ISFJ, or "If you need to be nurtured and protected, I'm your gal"

Following the lead of a friend, I recently took a personality test (the Myers-Briggs test), where at the end of a number of questions you are given four letters that combine to reflect your dominant traits. If you examine my chart, you can see with the possibilities are.

I had taken this test early in college, but wondered if anything had changed in the resulting years.

I can tend to over-analyze my answers to such questions, so I deliberately answered the questions when already tired and held myself to my first instinct. Otherwise, I end up with, "Hmm...do I typically answer the phone when it rings? Are they referring to my cell phone, or my land line? 'Cuz if it's my phone, I have call-waiting and I know who's calling so I pick up, but if it's our house line, I don't know if it's a telemarketer or a wrong number so then I might let the machine pick up while I'm at the ready to intercept. Of course, if Eric's home, then he'll usually grab the phone since he doesn't mind answering it without knowing who's on the other end and doesn't want to make the other person wait, whereas if they're just some business trying to drum up a new clientele, I'd rather they talk to a machine instead of talking me into a corner..."

So have the past years changed my core instincts? Nope -- still the same ol' ISFJ. Read about me below, courtesy of these people:

ISFJ

follows the rules, polite, fears drawing attention to self, dislikes competition, somewhat easily frightened, easily offended, timid, dutiful, private, lower energy, finisher, organized, socially uncomfortable, modest, not confrontational, easily hurt, observer, prone to crying, not spontaneous, does not appreciate strangeness - intolerant to differences, apprehensive, clean, planner, prone to confusion, afraid of many things, responsible, guarded, avoidant, anxious, cautious, suspicious, more interested in relationships and family than intellectual pursuits, not adventurous, fears doing the wrong thing, dislikes change

favored careers:

homemaker, stay at home parent, office worker, health care worker, personal assistant, school teacher, administrative assistant, child care worker, clerical employee, receptionist, library assistant, dietician, health educator, librarian

disfavored careers:

rock star, philosophy professor, filmmaker, performer, writer, bar owner, comedian, dj, entertainer, ceo, psychotherapist, bartender, entrepreneur, lecturer, astronomer

It should be noted that it would not be wise for me to pursue my rock career, or attempt to follow in Eric's shoes, who gets to be classified as not only a philosopher, but also a philosophy professor. Oh, the difference two letters make! I should take comfort in the fact that word has it Queen Elizabeth II, Mother Teresa, Johnny Carson, Jimmy Stewart, Louisa May Alcott, and the likes of me have personalities in common.

You're welcome to give it a try and see how well their analysis fits you. I've always said that I've enjoyed every job I've ever had, and it's amusing to see that nearly all have neatly fit into my 'favored careers.' I do find that while I don't find all the adjectives flattering, many help classify my behavior and tendencies -- I avoid confrontation as much as possible and prefer to mediate when it does rear its ugly head. If someone has needs I can meet, my bleeding heart is the first to latch on and stand by them until it passes. While I don't know how confused or fearful I can be (I prefer paranoid), I don't have to accept all the adjectives as befitting.

I also enjoy learning the make-up of friends, so that I can better understand them. When I took this test the first time, I pored over Eric's results as closely as mine. So should you share your camp with me, I can promise that I will read up on you, trying to see if your results seem to properly fit in with my exchanges with you.