicist. We are the rarest of the 16 personalities, and the hardest to get to know -- we are often referred to as mysterious. If you google INFJ I guarantee everything you read will fit me like a glove; you'll know more about me in five minutes than most people in real life know about me in years. Famous INFJ's are Mahatma Ghandi, Martin Luther King Jr., Jung, Dostoyevski, Jimmy Carter... The most famous fictitious INFJ is problem Lisa Simpson. As you can see, we are all idealists who care a great deal about our fellow human beings.

Are there any INTJ's in the house? I find that INTJs are the most likely to appreciate their identification as a type and are the most common one's to report it casually. The type test is probably a sort of NT's dream for relating to others through a rational system of definitions.

One thing that many people are wary of is being "pidgen-holed". We don't like to think about the sphexishness of our own actions. Type tests can make someone feel uncomfortable in this way and they may resort to the nearest proof to dismiss it.

INFJ's can be found in every religion, and can be atheists and agnostics as well. But they are uncommonly spiritual even when non-religious, finding meaning in things like humanism and the intricacies of the scientific world. It is well known that even though only 1.5% of the population are INFJ, more than half the books on how to pray are written by INFJ's. They are also found disproportionately among the clergy.

I think that western religions are Feeling oriented while eastern religions are Thinking oriented. In Hinduism you often find spiritual things creatively defined in a finite set of principles or what I call a "spectal whole". This is a distillation of the world into a finite terminology which is meant to be comprehensive and accurate. This is analogous to how the human eye creates a finite primary color palette out of the diverse range of electromagnetic waves that reach the photoreceptors. Such "spectral wholes" are often produced by an J (judging vs perception) mind at work in the world. Its the mind that can complete the following phrase, "There are two kinds of people, the....and the..."

In Hinduism you get endless definitions of terms which describe the various aspects of divinity and dharma and such. You would get no such abstract metaphysics from a Western religion.

The Feeling function inevitably must find its way into how people interact. To create a rational system of values one must address the values that people hold. This results in instructions on how to relate to a divine person and rules about how to act morally.

Now the NT might quibble about the definitions of the words in those rules but the NF would know better. No set of rules is ever complete of course but as a tool to grasp the whole such things are indispensable.

How has being an INFJ effected my spirituality specifically?

The biggest way is that it has driven me and driven me and driven me to cultivate myself. I have forever pursued the virtues. Every flaw, every slightest stumble, even if I gloss over it for a long time, eventually I face up to it, cop to it, resolve to conquer it with God's grace, and make plans how to do that. This means I have spent a lot of time in self reflection--the gift of the introvert. But as perfectionistic as I am, I have never felt that God condemns me. He is brutally honest with me, and demands that I own up to my shortcomings. But I never feel rejected or unloved. I just know that he expects me to do better.

This is a great description of what self-consciousness looks like developed and you have recognized the dangers of such and how to self-nurture yourself. Self-reference is a problem in all sorts of systems. Your confidence in your inherent value (and that of others) reveals your Feeling strength. The main problem in this area is that people with mutually-negating (and therefore xenophobic) beliefs want to be seen as equally valued although the expression of their beliefs are often unavoidably hurtful to others. The self-referencing rational contradiction aims to tear down any hope for an agreeable rational shared understanding and mutual respect. But the inner conflict in these individuals is, perhaps, hidden from themselves and they believe that their one way is the only right way.

To be continued...

 

[sealchan]

As much as I am a perfectionist with myself, my INFJ empathy and compassion makes me accepting and tolerant of others and their mistakes. It's not that I don't see wrong when wrong is there. It's that I love people anyhow. My job as a human being is to accept people as they are and help them become the best that they can be, NOT to condemn them. After all, God has not condemned me

I think you might really (really) appreciate this video I just watched...its an instantiation of what you have said above in terms of Christian belief:

As an INFJ, I see everyone's unique potential. Everyone is a unique snowflake--no two are alike. My job is to help each person become the very best "them" that they can be. Religiously, that means they aren't going to be like me. Heck, I want to be a Tzaddik (a Saint, a Buddha). Maybe she is beautiful just being the sweet Christian girl that goes to Church every week and sings and brings chicken potluck and clothes for the homeless and will drop everything to come over and pray with you if she things you are hurting. Maybe he is wonderful as he is not going to any religious congregation at all (unless maybe it his regular attendance at the Dodger Stadium!) but you couldn't ask for a more loyal friend, or devoted employee, or loving father. Sometimes I see these people as simply being in a different place on the journey. Other times I see them as being a different kind of flower in the garden.

