Perhaps some reader with an eye for detail has noticed that I’ve again changed my profile portrait. And maybe that person, being keenly attuned to such minute changes, has also noted that my self-description as “Rodak” has gone from “faceless clerk” to “introverted clerk.”
“Faceless” hasn’t really been accurate since I scrapped the portrait of haiku master, Bashō, for a series of self-portraits. So, in search of a new adjective to modify “clerk,” I settled on “introverted.” This choice of a modifier was dictated by the coming together of two items, each of which was recently uncovered in one of my fits of boxing backwards.
The first of these items, to take them in chronological order, according to when they were discovered and catalogued for my personal archive, is the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator test. The second is the drawing of a dream image about which I’ve posted below. These two items are linked by my interest in the work of Swiss psychiatrist, Carl Jung, as mentioned in the post linked. Myers-Briggs is based on Jung’s theory of psychological types.
My Myers-Briggs classification is: INTJ. This indicates that my basic personality type is Introvert. This I had determined years ago, through my readings of Jung. The “N” indicates that I am iNtuitive (as opposed to “sensing). The “T” means that I am a Thinking type (as opposed to a “feeling” type). The “J” is for Judging (as opposed to “perceiving”).
The Myers-Briggs thing is usually deployed by creatures such as human resources managers as a device to find out why employee-X has become a problem to the organization by acting out his personal quirks and foibles. Myers-Briggs characterizes the INTJ individual thusly:
“Usually have original minds and great drive for their own ideas and purposes. In fields that appeal to them, they have a fine power to organize a job and carry it through with or without help. Skeptical, critical, independent, determined, sometimes stubborn. Must learn to yield less important points to win the most important.”
Right. And who gives a shit about all that? I’m not interested in knowing just how my particular cog best fits into the machine.
The Myers-Briggs list of introvert traits is a bit more interesting:
Introverts…
...like quiet for concentration
...have trouble remembering names and faces [I do fine with faces; names, not so much]
...can work on one project for a long time without interruption
...are interested in the ideas behind the job
...dislike telephone interruptions
...think before they act, sometimes without acting
...work alone contentedly
...may prefer communications to be in writing
...may prefer to learn by reading rather than talking or experiencing
Yikes. Most of that is spot-on, w/r/t your humble host. All of this, however, is still job/organization-oriented. I am not so very much interested in defining myself as an employee. So, forget Myers-Briggs. In a subsequent post, I’ll go straight to Jung, who has some things which interest me to say about introverts and their problematic and trying relationship to the world.
“Faceless” hasn’t really been accurate since I scrapped the portrait of haiku master, Bashō, for a series of self-portraits. So, in search of a new adjective to modify “clerk,” I settled on “introverted.” This choice of a modifier was dictated by the coming together of two items, each of which was recently uncovered in one of my fits of boxing backwards.
The first of these items, to take them in chronological order, according to when they were discovered and catalogued for my personal archive, is the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator test. The second is the drawing of a dream image about which I’ve posted below. These two items are linked by my interest in the work of Swiss psychiatrist, Carl Jung, as mentioned in the post linked. Myers-Briggs is based on Jung’s theory of psychological types.
My Myers-Briggs classification is: INTJ. This indicates that my basic personality type is Introvert. This I had determined years ago, through my readings of Jung. The “N” indicates that I am iNtuitive (as opposed to “sensing). The “T” means that I am a Thinking type (as opposed to a “feeling” type). The “J” is for Judging (as opposed to “perceiving”).
The Myers-Briggs thing is usually deployed by creatures such as human resources managers as a device to find out why employee-X has become a problem to the organization by acting out his personal quirks and foibles. Myers-Briggs characterizes the INTJ individual thusly:
“Usually have original minds and great drive for their own ideas and purposes. In fields that appeal to them, they have a fine power to organize a job and carry it through with or without help. Skeptical, critical, independent, determined, sometimes stubborn. Must learn to yield less important points to win the most important.”
Right. And who gives a shit about all that? I’m not interested in knowing just how my particular cog best fits into the machine.
The Myers-Briggs list of introvert traits is a bit more interesting:
Introverts…
...like quiet for concentration
...have trouble remembering names and faces [I do fine with faces; names, not so much]
...can work on one project for a long time without interruption
...are interested in the ideas behind the job
...dislike telephone interruptions
...think before they act, sometimes without acting
...work alone contentedly
...may prefer communications to be in writing
...may prefer to learn by reading rather than talking or experiencing
Yikes. Most of that is spot-on, w/r/t your humble host. All of this, however, is still job/organization-oriented. I am not so very much interested in defining myself as an employee. So, forget Myers-Briggs. In a subsequent post, I’ll go straight to Jung, who has some things which interest me to say about introverts and their problematic and trying relationship to the world.
