Perspective Is Everything

Ryan and I were in the midst of a discussion the other day, and the main focus somehow worked its way around to all of the many different perspectives of a certain personality type that there can be. This is something that I think a lot of people don’t give enough thought to, so I figured it might be worth elaborating a bit more on that subject. I did write an article that related to this subject once before called Each Personality Views the Other Differently, but in this one, I’m going to zero in on all the possible angles that I can think of.

Perspective is everything. Now, I know that’s something people say, and perhaps you’re over there on the other side of your screen, rolling your eyes. However, perspective is actually incredibly important in the 16 types personality theory. Why? Because perspective can easily muddy, confuse, or skew everything.

Most people who step into the world of typology are searching for answers. Some people are doing it out of curiosity, because a friend kept poking and prodding them to take the test and discover their type. Others, however, are seeking to discover something about themselves, or someone else, or perhaps about people as a whole. I know I delved in deep because I felt the need to understand people better (being an inferior feeler who was clearly lacking in that department). Unfortunately, many people run into issues trying to discover their type, the type of another, or generally understanding the types accurately. I believe a large part of this is due to the varying perspectives.

Bear in mind that I’m not saying that these different perspectives are wrong. I’m merely pointing out that they are perspectives, and perspectives are relative. People have many different sides, do they not? To truly understand someone, you need to see all of their different sides, otherwise you’ll only see a small piece of who they are. You may believe you know someone, but if you only know them in one scenario, you can’t truly know them. You can’t just take someone at their best, and shut your eyes to everything else. You have to see them sad. You have to see them angry. You have to understand their insecurities, their fears, and their weaknesses.

This analogy extends to a personality type. There so many different perspectives of each, and as you seek more information within the world of typology, you need to consciously try to recognize the perspective it’s coming from, and be aware of what that might mean for the information itself. So, below I’m going to list out each one I can think of, along with the potential implications.

The Perspectives

1. The Objective Perspective

I’m making this an individual point, because it is who we truly are, whether or not we realize it or other people realize it. This the cold, hard truth. This is reality. This is you in your entirety, that all the many perspectives believe themselves to be explaining, but can usually only manage to shine light on a small portion of. It’s the 360 degree viewpoint.

2. Our Personal Perspective of Ourselves

This seems like the most obvious one, right? Ultimately, we should know ourselves best, and usually we do. However, people have a tendency to view themselves in a somewhat skewed manner. Sometimes, our perspective will skew negative, as certain people are prone to being self-deprecating. Other times, we’ll gain an inflated or idealistic view of ourselves. And NO, I’m not talking about the NFs or the Fi users. I’m talking about everyone. We all do it. We all want to sweep our weaknesses under the rug, and inflate our abilities or strengths. People are especially prone to doing this with their inferior function. They think their use of it is awesome, while someone who shares that dominant is just laughing on the inside… if not openly mocking. Ideally, we’d all see ourselves objectively, and that should be one of our goals while delving into personality theory… but, frequently, we just don’t.

3. The Outsider Perspective

Here is where all the confusion really begins.

What is every single piece of typology information on the internet? An outsider’s perspective of that type. If you really think about it, at best a type description can relay an objective perspective of someone, and at its worst, a skewed perspective relative to the writer’s type. Bear in mind that both of these will probably differ from that type’s personal perspective of themselves. That’s all three angles so far right there. Outsider. Personal. Objective.

Have you ever run across a description that really resonated with you? If you have been one of the lucky few (and you’re not just projecting due to an overblown perspective of yourself), it was probably written by someone who either was your type or had a close personal tie to someone of your type. Personally, I would find myself relating to bits and pieces, but that was about it. They’re always describing some hyper, unrealistic, exaggerated person that I would probably love to be, but just ain’t.

Let me give you some examples of how the personal and outsider perspective can start to conflict.

A. I know an ENFP who believes himself to be incredibly detail-oriented… and in certain ways, he can be. He’s basically what I jokingly call a ‘coffee snob’. For instance, he’ll get super detailed about how to pull a shot of espresso, roast his coffee, brew his coffee, what equipment is adequate, and etc. He’s also a software developer, and can get super specific about anything technology related. However, the ISTJ friend looking at his lifestyle as a whole just laughs on the inside whenever that ENFP claims to be detail-oriented. But, what is making the ENFP as detail-oriented as he is? Si. And what is an ISTJ’s dominant function? Si. The ISTJ is naturally going to use Si in a much more constant, consistent, and prominent way then the ENFP, and thus view the ENFP’s use as… well, weak.

B. Most descriptions out there are written by intuitives. That is a general fact. The INXX types rule the world of typology. Naturally, this means sensor descriptions tend to be skewed, which results in a lot of people mistyping as intuitives. The Se dominants are a good example of this. They are described as being these super impulsive, athletic, risk-takers. However, one thing Ryan and I have noticed with all of the Se dominants that have emailed in is that they simply don’t see themselves in that light. They might recognize a certain degree of impulse, but they never see themselves as the action hero that some of those descriptions portray.

