Detecting Socionic Types
There are three methods of detecting socionic types: testing,
interviewing, distant type detection.
Testing
Although various books publish popular tests consisting
of 50-70 questions, such as Keirsey Temperament Sorter, these in fact
are not valid psychological instruments. Real psychological testing methodologies
must include means of verification of correctness of their results, which
is impossible to achieve with only several tens of questions.
On the other hand, the Myers Briggs Type Indicator, or
Gray-Wheelwright Test, although being valid psychological instruments,
detect types DIFFERENT FROM THE SOCIONIC TYPES. The MBTI is a similar
but not identical system of types. This means that correlation between
Socionics, on the one hand, and MBTI, on the other, is only approximate.
For example, if you detected your type as ESFP according to MBTI, it may
in certain cases correspond to ESFp, in other to ESFj in Socionics. SInce
most deviations are caused by J/P criterion, which is determined differently
in these two theories, in Socionics the last letter is not capitalized.
So, if you know your type according to MBTI, you will need to check "bordering"
socionic types.
Too complicated, you will say. MBTI gives me a reliable
description of my type, why do I need socionics? But MBTI achieved an
easy methodology of testing at the cost of neglecting some essential factors
of Jungian personality types. Just reckoning with these factors allowed
Socionics to create a system of intertype
relationships.
Interviewing
Actually we are translating an article by Victor Gulenko
giving a concise description of this methodology.
Distant Type Detection
It consists in comparing traits from type descriptions
with characteristics of real people. In our opinion, it is still the least
reliable methodology both in Socionics and MBTI. You may have noticed
yourself significant divergences of lists of celebrities at different
typological sites.
Is Visual Identification Possible?
This site represents E.Filatova's collection of portraits
of typical representatives of each type (from: E.Filatova, Personality
in the Mirror of Socionics, 2002in Russian).
IMPORTANT NOTE: a valid methodology of visual identification
still does not exist. Filatova herself fotographed people only AFTER detecting
their types. However, when the number of people diagnosed by her approached
several hundreds (actually it exceeds 1500), she began to mention certain
regularities in people's appearance, which correlated well with their
personality types, and even so called "twin series" within each
of the 16 types.
We will publish soon more materials on her methodology.
Mnemonic Table of Socionic Types
This table looks exactly like first socionic tests. Their
obvious problem was that they worked excellently in the hands of their
authors but failed in the hands of the others.
However, if you have already got certain experience in
detecting types, and people more and more often are agree with your diagnosis,
this table below should serve as a good mnemonic table containing clue
traits of all 16 types. However, we do not approve using it for self-identification.
| Step 1: |
Step 2: |
Step 3: |
Step 4: |
Your type: |
| You are tempted by possibilities,
finding unusual solutions. You are not desperate for immediate results;
you live more often in the past or in the future than in the present;
you foresee well the development of events; strive for extension
of your knowledge, in doing this you sometimes acquire even knowledge
redundant for the present; you often are distracted, routine chores
make you feel depressed. |
You are intrigued
by the objective laws of the world (science, technology). Here you
like to apply your knowledge and skills in approaching non-trivial
situations; you like to highlight and solve problems. |
You strive to understand the
essence of things, to build a model of the essential processes in
your mind, to guess or to discover latent capabilities. |
Passion for new and unusual things;
fantasy, guesses, risk and luck. |
|
| Contemplation, sober analysis, planning,
considerate conclusions. |
|
| You study problems in dynamics,
for you the practical outcome of the task is of greater importance
than its logical perfection |
Skepticism, forecasting, pedantry, understanding
requirements of the moment. |
|
| Optimism, business mood, developing
procedures, weighed risk, leadership. |
|
| You are interested in the
world of human relations, in which field you understand the subtleties
well; you are attracted by humanitarian activities (literature,
the arts); you know how to influence people emotionally. |
You estimate well people's
hidden talents, can understand and regulate their relations. |
Interest towards people, events; easiness
of communication, search for compromise. |
|
| Sympathy for others, strive to help,
reserved emotions. |
|
| You foresee problems in relations,
actively demonstrate both your positive and negative emotions |
Introspection, rich imagination, melancholy. |
|
| Capability to impress, to flash with
artistic habits; a broad spectrum of emotions |
|
| You are focused on achieving
concrete results in a determined term; you like living in the here
and now; as a rule, you are accurate, do not like visionarism; are
very attentive to the details; you manage well organizing space
around yourself, are capable of arranging living conditions for
yourself and for other people; are capable of performing monotonous
work without getting nervous. |
You are aimed
towards practical implementation of knowledge (e.g. in business);
you strive to look at the situation from an objective, not an emotional
point of view; you always strive for an efficient usage of time
and means. |
You are sure of the necessity
to apply methods of enforcement, in order to achieve necessary practical
results. |
Leadership, victory, large-scaled actions,
surgical interventions, risk. |
|
| System, order, planning, general rules
for all, duty, will, obedience. |
|
| You strive for qualitative
fulfillment of work using the most efficient methods and procedures. |
Quality, convenience, esthetic, working
by segments, privacy. |
|
| Management, planning, responsibility,
reasonable requirements |
|
| You understand
well the moods of others, know how to improve them (or to worsen
them), can create emotional and physical comfort for people, easily
can find an approach to almost everybody and, if necessary, manipulate
them. |
You realize well what you
want to obtain, understand the motivations of the others |
Optimism, emotionality, manipulating
mood of others. |
|
| Reserved in emotions, self-control,
stability, moral, duty. |
|
| You strive
for harmonious relations between the people around you, to raise
their spirits; you dislike conflicts. |
Shuttle diplomacy, comfort, pleasure,
esthetics. |
|
| Hospitality, warmth, active communication,
striving to be useful to people. |
|
|