The Adventurer

At least that’s what some personality tests call me…

For the last two years now, during the winter holiday season, I’ve taken two different personality tests. One using the normal MBTI acronyms (“ENFP”, “ISTJ”, etc) and another that uses five other points I hadn’t heard about before. This year when I took the test and saw my results, I thought they were interesting but slightly off. Then I checked last years results and saw that the were almost exactly the same. So I thought why not share the results here and talk about where I agree or disagree, and what I think they mean about my past, present, and future.

Note: After writing the ISFP section, I decided it was enough for now. I’ll cover the other test later.

ISFP – “The Adventurer”

This is the result most of you will understand and be able to compare to. Here’s what the Meyers & Briggs page says about this personality type:

Quiet, friendly, sensitive, and kind. Enjoy the present moment, what’s going on around them. Like to have their own space and to work within their own time frame. Loyal and committed to their values and to people who are important to them. Dislike disagreements and conflicts, do not force their opinions or values on others.

And I completely agree with every word of this.

But the site where I took the test describes me as an “adventurer” and seems to focus entirely on the “enjoy the present moment” and “like to have their own space” concepts and expanded them to a point where I’m a little uncomfortable applying their descriptions to myself. But that’s what makes it interesting.

That site describes ISFPs as “true artists,” that “push the limits of social convention” and are “inspired by connections with people and ideas.” It claims that I’m charming, much more likely to be spontaneous or risky, sensitive to other’s feelings, but can lose my temper in spectacular fashion.

The biggest issues I have with the 16personalities description are the conclusions it draws due to spontaneity, emotion, and independence. But when I step back a little and look at their itemized points with an open mind, I see how correct they are.

And since I’ve got unlimited space to play with, let’s go through that itemized list of strengths and weaknesses.

Strengths

Charming

People with the ISFP personality type are relaxed and warm, and their “live and let live” attitude naturally makes them likable and popular.

I’m clearly not popular in the traditional sense, but that could just be my lack of self-esteem in the eyes of others. When I imagine what I would do or say to someone I was trying to befriend or woo I guess you could call it charming…

Sensitive to Others

ISFPs easily relate to others’ emotions, helping them to establish harmony and good will, and minimize conflict.

While the recent political climate has caused far more arguments than I would like, I definitely try to be as calm and understanding of everyone as possible.

Imaginative

Being so aware of others’ emotions, ISFP personalities use creativity and insight to craft bold ideas that speak to people’s hearts. While it’s hard to explain this quality on a resume, this vivid imagination and exploratory spirit help ISFPs in unexpected ways.

I’ve felt before, and I might have explained it here, that my creativity had been leeched out of me a long time ago. I used to write poems or little stories. I’d role play with friends during and after school. But when life started getting more difficult I closed up, and that influx of imagination turned into more of a small puddle. I’m waking up from this nightmare now, but it’s been a long time and my muscles are weak from lack of use.

But my exploratory nature has certainly woken up, or maybe it never went to sleep. I love visiting new places or learning new things. If I’m tired or bored at work, I’ll often start fiddling with related ideas or projects to see if anything interesting or useful pops out. This can be stifled by shyness or moments of apathy, but it’s clearly a powerful force under the surface.

Passionate

Beneath ISFPs’ quiet shyness beats an intensely feeling heart. When people with this personality type are caught up in something exciting and interesting, they can leave everything else in the dust.

It takes some effort for any kind of passion to break through my reservations, and it’s frighteningly exciting when it happens. When I turned 18 and could begin to vote on political issues, I realized that I hadn’t yet determined just what it was that I believed. Since then, and very much so in the last three years, I’ve developed strong convictions and guidelines behind many of the most powerful and difficult questions of our era.

Curious

Ideas are well and good, but ISFPs need to see and explore for themselves whether their ideas ring true. Work revolving around the sciences may seem a poor match for their traits, but a boldly artistic and humanistic vision is often exactly what research needs to move forward – if ISFPs are given the freedom they need to do so.

