I've been pretty keenly interested in personality type for the past year or two, particularly the Myers-Briggs types. When I first took the type test and read about the INTJ, I was like, "Holy crap! They're psychics." Since I bring up personality and the interactions between types so much, my friend Erin was sweet enough to pick me up the Myers-Briggs Gifts Differing: Understanding Personality Type book. In it, while discussing the IN_J types, they quote J.H. Van der Hoop, who I'd never heard of until now, but part of what she or he said really hit home with me, so I thought I'd share:
"In later life, also, it is a persistent characteristic of people of this type, that while on the one hand they possess great determination, on the other hand they find it very difficult to express what they want. Although they may have only a vague feeling about the way they want to go, and of the meaning of their life, they will nevertheless reject with great stubbornness anything that does not fit in with this. They fear lest external influences or circumstances should drive them in a wrong direction, and they resist on principle." [from Concious Orientation, 1939]
When I read this, I had a Charlie Brown moment inside, where I thought, "That's it!!!" I have really been struggling over the past few years to put my finger on what it is that I really want in life. It's frustrating, because it ends up looking like I'm wishy-washy, when in reality I know that if I found what I wanted to do, I'd be eager to get up and do it. It's just that I know a lot more about what I don't want than what I do want. In a way, it's affirming to know that this is something that other people experience, but then again it's frustrating to think that this could be a lifelong issue...
2 comments:
Yeah, I had the same kind of moment when I realized my restlessness may be a lifelong personality issue and not just a temporary issue. But I guess it's good to be aware of it, because then it may be easier to overcome. And knowing what you don't want is better than not knowing anything at all and just drifting along aimlessly.
I posted a pic of us on my blog. I hope you don't mind.
I don't mind the pic at all...it turned out so nicely!
It's hard to know whether to go with some of the restlessness so that you're a force for change in the world or if there is some settling in you need to do. I think it's probably good to have a healthy mix...
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