1. Get your sidekick & mentor
Everyone needs a sidekick. A sidekick is someone you can work together with and test your wits against. Work independently to form an idea and then discuss together. Typing is more fun together – and having a friend by your side that will question you and add contrasting information will help validate your reads.
If you’re a Patron at patreon.com/erikthor, I’d be happy to take a look at and help you with typing your favourite celebrities or people you find unusually difficult.
2. Rely on multiple forms of evidence
It’s completely okay to type people based on physical characteristics and similarities with other people. But two people who look identical can have different personality types, so this approach is not foolproof. That’s why you also need other forms of evidence
- Body language NOT physical characteristics
Body language is a superior way of typing a person. Physical characteristics are NOT. The size of your nose has little influence on your personal nose, but the tendency to rise your nose and to focus your eye contact on a specific point or person can be indicative of being an SJ personality type. - Results on personality tests
Have the person you are typing take a personality test or ask them on twitter to find out their self-assessed personality type. - Personal testimonials
Find testimonials and interviews with the person and listen to their own experiences and descriptions of their own behaviour - Observable behaviour
Rely on my quick tables and charts to quickly nail down what behaviour and personality the person demonstrates in their interviews and in their day-to-day lifestyle.
3. Note down personal bias
I fall victim to my own bias all the time. That’s part of the reason why my girlfriend plays a key role in supporting and verifying my theories and ideas. These are some of the forms of bias I have:
- Do you have a higher opinion of introverts than extroverted types.
- Do you have a higher opinion or bias towards intuitive types.
- Do you tend to idealise thinking types or feeling types more?
- Do you tend to have a positive bias towards Judging types or Perceivers?
Bias can cause you to frequently mistype people based on your personal opinion of them. They can’t be a sensor, because I like them, and the people I like are iNtuitives! You can see how that can get you wrong?
I self-correct for bias all the time. How can you protect yourself from your own bias? Rely on objective evidence rather than subjective. Gut feelings can mislead you. Be open to always reconsider. Force yourself to entertain difficult questions “Could this be an INFJ?” “Why would this person not be a Feeling type?”
4. Make a list
List down all your reads in an Excel File so you can always go back to it and cross-reference your information!
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