Can your MBTI change as you mature/grow older?

Gale said:
Yes, they are, but maybe not as much as Fes. They tend to accommodate on an individual level vs. being chameleon on a social level.

Fi is often described as a selfish or self centered function that only cares about itself and it's own feelings, and puts others last while Fe cares more about people, social harmony, and getting along. Most people don't take time to get to know how each of these modes actually operates. Instead, each judges the other using it's own reasoning or thinking.

I've been in so many situations where I suggest an idea, but because it's not in line with the Fe-lings of the group, it's dismissed. Or if you're not happy go lucky and "getting along" with group, and behaving as everyone else, your ideas are dismissed. This is Fe working against Fi. But then later, the dismissed idea is found to be one of the more productive ones. Fi is often less focused on whether it is liked by everyone.

I mention this as a way to explain Fi. Fi will share its views, but if ignored, will remain reserved or quiet. If Fi values someone's opinion, it will submit or set aside it's own feelings to accommodate them, especially if they care about someone deeply. I'll end up shelving my views to fit how they think. If I realize my views or feelings are not accepted, or is being ignored or dismissed, I'll simply pull back if I'm not close to it. But if I have to interact, I'll mirror the other person, rephrase, or repeat what they feel. That's one version of being a chameleon.

They'll rarely notice or they'll think I'm "smart" because I agree or support how they feel. That would be Fi version of being a chameleon, to keep our own feelings private, and just go with what the other person thinks. It's easier to do this one on one. Or I'll reflect the type characteristics that are more dominant. If T is dominant, I'll go T. If F is dominant I'll try to balance T and F more. That's another way it operates as a chameleon. If it's dominant F, then I'll show mostly F. So, depends on the environment and how people in that situation think or respond.

But these are learned responses based on the past. Since I received negative responses to expressing high Fi in social situations, I learned to pull back, and express Fe more. Fi has a certain emotional honesty or authenticity not everyone understands or appreciates, so this part is often hidden and shown only to those who are open, close to us, and receptive without judgment.

I notice that people with high Fe have a hard time accepting or incorporating Fi. Fe has a tendency to want Fi to just conform, while ignoring how Fi contributes in its own way. high Fe often has too rigid a belief about how things should be, and based everything on an understanding of how Fe thinks, and ignores how a difference in Fi's thinking can balance things out, rather than seeing it as entirely self interested.

Fi is not always assertive. It's a bit quieter and may become more visible only when describing feelings or when it's upset or expressing emotional needs (this is often the most problematic for Fe who views this as being childish or self involved). When I become overly expressive of my views, or I feel I'm overwhelming someone, I'll pull back.

FIs are often dismissed because they are not presenting ideas in a Fe-oriented manner, not popular or widely shared by the other members who may feel that any difference from the popular view creates disharmony. It's one of the reasons it's not always easy to share views or opinions. Fi's dislike confrontation, and after enough rejection or dismissal, they withdraw or walk away. If I have to keep fighting to be heard, at some point, I'll just resign myself, and not make the effort anymore.

However, I think INFJs maybe more obviously chameleon in their behavior because of Fe, while a Fi-dominant will likely remain quiet or more reserved if they are unable to express their feelings or views comfortably. Again, Fi's hate confrontation, so after a while, they'll clam up, or disengage completely.
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thank you
 
My earlier comments on Fe were excessively harsh and dismissive. I apologize.
 
ruji said:
they say you can't. I am unsure of the basis behind this belief.

Here's what I think: the same way you probably aren't going to be a billionaire, you're probably not going to change your type. Why? Because people don't fight comfort. People aren't going to go through with that level of change. Most people will continue to be whoever they are.
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I think it depends how we define "type" -- if we mean it's a certain interval of comfort on the various scales, then yes, people generally stay within that range-of-comfort. There's no reason the comfort zone should be a rigidly fixed point on a dimension rather than an interval -- an interval seems much, much more realistic and also reflects the fuzzy nature of measuring personality, not something we can claim to pinpoint to a dot on a scale.

Jung would say the type is nothing static/changes through life, and some prominent Jungians have even written of how extensively they changed type. And the modern Big 5 views of personality are obviously open to change, because they situate personality on continuous dimensions along which one can move, not discrete types, with types being if anything a shorthand/averaged account of someone's personality.

When someone reports a really volatile personality, though, it's true most likely there's something to suspect about how they're analyzing themselves. I definitely believe in the idea of an interval-of-comfort.
 
I propose that the more intimate you understand yourself, the more accurate your results will be.
 