Computer Science counts as science, or maybe it’s more like math. I’m not on the forefront of any mind-blowing research in the field, but that’s technically more because I’m pretty risk-averse when it comes to my job. Machine learning and AI is the most public frontier in computing right now, and it wouldn’t be impossibly difficult to wriggle my way onto a team of people stretching our understanding of this most human of computer tasks.

But that spirit of curiosity and self-learning is absolutely essential for anyone who wants to get into programming. More important than an ability to work with small precise details or organize large processes.

Artistic

ISFPs are able to show their creativity in tangible ways and with stunning beauty. Whether writing a song, painting an emotion, or presenting a statistic in a graph, ISFPs have a way of visualizing things that resonates with their audience.

The thing that drew me into programming wasn’t it’s practicality in the work force, or it’s potential to change the world. What got me interested was how I could type something and make the screen do what I wanted. It was a way for me to create new things. I wasn’t a great artist, and my attempts at writing were better started than finished, but boy could I type. And now I had a way to create order, function, and beauty with my own hands.

Weaknesses

Fiercely Independent

Freedom of expression is often ISFPs’ top priority. Anything that interferes with that, like traditions and hard rules, creates a sense of oppression for ISFP personalities. This can make more rigidly structured academics and work a challenge.

I agree with the basic concept, but not the conclusion. I’m much more passive than they claim. I’m glad to be involved in a structured academic field and career. Although, computer science is a much more flexible and serendipitous science than math or physics. And it’s standard within the industry to have entirely flexible schedules and casual dress code. So this is probably the most independent scientific career I could have found…

My own independence is most visible to me when I’m surrounded by new or unexpected things, such as when I’m traveling. I don’t ask for directions or help. I usually don’t even ask for recommendations. I want to see things my own way and on my own schedule.

Unpredictable

ISFPs dislike long-term commitments and plans. The tendency to actively avoid planning for the future can cause strain in ISFPs’ romantic relationships and financial hardship later in life.

Out of the children in my family, I’ve been told I’m very financially responsible, so I’m not worried about that. And as far as relationships go, you know why I don’t make long-term plans in that department.

But yeah, I’m not sure where I’m going to live in two years. I don’t even know what I’m going to eat for dinner tonight. I’m okay with my life being suddenly uprooted, as long as I can figure out how to navigate in whatever pool I’m being thrown into.

Easily Stressed

ISFPs live in the present, full of emotion. When situations get out of control, people with this personality type (especially Turbulent ones) can shut down, losing their characteristic charm and creativity in favor of gnashing teeth.

This is the hardest one to admit and understand. I’m loathe to accept within myself that I’m “full of emotion” as it says, but this description of shutting down in the face of stress has haunted me since childhood.

I try to approach life from a more analytical stance, but that’s probably because it’s so easy for me to automatically distance myself from my emotions in order to try and protect myself. I’m scared of what I’m feeling, and it’s easier to shut the valve than to deal with the flood. It becomes habit after a while, and even when there’s no real pressure I rarely take down my defenses. This is why I need to have good friends around, because when I’m around them and comfortable, I’m fully myself.

Overly Competitive

ISFPs can escalate small things into intense competitions, turning down long-term success in their search for glory in the moment, and are unhappy when they lose.

I don’t accept this description. I consider myself incredibly passive. But my best friend has claimed I’m much more passive-aggressive than I admit, and he is the best equipped to point out my flaws.

Fluctuating Self-Esteem

It’s demanded that skills be quantified, but that’s hard to do with ISFPs’ strengths of sensitivity and artistry. ISFPs’ efforts are often dismissed, a hurtful and damaging blow, especially early in life. ISFPs can start to believe the naysayers without strong support.

I remember saying something here about believing it when those around you say they love you. It was a bit of a surprise for me to realize how true this was and the effect self-esteem has had on my life so far; not because of anything bad that people have said, but because of the lack of positive things due to my own shutting down. I withdrew from the world to hide from my own emotions, and that shut off the positive influx of friends. And over years of isolation it passively sunk in.

I’m trying, now, but it’s a big hill to climb and I’m afraid to ask for help because of all the silly reasons.