Asperger and Myers-Briggs Personality Type
I have scored INFJ very consistently on the MBTI for the last several years, ever since I had to take it in a personality theory class as an undergraduate. Coincidentally, I also score very high on the AQ (autism spectrum quotient), and very low on the EQ (empathy quotient) and FQ (friendship quotient). I will be 30 in December and am undiagnosed, although I was misdiagnosed as bipolar at the age of 13 due to my bouts of depression and frequent, often violent, meltdowns. I still get those today, when overwhelmed. Meltdowns, I mean, occasionally involving destruction of property and self-harm. I am always humiliated afterward, but just find it extremely difficult to control what I do in the moment. This almost always stems from being confronted about something, and being unable to effectively answer questions posed to me regarding my thoughts, feelings, or actions pertaining to some situation.
So, regarding the INFJ type, or at least in my experience, I find it odd that I score so low on the empathy scale, considering that I do have feelings; I just am often unable to describe them when they are mixed. So, I do tend to actually feel things very intensely, and another feature involving intuition is that I can sense the mood of those around me, and it affects me deeply when this mood is negative. I have a problem with discrimination of other peoples' emotions, so when those emotions are negative, I feel like I am being personally assaulted. Especially if that feeling is anger, even when not directed at me, I often have to get out of the room because I become extremely nervous, like the angry person will lash out at me at any moment. This drives my boyfriend nuts, because he is always explaining "I'm not angry at you, I'm angry at the situation."
However, feeling really has nothing to do with empathy, as empathy refers to the ability to feel like another. This I simply cannot do. Unless I see someone or an animal being harmed physically in a grotesque way, then I feel and have to look away. Other than that, though, I definitely have to remind myself of things like to reciprocate when someone asks me, "How are you?" to ask it back afterward, and I will mimic what other people say to people in somber situations, like loss of a loved one. Those are the toughest for me because my only programmed responses are "I'm so sorry for your loss" and "my condolences to your family." Anything beyond that and I am at a complete loss for words and just feel anxious and uncomfortable, hoping the topic will suddenly shift to something more lighthearted.
It is good to remember that the principles that the Meyers-Briggs test are based upon are much wider. The original theory has 16 different characteristic pairs instead of four. The worked to expand it a bit and as far as I know the most advanced version of the test has 5 characteristic pairs. For example, on the improved test, I would be an INTJD more consistently consistently, but on the popular version of the test, I vary between INTJ and INTP. This is because the new variable helps balance the J/P pair. Each of the major four character pairs have subsets that balance them.
The reason that the results of the test change with the mood is that the test has never been completed (due to complexity) and studies show that the popular test actually has an accuracy of no more than 40% and thus it must be taken many times and the results averaged to make it accurate.
Piers
Yellow-bellied Woodpecker
Joined: 23 Jul 2014
Age: 37
Gender: Male
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Location: England, United Kingdom
Evil_Chuck
Velociraptor
Joined: 24 Aug 2014
Age: 39
Gender: Male
Posts: 494
Location: Lost in my thoughts.
I hate this test. It's oddly worded with a lot of redundant questions and some are hard to answer. I think the last time I took it I got INTJ.
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I'm INFP. Always have been. Never gotten results for anything else, despite having taken it multiple times in various forms.
I also have an Aspie friend who's INTJ. People more readily recognize him as Autistic than me-- which can be frustrating at times because people don't believe me, especially when compared directly to him. But I think part of that is gender-bias , too. People more readily believe men and boys are Autistic than anyone else (and skew the testing criteria/traits-analysis along gender lines).
I am a strongly INFP with ASD recently diagnosed.
People tell me often that I am odd and different than others.
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Self-diagnosed as being on spectrum in march 2014
Diagnosis confirmed in june 2014.
Self diagnosed with ADHD inattentive type, depression, anxiety, chronic fatigue syndrome, social anxiety
Myers Briggs type - INFP
My brother has classic autism; I am not native English speaker;
Autism spectrum is not disorder, is neurodiversity, talent and originality!
