bboozer
2008-03-22

Re: Over ethusiastic
Your comments regarding the assessment (guessing) of another person's type--President Bush or otherwise--seem very reasonable. Tom Carskadon (Editor of JPT) has written about the ethics of doing so. The research being conducted here in the Type & Politics Poll, however, is guided by the following assumptions and objectives: 1. Prominent public figures such as presidents and presidential candidates are appropriate people for this kind of study. Any harm arising from the study of their types is likely to be minimal compared to the assessments and comments the public and the media are likely to make. 2. The T&P Poll provides a forum whereby those interested in such things as the relationship between personality and politics may compare their guesses with those of other participants, and then hopefully consider more closely the very issue you raise: "What assumptions am I making when I try to assess another's type?" 3. One of the research objectives of the T&P Poll is to explore the influence of various factors on the assessment process. For example, does one's own type influence how one assesses the type of a political actor? (We'll report results this summer from our analysis of this question.) 4. Related to point three, there appears to be little empirical research that explores the topic of assessing an other's type (w/o using a validated instrument). This topic is one related to the notion of "person perception" and research generally into how people "naively" assess other's types seems a worthy research agenda. None of these points, however, contradict your basic observation: The type professions should be very conscientious about how they assess the psychological type of people who are not significant public figures.

Guest
2008-03-21

Over enthusiastic
We type enthusiasts are overeager to identify everybody's type. The initial results of the survey on George Bush should raise a red flag. All 16 types were guessed. How can so many people--the majority--be so wrong? Each of us is not near as good as the MBTI. Guessers cite all kinds of behaviors to support their conclusions, but many find conflicting evidence, select their favorite, and justify their decision. It seems more post hoc, justifying a decision already made with great certainty. Results so far should suggest that we are not privy to all of the evidence we need. Yet we J-jump in anyway. When I asked Mary McCaulley about the type of certain people, she would rarely answer, and she never said why. My guess is that she found that many times her guesses were wrong, as I have found with my guesses. All of this recommends caution and restraint. How often do our errors lead us astray and actually do harm to others?

Guest
2008-02-19

Obama is an ENTP
He is indeed an ENTP. The reason he seems to hold the qualities of an NF is because he is a lefty.

Guest
2008-02-05

Perry vs. Della (INTJ's), lawyers and Obama/Clinton
A minor note ... but I think Della street would be an ISFJ (despite her stern efficient demeanor). Her efficiency and task-orientation (as a child I fixed on how she dialed her old rotary phone with her pencil) are suggestive of SFJs. Plus she had that controlled flirting (good people skills) with the cute guy who was Perry Mason's personal investigator. Paul something. I could actually see an INTJ doing well in the courtroom. Many law professors are INTJ's or INTP's and they seem to have an alter ego that can be accessed for public performances. They are charming, witty, cool, sometimes even showman-like, then scurry back to their cave-like offices. In terms of real-life courtroom attorneys (who are only a tiny fraction of all lawyers, and whose lives have no resemblance to anything you see on TV or in the movies), I think there are two groups. The first group are INT types who work in government, impact litigation orgs or firms -- for them the courtroom is a rare extension into public life of what they normally do, which is research and writing. The second group are ESTP/ESFP types, who can get juiced on the adrenalin of being in court, and can react quickly to changes in facts or conditions. I can't figure out what John Edwards is, though. Relating this back to the Obama/Clinton discussion: they graduated from two of the top three law schools in the country, yet neither has actually practiced law for quite some time. Not untypical. Personal disclosure: I am an ENFJ who worked a few years as a lawyer in a large firm before moving on to other pursuits

Guest
2008-02-05

Obama's Type
I get more hits to this site from searches for Obama and Barak and mbti than any other search words. So, this question is one that seems of interest. I selected GWB as the first politician to rate given that this question has been bantered around the net for years. I selected Hillary Clinton this time because she was -- at the time I was programming the poll -- the leading Democratic candidate. Our next round in May will feature the leading Republican candidate. August? We'll see. Meanwhile, feel free to post your ideas about any of the candidates. bob

Guest-LoPo
2008-02-04

Obama's type
Don't count out Obama as an ENFJ just because he has a messy desk and doesn't like details. My son is an ENFJ and he is worse at this than I (ENTP) am. Obama is E and P, and either a Rational or an Idealist. Figuring out which one is the key. My best friend is an INTJ and I figured this one for Hillary a long time ago. The issue here is that INTJ's make better Della Streets than Perry Masons.

