Rethinking the MBTI

I have not written anything about the MBTI in quite a while, but I've been thinking about an interesting question lately.

Do we perceive our MBTI preferences in comparison to the people around us? For example, I grew up in a family full of Js. And my husband is the king of all Js. Therefore, I, who may or may not be a P at all, tend to see my own behaviors as extremely P-like in comparison to them.

Let's take one of the questions on the assessment: "Does following a schedule A) appeal to you or B) cramp you?"

Except for those who find themselves at either extreme, I tend to think most people would answer according to how they compare with other people around them. In my case, I have been choosing B as my answer, because I have always come up short against my husband's militaristic routines. But as I've been dealing with a few absent-minded professors and way-too-laid-back team members on class projects as of late, I would likely choose A as my answer if I were to take the assessment today.

To put it simply, it's like this: I am tall and plump when I'm with my Asian friends but short and thin when I'm with my American friends.

MBTI can be an excellent tool and a great starting point for us to explore how we think and behave, but I'm beginning to have some reservations about the four letters that we assign ourselves. To me, they are just too restricting. I think my true MBTI type is EISNTFJP and any combination thereof.

Perhaps we can only see ourselves in relationship to the others who surround us. And, of course, that can and does change.