INTJ
Introvert (100%) iNtuitive (62%) Thinking (62%) Judging (1%)
Strong preference of Introversion over Extoversion (100%)
You have distinct preference of Intuition over Sensing (62%)
You have distinct preference of Thinking over Feeling (62%)
You have marginal or no preference of Judging over Perceiving (1%)
(I'm a INTJ 5w4 sp/sx)
I just took it and got INFP. Not that I am familiar with it or know what significance this has...
You have distinct preference of Introversion over Extraversion (67%)
You have strong preference of Intuition over Sensing (88%)
You have distinct preference of Feeling over Thinking (62%)
You have slight preference of Perceiving over Judging (11%)
_________________
Your neurodiverse (Aspie) score: 130 of 200
Your neurotypical (non-autistic) score: 93 of 200
You are very likely neurodiverse (Aspie)
inmydreams
Yellow-bellied Woodpecker
Joined: 17 Feb 2014
Gender: Female
Posts: 56
Location: Nr Oxford, UK
So, regarding the INFJ type, or at least in my experience, I find it odd that I score so low on the empathy scale, considering that I do have feelings; I just am often unable to describe them when they are mixed. So, I do tend to actually feel things very intensely, and another feature involving intuition is that I can sense the mood of those around me, and it affects me deeply when this mood is negative. I have a problem with discrimination of other peoples' emotions, so when those emotions are negative, I feel like I am being personally assaulted. Especially if that feeling is anger, even when not directed at me, I often have to get out of the room because I become extremely nervous, like the angry person will lash out at me at any moment. This drives my boyfriend nuts, because he is always explaining "I'm not angry at you, I'm angry at the situation."
However, feeling really has nothing to do with empathy, as empathy refers to the ability to feel like another. This I simply cannot do. Unless I see someone or an animal being harmed physically in a grotesque way, then I feel and have to look away. Other than that, though, I definitely have to remind myself of things like to reciprocate when someone asks me, "How are you?" to ask it back afterward, and I will mimic what other people say to people in somber situations, like loss of a loved one. Those are the toughest for me because my only programmed responses are "I'm so sorry for your loss" and "my condolences to your family." Anything beyond that and I am at a complete loss for words and just feel anxious and uncomfortable, hoping the topic will suddenly shift to something more lighthearted.
It's really interesting - given that INFJs make up a mere 1% of the population - that there are so many of us on here. I know not everyone has been diagnosed and there are also NTs on here but I would imagine there is a strong correlation. Which points to the fact that the feeling and intuitive element can be really strong in people on the spectrum.
However derbyrolla, I think you make a really good point when you identify the difference between *feeling* and *empathy* - I think in scientific terms these are differentiated by "emotional empathy" and "compassionate empathy". The first is the kind where you actually feel what someone else is feeling (as opposed to "cognitive empathy" when you can work out what someone 'might' feel). The latter is knowing what to do about someone else's feelings.
I am assuming that many of us may have the quality of emotional empathy but lack compasionate empathy until we have spent years observing the *correct procedure* in response to various situations!! Well, at least it's true of me!
inmydreams
Yellow-bellied Woodpecker
Joined: 17 Feb 2014
Gender: Female
Posts: 56
Location: Nr Oxford, UK
Jung, whose theory of personality the Myers Briggs tests were based on, felt strongly that people could flip their type (usually in their thirties but not confined to then - if I remember rightly). However we are Aspergers for life so that will have remained the same. And we learn, so, as the definition of an introvert is someone who needs time to recover having been in the company of others, perhaps your friend adapted and felt less overwhelmed by company. But it is a linear scale so they may have only been JUST inside the margin of extroversion - 1% say... ☺️
inmydreams
Yellow-bellied Woodpecker
Joined: 17 Feb 2014
Gender: Female
Posts: 56
Location: Nr Oxford, UK
ung, whose theory of personality the Myers Briggs tests were based on, felt strongly that people could flip their type (usually in their thirties but not confined to then - if I remember rightly). However we are Aspergers for life so that will have remained the same. And we learn, so, as the definition of an introvert is someone who needs time to recover having been in the company of others, perhaps your friend adapted and felt less overwhelmed by company. But it is a linear scale so they may have only been JUST inside the margin of extroversion - 1% say... ☺️
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