Guest
2008-01-24

Obama's Type
Hi Guest, Below is a copy of an e-mail that I sent to Michael Melcher in response to the same question from him. (And, BTW, I tend to agree with his Hillary INTJ assessment.) Subsequently, the comment by Obama when asked about his weaknesses, leads me to think ExNP at this time. The comment: "Well, I don’t handle paper that well. You know, my desk is a mess. I need somebody to help me file and stuff all the time." This comment seems to reflect a lack of interest in working to organize his immediate, impersonal external environment--and thus seems reflective of a P preference. But, again, as I qualify below I haven't read Obama's books nor studied any of the stories close associates tell about him. So, this assessment is somewhat quick and dirty on my part. bob --------------------- Hi Michael, I really haven't put the necessary time into looking at Obama's type to make a really studied comment. My gut feel about 3 months ago was that he was either ENFP or ENFJ. I talked with someone back in November who knows type and used to work for him; she said she thought he was ENTJ. I said he came across a much "softer" than most ENTJ's I've experienced and she said she thought that was his mother's influence. So much for gossip. The theme of change, however, clearly is an N theme. And, his warmth could be the E (sociability). The "softness" could be due to the Ti being introverted and aux. His optimism and quick retorts also fit fairly well with what I know of ENTP's. His overarching vision, however, still seems NF: Hope for all humanity. Andrew Sullivan's portrayal of Obama as a potential leader who might transcend the culture wars (and Sullivan is not the only one saying as much) reflects the NFs incarnation of all things related to the human spirit. Of late, Obama clearly has been channeling MLK with his rhetoric--words and rhythm. His unwillingness to "go negative" also seems fairly F (or it could be ENTP smarts). One of the things that has been going through my mind over the past couple of weeks--as results for the first two primaries emerge--is that research tends to show that people evaluate candidates personalities along two very basic dimensions--Vision and Trustworthiness. This research (Caprara G.V., Barbaranelli C. & Zimbardo P.G. 1997. Politicians' uniquely simple personalities. Nature, 385, 493.) found essentially that voters evaluated candidates along the lines of a combination of EI and SN (vision- Ne), and a combination of TF and JP (trust-Fe). (The researchers used a version of the Big Five, but I'm giving the mbti translation.) But, then, this is basic management: do i find my leader's vision appealing, and do I trust him to implement it? Clinton's strategy of competence and intelligence clearly comes across as NT. Is Obama a smart ENTP (or J) who has intuited that the independents out there are ready to swing? And, thus, Obama is offering his version of the "big tent"? J or P. Hard to tell. Don't know enough about he lives his day-to-day life when not being managed (TJ-ed). Many people see Bush as an ESTP, but when I read about his daily routine "on the ranch", I just had to go with J. He even schedules his reading time during vacation? That's J. But, again, I don't know how Obama lives when not in the work mode. As for how the majority of the population that are sensing will respond to the theme of "change", I'm not sure that is a big problem. Ss (and even SJs) are not resistant to change....they are resistant to change just for change's sake (which is the breath of life, of course, for the Ne). If there is a good reason to change and the steps are laid out, then change will happen. Linda Kirby & Nancy Barger make this point clearly (http://www.cpp.com/detail/detailitem.asp?ic=7113). So, I with you on the EN. I just haven't figured out the TF and JP. --------------

Guest
2008-01-24

Hillary VS Obama MBTI Type?
Was wondering about the personality type of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. A book I found on line: The Creative Lawyer, by Michael Melcher states the H. Clinton is an INTJ. Was wondering your thoughts and possible MBTI for Obama. Thanks

bboozer
2007-11-10

Response to ENTP: What Type is George W. Bush?

My assessment of GWB's psychological type can be found on this site in two places:

1.  Go to the  Rate George W. Bush survey, and when you submit your answers you will receive your scores as well as a discussion of my impression of Bush's type. Or,

2.   Simply click here , and the discussion will open as a pop-up.

Guest
2007-11-08

ENTP
I peg George Bush as ISFJ, like his father -- and like my own mother, who couldn't be farther from GWB in humane outlook and social and moral maturity. I just finished reading 1776 by David McCullough, and came away with the strong impression the other GW, George Washington, was also ISFJ. What a lesson in recognition of the varieties within type! I see GWB as in Introvert because, as an SJ, if he were an Extravert, his dominant would be Thinking. He clearly extaverts his Thinking, but I'd guess it is his auxiliary being directed by a very poorly developed dominant Sensing function that has not been able to send sound data to his judgment processes. His auxiliary Feeling made him seem humane and likeable enough to get him enough votes to get elected, but is is not a mature function, either. What's your take on this viewpoint?