Jung's typology implies this in a deep way. From his typology I have derived what sometimes seems like a radical epistemology and sometimes the ultimate practical philosophy. Different psychological types construct the world with different but equal systems of truth-determination (natural, psychological epistemologies). This leads to people being in-sync or out-of-sync with each other in often inexplicable ways. Perhaps the most pronounced experience of this phenomenon occurs in marriages and families. The fact of the matter is that we all see the world incompletely and imperfectly in a deeply inherent way but this does not mean that we live in a entirely subjective reality with no shared or objective truths. Just as with the laws of physics being defined by one's inertial frame of reference, our individual sense of truth is greatly determined by the cognitive functions we lean on the most (to the exclusion of their opposites). Many people live out of a mono-modal epistemology whereas the fuller truth, I believe, is that we all participate in four functions of truth formation with a personal bias which stratifies the contributions of these four functions in a hierarchical way.

As an INFJ, there is a difference in how I read scripture. Seriously. I read about it in a book called Prayer and Temperament. It's called the "TRANSLATIONAL" approach. Basically when I read the Torah, it's as if HaShem is speaking to me personally. Yes, I know in my mind that He is speaking to Moses, to Israel. I go through the whole thing of asking what was going on historically and culturally and all that. But in the end, it's still a personal message to me. What does the Lord want *me* to get out of reading these exact words at this exact time?

When I read the Torah I look at the author as a writer who drew upon earlier stories in order to craft a concise and cohesive narrative. I've read a bit in other mythic traditions and I have had some experience with dreams. I see in Genesis the sources in story and dream of what is being written. So in this sense I deconstruct the story a bit in order to unite it with a broader tradition of spiritual writing and understanding. As such I tend to put the Word into its human, historical context and see the story itself as part of a larger story of the unfolding of God and humanities story.

As an INFJ, religion can never just be about beliefs in my head. Nor could it ever be limited to being just about me. It has to be about other people. Loving my neighbor as myself. Repair of the world. If I could borrow from the New Testament, "You tell me you have faith. I'll show you my faith with my works."

As an INTJ I could spend all day going over the beliefs in my head, adding new ideas, testing their consistency, etc...we are the evil masterminds of bullet-proof plans...which, of course, always fall apart in the light of day (or of the brave hero). This is why Jung's typology is so important to me as has given me a bridge out of my INTJ and into the world as others see it...via theory! Now I have the final ingredient for my plan to rule the world!

As an INFJ, the intuitive is what is obvious for me. The figurative, the imaginative, the analogical are where I live. Religious teaching stories, myths, parables, etc. are simply not hard for me to understand. I read Zen stuff and its more pleasurable than sipping a chocolate milkshake. I read Jesus' parables and I think, "How come the disciples didn't get it? I read about the Baal Shem Tov and think, Oh my gosh, everyone has forgotten what this guy was really about -- they've tried to squish him back into the same old mold again because they don't understand him.

I think that intuitives have an advantage in the realm of the spiritual as they can most readily grasp the sense of the inherent truth of the spiritual realm. Practical, sensation types might be transfixed by various spiritual realities but they always land back in the undeniable realm of the sensory and the mundane. Not to say that the mundane itself isn't a hotbed for spiritual awakening, but it perhaps takes a convicted repeat offender intuitive to confidently state this!

Spiritual truths are the use of metaphors to point to perceptions which lie behind the strict meaning or sense of things. Such truths are ever-present but ephemeral, deeply moving but unprovable. They are like playing with life and death matters and somehow getting away with it.

I love Zen and later I learned that I love the stories that come from the mythic traditions. Out of our shared pool of dreams arose the short stories which later literate cultures wove into an endlessly changing tapestry of epic narrative. These epics evolved and grew into the various religions we have today. My personal interest lies in the Bible (as a Christian) and the Mahabharata. I look for the composition, the shared stories between the epic traditions in order to find that one true sense of what it means to be human, alive and loving life.

Your turn. What is your MBTI type, and how do you think it influences your spirituality. Or, if you've never been tested, describe your overall personality and do the same.
BTW, you can always google the MBTI and take one of the many online free tests and read up on yourself. The freebies are shorter an less accurate than if you pay for the full version, but you may surprise yourself. There are no wrong answers, and no type is better or worse than any other type.

Done.

 

[Milton Platt]

This is the definition that chaplains use.

Well and good, but not everyone in the world is a Christian, much less a chaplain, and they all use the same word to mean a myriad of things.