The Rarest Type [Archive]

Ka.avik

19 Sep 2005, 04:08 AM

it's all just statistics; INTJs are supposed to be fairly rare, but I know 3 myself. INFJ sounds like a cool mix; but, don't be dissin' the MBTI simply becaues your experiences slightly disagree with the "standard" deployment rates.

if that's what they are, then that's why I know so many estj folk: to balance you out :P over there

Nighthawk

19 Sep 2005, 04:11 AM

garak

19 Sep 2005, 04:20 AM

eyebyte_atWork

19 Sep 2005, 04:28 AM

I've run across very few NFs in my life ... so they seem rare to me. I've met more NTs, even though there are fewer of them, percentage-wise, than NFs. I don't know ... maybe I'm just not good at detecting NFs. I can usually spot an N though, because they tend to be people with whom I can really communicate.

I think if you are a T type- then F types are the hardest to spot - and vice versa. It just seems that we may think that the opposite type is our type because everything else will match. My brother, and ENFP, seems alot like an ENTP - very bright and good a math and science - but subtles differences - he is a freak.

Nighthawk

19 Sep 2005, 04:29 AM

I've known two INFJs, and definitely gravitated towards both. INTPs and INFJs are both quite rare, but I think that the attraction is so strong that they end up finding each other more often than numbers would predict.I've also been very attracted to the two of NF's I've met. One was INFJ and the other INFP. The feeling was mutual in both cases. Marriage was discussed in both cases, but never came to fruition.

The boards are the first places I've ever run into a male NF. Prior to that, I didn't know they existed except in theory.

garak

19 Sep 2005, 04:42 AM

I've also been very attracted to the two of NF's I've met. One was INFJ and the other INFP. The feeling was mutual in both cases. Marriage was discussed in both cases, but never came to fruition.

The boards are the first places I've ever run into a male NF. Prior to that, I didn't know they existed except in theory.
Yeah I learned my lesson with an INFP once. It's sort of a brainfuck because in some ways, it can seem like WOAH, this person is so much like me! Even though in many ways, they are soooo different. And different in bad ways, I mean. (what I consider to be bad anyway) Definitely potential for a huge letdown. Glad I learned this without that happening.

My boss dude is an INFP. Definitely kinda weird. My kung fu teacher was an INFJ, which I think is a bit more of a "manly" type, since they are probably the least gushy of the NFs. You could almost mistake him for an NT or something, at first. But he's all into the NF-ey philosophy shit, and his J is quite obvious in his dedication to practicing and whatnot. I guess that's why he's the one teaching. :P Very cool guy though. INFJs rule.

I also know an INFJ girl that I could have possibly got in very deep with at some point, but we never knew we liked each other that much until it was too late. But in retrospect, I'm very glad about that, since although she is a very cool person and whatnot, there are enough differences that I wouldn't want to end up married to her or anything like that. But a couple years ago, I might not have known any better... *whew* :P

Mr Pink

19 Sep 2005, 04:54 AM

Hah, that's weird. The few people I consider best friends are NFs. I know at least three INFPs, four INFJs, a couple of ENFPs and a couple of ENFJs. The majority of NTs I know are all INTJs. I've only met an INTP once (that I know of), and I have one ENTJ friend. Never met an ENTP (again that I know of).

garak

19 Sep 2005, 05:01 AM

Damn dude, where do you make all these friends?

rufio

19 Sep 2005, 05:15 AM

Well, where do these statistics come from anyway? I'm pretty sure the majority of people probably don't even bother with the MBTI test, so it's already fairly skewed as it is.

PenguinHunter

19 Sep 2005, 07:17 AM

I tend to gravitate towards NFs too, I know a bunch. I've heard lots of varying population percentage estimates, so I don't really know which to believe.

tomeklund

19 Sep 2005, 09:37 AM

The few people I consider best friends are NFs. I know at least three INFPs, four INFJs, a couple of ENFPs and a couple of ENFJs. The majority of NTs I know are all INTJs.

Do you happen to have any spare friends? I could certainly use couple more than now....I mean, not use, but to have....whatever....
:ph34r:

ApeTheDog

19 Sep 2005, 10:19 AM

Maybe they are so rare in real life, because they hang around INTP's so often - and we are not exactly easy to track down, spending most of our time simply in front of a pc or anonymously sitting in a corner.

LuridLemur

19 Sep 2005, 11:33 AM

I don't know any INTPs, INFJs, or ENTPs. I know 3 INFPs, 2 ENFPs, 1 ENTJ, 1 INTJ, and 1 ENFJ.

You are only one person and haven't met enough other people to think that you could predict the total population of one type.

Do you think it's bullshit that you don't know any others (you could substitute the word unlucky) or that the rarest type being INFJ is bullshit? I think it's impossible to know what the least common type is, because you would have to conduct a massive survey and teach everyone the basic principles so that they wouldn't mistype themselves on their first crack at the test. Too time consuming.

booyalab

19 Sep 2005, 02:29 PM

I think it's impossible to know what the least common type is, because you would have to conduct a massive survey and teach everyone the basic principles so that they wouldn't mistype themselves on their first crack at the test. Too time consuming.

exactly....deciding a certain type can't be the least common because of the people you happen to know is like living in a Hmong district and coming to the conclusion that everyone else is wrong and this "so-called" minority is actually a MAJORITY because they comprise all your family and friends.

attila_the_hunny

19 Sep 2005, 03:36 PM

I was going to say "this shit is bananas" but I don't like Gwen Stefani.
I just think it's odd how I've managed to surround myself with the same type. Two of those INFJs are best friends [I'm token girl of the group].
Are Ps harder to come by than Js?