But, that makes sense if you think about it logically. It doesn’t really make sense that an Se dominant would see themselves as super risky. They’re not out there trying to get themselves killed, extreme/unhealthy circumstances aside. While the rest of us might look at an Se dominant in shock as they do something that we perceive as crazy, does the Se dominant really view that action as crazy? Probably not. They’re not going to do something that they don’t believe they can survive or that they believe will be detrimental to their life. Realistically, they’re just doing what makes sense to them, and is believed to be within their capabilities. Calculated risk. After all, they want to keep on living too. Plus, your average Se dominant is not facing life or death situations every single day. They’re actively seeking out more realistic day-to-day experiences.

C. Now for the trifecta. I am an ISTP. You remember that ISTJ that I mentioned earlier? He views me as chaos. Do I view myself that way? No. I’m organized enough to not be disorganized, and structured enough to not be chaotic. I don’t see myself as an extreme in either direction. I can navigate my environment, do everything that I need to do, make it to everything on time, and usually find what I’m looking for. The ISTJ compares his approach to life with mine and sees me as chaotic. However, I have an ENTP father, and next to him, I am organized and structured. My mother is also an ISTP, and she is the structure of the household. (Her and I are practically clones, by the way.) In their relationship, he plays the role of chaos, while she is the organized one. However, next to an ISTJ… Yeah, I’m apparently chaos. Perspectives.

4. The Family/Intimate Perspective

Family views each other differently than acquaintances… right? I’ll include significant others in this section as well, or basically any close intimate relationship. Any intimate connection sees a different side of someone than an acquaintance will. Usually intimate friends or family will see more of someone’s weaknesses, and etcetera. Honestly, when it comes to identifying personality type, this can be both good or bad. Sometimes family can be blind to the default outsider perspective of someone. Of course, you may point out that that’s because they know the person better than an acquaintance, and that’s true. However, a thinker may act more obviously emotional around close family, yet put on that colder (and classically “thinker”) image around acquaintances. A sensor may be quicker to share the intuition function with a close friend, and express a depth that perhaps others don’t believe them to have. Etcetera. Remember, we are all sensors, intuitives, feelers, and thinkers. We have a function from each. While that intimate relationship knowledge can be very revealing, it can also be confusing if that simple fact is not recognized. More of an outsider perspective sometimes is needed to gain a bird’s eye view of someone, when the family perspective muddies the waters.

5. The ‘Fixed Point In Time’ Perspective

You know that statement people make about first impressions? That’s the concept here. We all go through varying stages in life, some healthier than others. We are confronted with tragedies, dramas, and etcetera. Sometimes we’re high on life, and others we’re just wrecked. Of course, people shift in and out of our lives, some around for longer than others. Certain people perhaps only knew you for a short period of time in maybe your unhealthy stage, while others may have known you for a long time but can’t look past the person you were at a different stage in life. From their perspective, your personality or image is locked into whatever you were during that time, and they may never see you outside of that lens. These people’s perspective of you will only ever be accurate to that specific time period. Sure, the observational data that they can provide will not be without merit. However, it will only ever be able to shed a portion of light on your personality as a whole, and will never reveal that objective, 360 degree view.

OK, so, now what?

Perhaps I just over-complicated everything for you, but ultimately, personality theory is complex because people are complex. I was initially going to just end the article after discussing the perspectives, but Ryan pushed me to leave off with something more actionable, so let me list a few things that we specifically do in an attempt to remain objective.

1. Awareness

First and foremost, one must be aware of the different perspectives, and the impact that they might have on type. Considering that this was the entire focus of the article, it’d be redundant to discuss this point any further.

2. Context

When people email in to Ryan and I, it is a legitimate challenge to filter through the varying perspectives that every person will provide. I may not have said this earlier, but one is rarely just dealing with one perspective. Usually, a blend is being put forward in some way or another. People email in sharing their perspective, but depending on where they are in their journey, they also relay information from other people that they’ve gathered in an attempt to see themselves objectively. Sometimes they’re consciously relaying this data, and other times subconsciously. It’s critical to actively seek out the context of the information being presented.

I’ll also see some people be quick to block out certain perspectives, wanting to dismiss anything that doesn’t align with their own personal perspective, but that is detrimental and biased. Personally, I view all data as data… It’s just a matter of where it fits. Someone coming in with an incredibly narrow perspective is still providing data, and an accurate system or rational, should be able to account for that data. I’ve learned over the years to filter what certain people say or mentally catalog it in certain ways, so that I can obtain any objective data that may be hidden within. After all, every perspective does manage to shine light on a small piece of the whole picture. Theoretically, all of these perspectives should be able to merge together, eventually forming that 360 degree objective view of a person that we should ultimately be striving to obtain.

3. Opposing Perspectives

This is something that Ryan and I specifically do within PracticalTyping. Basically, every single person that emails for a ‘type me’ request is analyzed by the both of us, even if only one of us actually writes the response. Ryan, as an ISTJ, uses Si-Te-Fi-Ne. I, as an ISTP, use Ti-Se-Ni-Fe. We share no functions in common. We both notice different things, take different approaches, and hone in on different functions more naturally than the rest. We’re also both critical and stubborn people.. Which means one of us doesn’t just yield to the other when we disagree… we proceed to argue until we can sort it all out logically. I think this makes a world of difference when it comes to combating bias.

In conclusion…

Do you have any thoughts to add? Or do you notice any perspectives that I missed? Let me know in the comments!