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One of my co-workers this week was reading Please Understand Me II, and so of course, I mentioned that I was an INFP (and have only every scored as an INFP). Today, I went and re-read my copy of Please Understand Me, and noticed something strange....

The way I worship/perform ritual/ hulaballo is decidingly NF in nature. Significance is more important than following the "rules". This is probably the very reason I couldn't stick with reconstruction as anything but one method out of many, and I do tend to stick with something that feels right (that isn't offensive to the gods, of course).

But what prompted me to put down the book at to start thinking was, " INFP's prefer the valuing process over the purely logical. (...) They may demonstrate a tendency to take deliberate liberties with logic. Unlike the NT, they see logic as something optional." Watch me debate, I'm not the person who is calling fallacies on people.

So my question is this:
How has your personality type influenced the way you approach your religion? Does it? Am I totally thinking too much into this?

What does this mean in the broader picture?

A couple of steps to get people started, before responding to my little prompt.

1. First, what is your Temperament? New, Improved, working link!

2. Read the characteristics profile: Here, for easy access

3. Comment on what you think!

I'm sort of also wondering what the spread of types is around here.

edit to get different link

Need to update my pyschology links, I suppose, try This One

I've always tested as INFP. I first took the test when I was about twelve. Since then I've gotten more introverted (about a 15-25% switch from extroverted to introverted between the first test and the one I just took), which I believe is more learned behavior than natural inclination from my experiences since then.

Most of the description is pretty accurate--takes up causes, extremely devoted, creative--except, strangely, for the whole "logic is something optional" thing. I love logic; I'm a computer science major, Discrete Mathematics was one of my favorite classes last semester, I have a very good grasp of grammar, situations that go against my sense of logic bother me intensely, etc... I do call fallacies on people. lol It's kind of like, I love cleaning and organizing my space, but I'm usually too lazy or distracted to start.

It's a puzzle. According to the Coldboot test link provided, my Thinking vs. Feeling scores are very close (I'd have to find my original test paper to verify from that one), which might account for it. Reading the description for an INTP, I hit the same problem as the INFP description but from the other side: tendency for intellectual snobbery, emphasis on logic, and the desire for consistency are all right on, but totally ignores my emotional, creative, fanciful aspects.

So I suppose I'm borderline INFP/INTP, if that's possible.

(I do wonder what the most common types are, if at least four of the ones I've read say they are only 1% of the population.)

As for what it has to do with how I approach religion...

I love being a UU because of the community, because I like not having to reconcile my personal values with that of my religion, and because being a UU almost guarantees being an activist about something--all things that fit with an INFP viewpoint. However, the potential for the non-dogmatic nature of the religion to result in cultural revisionism and spiritual pillaging, despite the stipulation of a "responsible search for truth and meaning," galls me--which, given the value-based nature of this dilemma is INFP, but also has a more logical basis since the conflict stems from un-structure.

I love the exploration I've done so far into Kemetic recon because Netjer (both individually and collectively) appeal to me on a spiritual, emotional, and aesthetic level. I'm still trying to work out how I feel about the whole Nisut business with Kemetic Orthodoxy (some people use captialized pronouns for her--that just bothers me). I have less experience with this aspect of my spirituality so I'm not quite sure how it fits into the personality type discussion.

This is why I tell all the psycologists that I do not like psycological tests. My answers change from day to day. One day I could be very laid back, but the next day I am a nervous ball of energy.

Some of you might say that the results fit, but then others might say that I need more counseling than I should be given to others.

I do not think I am much of an Idealist either. Darn, these test who only give two answers. scream

Your type is: INFJ - Counselor Idealist

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Your 20.0% Extroverted and 80.0% Introverted
Your 45.0% Sensing and 55.0% Intuitive
Your 40.0% Thinking and 60.0% Feeling
Your 70.0% Judging and 30.0% Preceiving

So am I. But that doesn't mean I prize them equally within myself.
I can't help but giggle when I read this. The only thing I can ever think of when I see this idea presented is "Four". mrgreen

Your type is: ISTJ - Inspector Guardian
Your 20.0% Extroverted and 80.0% Introverted
Your 55.0% Sensing and 45.0% Intuitive
Your 85.0% Thinking and 15.0% Feeling
Your 80.0% Judging and 20.0% Preceiving

I found that test kind of hard with some questions.

It sort of doesn't. I'm not a spiritual or religous person.

Introversion deals with whether being with people gives you energy or depletes it. For me, Introversion is a way of life!

I love how we have a bunch of people with the smallest percentage of personality types represented. Nice.

But I did want to know how you think this impacts your spirituality/religion. Kind of the whole reason, not just to take another interweb meme.