Gale said:
There are so many pressures on someone's personality that when we take the test at various, we can get different results because our mind or focus may be in a different place. The person I was when I first took the MBTI about 9 or 10 years ago, feels quite different from the person I am today, even if there are some consistencies. Back then I got INFP and INFJ

There are three types I connect with the most, and although I'm supposedly INFP, that's not what I get on recent tests. In person, I was typed INTP by an MBTI practitioner, and I am tempted to agree with that (although I don't fit the INTP prototype). INFP has always been the consensus here on the site. I express too much Fi it seems :D.
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I can relate to this. I tested as an INFP from 21 to 25, but I don't know if it was a mistype or not. I used to be rather high-strung on the inside, which sometimes translated on the outside. I definitely didn't fit the stereotypical profile of an INFP, though. I wasn't too poetic or concerned about romantic ideals. I also don't connect to a lot of music by many INFP artists, but I also know that doesn't necessarily mean I'm non-INFP. I was more enamored by the idea of traveling around the world and experiencing frivolous pleasures. I would daydream and have fantasies about meeting a stranger or two in a different country, and then having adventures of a folly nature with him or them. My self-tested INFP friend who is probably a core 4w3 is very different. She seems in love with love. It's almost like she lives to experience it for feeling all the emotions that come with a relationship, but I can't really speak for her.

Recently, I have been only testing as INTP. My ENTJ 8w7 best friend feels like I am more likely an INTP than anything else, too. I'm not 100% confident about whether I'm an INTP, but I'm going with it for now. I am definitely atypical for the type, given my passion for metaphysics and frivolous habits. I don't struggle too much with connecting to others when I'm in the mood to open up, so I feel like I might be more sociable than the average INTP in that sense. Also, sometimes I feel like I have so much passion and electricity running through all over my mind and body, which makes me wonder if that is Fi, and not Ti, but who knows...

Gale said:
However, I don't think it's possible to accurately type someone online. Some aspects of our personality are expressed more intensely online because we don't have the chance to express them openly irl. So, that can put a wedge in typing someone if you don't know them well. This is why I think there are aspects of someone's personality we can't truly evaluate unless we meet them in person.

I am no expert on the functions but I think it's harder to identify if someone is truly a particular type. An in depth interview and history is required. There is also chameleon theory. We adapt to our environments we are in especially cultural expectations. We often behave against type to fit in to our everyday circumstances. If someone has certain sensitivities, this can also affect how their personality comes across.

Maybe type doesn't change, but maybe the pressure to fit in can affect how we type ourselves. Many people don't have the luxury of thinking about their personal preferences, etc. They have to simply do what is expected, regardless of feelings, so they may not be aware of how they actually operate naturally. So, whether or not type changes, someone's type results can change over time depending on their mental, emotional, and social experiences at various points in their lives.

And also, the more you are "educated" online about typing, you may bias yourself, by focusing on how the types are described or explained in descriptions rather than how you experience your world everyday. Motivations are one of the hardest things to determine because most people too often oversimplify Feeler/Thinker and Perceiver/Judger categories.

So, even if you do get a type result on a test, there's always room to explore. I don't think it's ultimately about settling on a type, but allowing yourself to discover various aspects of who you are regardless of how you are typed by a test or anyone else. In the end, it's what you experience and how you feel that matters.
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I used to be far more chameleonic than I am today. My chameleonism is very subtle nowadays and I often don't engage in it, now.

Neuroplasticity needs to be taken into account, since the mind is impressively malleable. MBTI theory lacks too many variables to be valued as an entirely sound concept. I like it for fun, but I don't put too much stock in it.
 
adding to an old discussion, but there are instances that are sort of viewed as a somewhat changing of type. These are strictly correlated to trauma though. I think for many in our younger years our type has not fully developed. In this sense we may identify deeply with a type only to grow up and find we are nothing of it.

i.e. from 14 to early adulthood I typed as ESFJ. I am definitely not an ESFJ at this point.
 
The pre-frontal cortex doesn't fully develop until the age of 25 in most normative adults. That is to say, that whatever core personality you have is not likely going to change once you've reached that age, unless you suffer some catastrophic brain damage, significant hormonal changes (due to illness/accident), or severe traumas (which could force you to develop alters or even suppress aspects of personality as a defense mechanism).

I think there are characteristics that are likened to personality that are really just an adherence to values. People often confuse them. For example, one might have a natural inclination to be more outspoken in a critical way, but due to a particular value or virtue that they are working on, they might mask that inclination unless if in the midst of a visceral experience which makes them 'forget' those values and revert back to their natural mode of 'being'. That doesn't mean that their natural mode of 'being' isn't underlying and present at their core, but that their values are changing.

I don't think we can change our personality type, but I also don't think 'type' is a comprehensive or definitive labeling on any human that is satisfactory enough to say, "This is who I am". I'm not just an INFJ or a 9w8 sx. I'm a woman, a daughter, a sister, a dreamer, a thinker, a teacher, an innovator, a business owner, etc. We are multi-faceted, and I think this is why it is easy to 'mistype' or to think we're changing personalities, when we've really just preferred utilizing a particular function when necessary. We forget that everyone has the same functions of N, F, T, and S. The order of said functions, and the orientation of introversion or extroversion of each, aren't as integral as understanding how these functions manifest and why we develop a certain preference to them to better understand ourselves, our world, and others.
 
Anomaly said:
I'm not just an INFJ or a 9w8 sx. I'm a woman, a daughter, a sister, a dreamer, a thinker, a teacher, an innovator, a business owner, etc.
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Love this! :)
 
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