Master O

19 Sep 2005, 04:45 PM

Well if we're 1% of the population, what supposedly are INFJ's?

attila_the_hunny

19 Sep 2005, 04:50 PM

Well if we're 1% of the population, what supposedly are INFJ's?

Some say we're 3.3% and that INFJs are 2% or less.
I feel like I'm saying which kind of milk I like. Skim. For the record.

Mr Pink

20 Sep 2005, 12:53 AM

The reason I know so many intuitives is that I attended a type of school in Norway that's all about socializing - directly translated it's "folk high school". You attend for 1 year, you take a course, but the main focus is on the social aspect. I believe they have schools like this in other european countries (Sweden at least).

Great year. Don't know how my life would be without it. Probably a lot less interesting.

garak

20 Sep 2005, 01:31 AM

Some say we're 3.3% and that INFJs are 2% or less.
I feel like I'm saying which kind of milk I like. Skim. For the record.
I'd say less than that. One INTP in every class of 30 kids? I'd love to see that.

ChristiRB

20 Sep 2005, 04:14 AM

I thought the rarest type was INTJ. *shrug*

attila_the_hunny

20 Sep 2005, 04:51 AM

Supposedly in order of rarity

INFJ
ENTJ
INTJ
ENFJ
ENTP
INTP
INFP
ENFP

I did get it from http://www.infj.org/typestats.html and I think it's fishy with all the J's before P's.

ChristiRB

20 Sep 2005, 05:01 AM

Yeah I'm not sure about that bc there's another study that says that 60% of the world is J.

attila_the_hunny

20 Sep 2005, 05:02 AM

I think they're being typist!

ChristiRB

20 Sep 2005, 05:04 AM

LOL .. I hate that picture. It's way too distracting. :thelook:

purple13

20 Sep 2005, 05:11 AM

I think those J's are jealous. I remember INTP and INTJ being the lowest... I mean rarest on the official test I took at work.

attila_the_hunny

20 Sep 2005, 05:12 AM

I think it adds a nice element to my posts when I am being serious. No one can take me seriously when they get to the bottom of my post.

purple13

20 Sep 2005, 05:16 AM

bring the blood back.. please!

sbw

20 Sep 2005, 05:23 AM

I'm turned on.

Scott

attila_the_hunny

20 Sep 2005, 05:27 AM

I'm turned on.

Scott

I just spit on my monitor because of that. :shock:

sbw

20 Sep 2005, 05:29 AM

I just spit on my monitor because of that. :shock:

yes!

Scott

melancholeric

20 Sep 2005, 04:30 PM

I did get it from http://www.infj.org/typestats.html and I think it's fishy with all the J's before P's.
That site had a fairly equal distribution of Js and Ps. 54.1 % J and 44.9 P.

I've heard that's because there's a correlation between N and P. And S and J aswell. Which would mean more than 55 % of sensors are Js, and more than 45 % of Ns are Ps. Or something like that.

So I decided to try to do the math. If 73.3 % are Ss, and less than 40 % of them are Ps, that'd be less than 29 % of the whole population. That's SPs. And more than 43.3 % for SJs.

The site gave 27.0% for SPs and 46.4% for SJs.

73.3 / 46.6 = 0.63.57

63.5 % of Ss are Js (if I got my math right, and I'm not entirely sure of that... ). Which of course means that a lower percentage of Ns are Js. Too lazy to figure out how much lower. But given how rare Ns are, and how equal the J/P distribution on that site was, it's not surprising at all.

What bugged me was that they said there's an overall preference for F, yet INFJs are rarer than INTJs.

booyalab

20 Sep 2005, 05:25 PM

Supposedly in order of rarity

INFJ
ENTJ
INTJ
ENFJ
ENTP
INTP
INFP
ENFP

I did get it from http://www.infj.org/typestats.html and I think it's fishy with all the J's before P's.

That's bogus. There's got to be more extraverted iNtuitives than introverted iNtuitives....or it's equal. There is NO WAY there are more introverts than extroverts. Although if the stats are based on an online survey, the result would make sense.

Nighthawk

20 Sep 2005, 05:42 PM

That's bogus. There's got to be more extraverted iNtuitives than introverted iNtuitives....or it's equal. There is NO WAY there are more introverts than extroverts. Although if the stats are based on an online survey, the result would make sense.I also find it hard to believe that there are more introverts than extraverts ... or that the number is even close to 50-50. I've consistently been outnumbered by annoying, yapping people by a margin of about 3-to-1 my entire life. Of course, it could be that I'm just an extreme introvert and the 3-to-1 ratio represents all the people towards the more extraverted end of the spectrum ... some of whom would still be considered introverts. Shades of gray, and all that stuff.

