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Which Myers-Briggs Type says “It depends”?
It depends!...on their psychological make-up. I considered Myers-Briggs Type®, Temperament, and cognitive processes while thinking this through.
For the past few years I’ve thought that mostly the Artisan Temperament uses that phrase frequently. Yesterday I gained new insight while reading Personality Type: An Owner’s Manual by Lenore Thompson Bentz.
Why might you care?
If you are interested in guessing someone’s type in order interact with them more effectively, you’ll look for any clues that might help. “It depends” may be one clue. Having a hypothesis about their type may help you appreciate, respect, influence, collaborate and team with another MB Type®.
Of course, the only person who can determine best-fit type code is that person. The rest of us only have a hypothesis.
People who know Temperament have hypothesized that Artisan’s are likely to say it depends. There is merit in the claim that was reinforced, not contradicted, by what I’ve learned may be true.
Yet I keep hearing it from others (Idealists, Rationals, usually not Guardians). I was puzzled. There went the clue that I thought I could trust to point to the Artisan temperament. What was going on here?
So what did Personality Type: An Owner’s Manual say that may have the answer?
Ms. Thompson’s work validates for me that Artisans (ESTP, ESFP, ISTP, ISFP) would be inclined to give an opinion that was based on a particular context, situation, task, or interaction. I used to think that that was related to Artisans’ use of extraverted Sensing to access information.
They are tuned into sensory input in the here and now. That, of course, includes sound, sight, smell, touch, and taste. It also includes being proprioceptive, or paying attention to stimuli related to position and movement in the body. Artisan’s are seldom awkward, usually graceful in their movements, and don’t suffer from bruises from running into things they did not notice were there. They may certainly incur bruises from mountain climbing, racing, mountain biking, etc. These injuries are won pushing physical limits not from lack of awareness of their body.
Anyway, while reading Lenore’s book I was intrigued by the thought that maybe the fact that Artisans not only share the extraverted Sensing process but also having an introverted Judging process, either introverted thinking (Ti) or introverted feeling (Fi).
Thompson states that these evaluative or decision- making processes operate contextually informed by the in-the-moment information from either their intuition or sensing. Maybe all those with an introverted judging process as dominant or auxiliary also say, “it depends.”
For instance, when a running back (Let’s say Artisan ISTP) is racing from his 30 yard line to the offense’s goal line, he sees where the other players, knows their physical capabilities (speed, competence, abilities), sees the distance to cover, knows how much time is on the clock, the position of the referee, where the blockers are, and then analyzes what to do within that context. If asked the Friday night before the game what he might do in a particular situation, he might say, “it depends” or “If ‘x’ happens, then I’ll do ‘y’”. He may not even be aware that he is indeed analyzing. It is all happening in the moment informed by the body experience, the existing situation, and his knowledge of possible moves and plays that he has learned and practiced. The evaluation and his awareness of what’s happening on the field are wrapped up in the same moment. It’s the context that calls the evaluative process into play. He could not make that decision 5 minutes before. He improvises.
Another example, Frank Lloyd Wright. The hypothesis is that he was an INTP, which is often called architect in Type literature. There’s an oft-told story about his work with an important client for a building. For months the client wanted to know of his progress and was assured that all was in order. But he never say anything that indicated progress. One day the impatient client flew to Wright’s office and only let Wright know that he was on his way from the airport in Wright’s city. Only then did Wright draw the plans. Only in that context did he commit his ongoing background analysis on paper. He was continually defining and clarifying internally based on new ideas, thoughts, new information that flooded his days. The client did have to wait many minutes before seeing the drawings, but he got them.
We have an INTP architect in the family. Again, he has introverted thinking, an introverted judging process. In school and through experience he’s integrated architectural principles, yet he excels when he can adapt his knowledge to the unique circumstances of the locale. While his firm builds big box stores, no two buildings built for the same retail organization are exactly alike. The decisions are interwoven with the concepts, variations, and the locale of each location. One size does not fit all. The decision is contextual. In other words, it depends.
Another example. Someone very close to me has introverted Feeling (Fi) as a dominant judging process. He says, ‘it depends’ all the time. I often wondered if he was actually an Artisan, which he declares is not possible. I believe him. What’s up with that then? It makes complete sense now because he’d prefer to make a decision about future social engagements that day. Why? Because he does not know the circumstances until that day! How will he feel? Will it match his value system at that time? Will it feel ‘right’? How much work might he have that would preclude him being able to go? Who will be attending? What are the reviews about the event? Etc. I’m making up those questions but they wouldn’t be far off the mark. Of course, he does make some early commitments because some occasions (and I) demand an immediate decision.
An INFP colleague is very comfortable deviating from the planned agenda he and the client have agreed to. He tweaks or radically changes a program in the middle of the day given new information. He can evaluate what is the best decision in this moment. Forget all the planning. He would actually prefer to show up, assess the client’s needs then, and co-create the day. He’s been forced to do that before and found it to be highly effective and would prefer to do that regularly. Clients tend to need a plan to trust that the day will accomplish what they want. For him, what happens during the day, well, ‘it depends’.
It is true that Se (extraverted Sensing or Experiencing) is contextual. What’s the data right now? So is Ne (extraverted iNtuiting or Inferring) contextual. Ne sees patterns in the room and considers those patterns to determine what should happen next. Both are contextual. I’m going to test this hypothesis in the next few months. Based on this premise I’ll be hearing that comment from those preferring INTP, ENTP, ESTP, ISTP, ESFP, ESTP, INFP, and ENFP. That’s half of the 16 types! No Guardians are in that bunch (ESTJ, ISTJ, ESFJ, ISFJ). They all have an extraverted judging process (Fe or Te). Also excluded are two Idealist types (INFJs, ENFJs) and 2 Rational types (ENTJ, INTJ).
Notice that all the xSxPs, INxPs, and ENxPs have either Ti (analyzing current data for their logic) or Fi (considering if the situation is the right or wrong to do based on the individual’s values) as decision-making functions
It may be simpler to say that all the types who may say ‘it depends’, has P for perceiving in their type code which means that Sensing and Intuiting are automatically extraverted. You’ll hear the final opinion or determination only when all the data is in and the circumstance is defined. In that context, they will make a decision.
I’ll let you know what I find out. And I welcome your thoughts.
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This is an interesting theory.
Here’s what happens for me. My preference is ENFJ and I say “it depends” a lot. This is mostly in the context of my parenting, which is the biggest part of my life with 4 kids who I homeschool.
While I do like closure and getting things decided, my Dom Fe overides this within the relationships with my kids, my family.
I say “it depends” because there are so many variables I need to consider for the good of each family member when I’m making a decision. Even though I “want” things decided right away, it works out better for everyone when I wait to see what’s going on at the time to make the decision.
This goes against your theory of the judging preference being introverted…sorry. :))
June 17, 2007 @ 12:43 am (comment)
Makes sense to me! Thanks for the contribution.
Meg
June 17, 2007 @ 6:26 pm (comment)