WhiteRaven

20 Sep 2005, 06:05 PM

When I took the test the second time, it was explained to me that INTP was the rarest for women, INFP for men. That was based on data used from when it was first conceived till the current time, which was about 1995...wow 10 years goes by quickly. This was consistent with the first time 2 years earlier, and based on results from the Myers-Briggs test instrument results, not web surveys. I had found the breakdown somewhere on the net recently, but I cannot find it right now.

Edit:
I found this breakdown at http://www.gnxp.com/MT2/archives/003474.html
SJ: 40% - 45%
SP: 35% - 40%
NF: 8% -10%
NT: 5% - 7%

And on http://www.myersbriggs.org/more_about_personality_type/international_use/multicultural_use_of_the_mbti.asp
there is an interesting comment:
ESTJ men and ESFJ women found great support from their environment as they grow up. The opposite types, INFP men and INTP women, reported more difficulty in finding a satisfactory fit for themselves as they grew up.

Ok, it is not the result I found, but it can be extrapolated from it with one exception...if you use the inner rings of the diagrams here and know that the only sex-based difference is in the T/F result where the results are opposite, you get the rare types being INTX for women, INFX for men.
http://www.csuchico.edu/~jackieh/ws/myerbrig.html
Now they don't state where they got the data for the general population, so that sucks. And why my info said P was less common than J, I don't know.

nottaprettygal

20 Sep 2005, 06:08 PM

I've always liked this table because it breaks the types down into males and females.

http://www.capt.org/The_MBTI_Instrument/Estimated_Frequencies.cfm

By the way, I like to think we're all rare in our own special way.

<end sarcasm>

ChristiRB

20 Sep 2005, 06:12 PM

nottaprettygal

21 Sep 2005, 07:23 AM

Hehe. http://despair.com/individuality.html

I love despair.com. I want to get the pessimists mug that they have for sale. It's the perfect site for disaffected college students.

eyebyte_atWork

21 Sep 2005, 01:19 PM

I love despair.com. I want to get the pessimists mug that they have for sale. It's the perfect site for disaffected college students.

I love the picture of the french fries. I need that for my cube

ChristiRB

21 Sep 2005, 01:29 PM

Hehe. I like that one too.

And I also like this one: http://despair.com/motivation.html

Oooops....get back to topic! Male INFJs are rarest. :P

eyebyte_atWork

21 Sep 2005, 01:32 PM

Yeah this one too

http://despair.com/demotivation.html

ChristiRB

21 Sep 2005, 01:34 PM

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH! How did I miss that one???

attila_the_hunny

21 Sep 2005, 05:32 PM

Oooops....get back to topic! Male INFJs are rarest. :P

And two of my INFJ friends are dudes. Go figure.

Hustler

26 Sep 2005, 08:28 PM

Oooops....get back to topic! Male INFJs are rarest. :P

We can all be glad about that, because male INFJs are a waste of space.

misutii

27 Sep 2005, 04:13 PM

We can all be glad about that, because male INFJs are a waste of space.

ouch, i hope there's some here to defend themselves

eyebyte_atWork

27 Sep 2005, 04:16 PM

We can all be glad about that, because male INFJs are a waste of space.
'

Why exactly are they a waste of space?

MaroonBells

20 Oct 2005, 07:03 PM

INFJs are supposedly the rarest type, right? Yet my three closest friends are all INFJs. I am still the only INTP I've ever known in real life...the only "T" and "P" for that matter.
I think it's bullshit.

a_t_h, i can never read your posts b'cause i always have to look in disgust at the guy bashing his eyes out

attila_the_hunny

20 Oct 2005, 07:05 PM

a_t_h, i can never read your posts b'cause i always have to look in disgust at the guy bashing his eyes out

You know, looking back at my posts...I don't think you're missing out on anything.

INFJlite

20 Oct 2005, 09:01 PM

Here is why I believe that...MBTI™ Statistics '98 (http://www.infj.org/archive/typestats.html) and also in my own personal experience, I don't meet many.

I work alongside alot of INTPs who think I am different since "I don't act like sales slime" to them (I am a sales rep). I think it is because I am not capable of putting on cheesy smile too well. I am a bit blunt and brash in my manner.

Anyhoo, I don't really care I am the rarest type. I tried to join INFJ lists and such, but they drove me up the way (not as well organised as this webpage).

We INFJs are in our own worlds and think it is obvious what we are communicating, much like INTPs who are the same way. INTPs seem more logical but INFJs are good at sorting out feelings.

That's all for now, my 2 cents. :)

nihilist

27 Oct 2005, 11:36 PM

I found this breakdown at http://www.gnxp.com/MT2/archives/003474.html
SJ: 40% - 45%
SP: 35% - 40%
NF: 8% -10%
NT: 5% - 7%

The alleged rarity of NTs/NFs may not be so questionable after all. Perhaps, there's a correlation between standardized test scores and N. I would imagine many NT/NFs have easily scored higher than a 1200(around 78th percentile) on the SAT while the average is like a 1000, which admittedly is a really low score. But the score itself is probably not a strong indicator of being NT/NF.