Being ‘INFJ’ and ‘THE GUARDIANSHIP SHAM’
Hey people, welcome to today’s episode of Life as I go with Nifemi -lol :-). I hope you had a great week, you and your loved ones are safe and you are hopefully getting some rest ahead of the new week.
For me, the last week was very hectic; I am super grateful to have a job but some days I wonder who came up with the concept of work; like why can’t we all be chilling by the beach side livin’ la vida loca !
Anyway, to the gist of today. I am giving you guys some insight into my personality using my favorite personality test (MBTI) but before we talk about that, there’s this movie I watched on Netflix last week titled ‘I care a lot ‘ The movie is about the system of ‘court appointed guardianship’ which happens to be a popular thing in developed countries.
What happens is that aged people who have health challenges and do not have someone to take care of them or self-appointed guardians are assigned total strangers as their legal guardians by the court. These ‘guardians’ have full control over their assets and can solely make care-giving decisions. Whilst it seems like a well intended system, the movie shows the different ways the system is being exploited for personal gains. The movie left me quite disturbed and I did some reading to verify if there was any truth to what the movie portrayed and it was interesting to see a lot of articles about the scam around the guardianship system.
Below link is an Huffington post article about this and ways you can protect yourself and your aged loved ones. I don’t see this being a thing in Nigeria per se, but it is always good to be informed. The acting in the movie was superb so I 100% recommend watching it. If you have watched it, would be great to hear your thoughts in the comments.
Now to the personality gist. I have always been big on self awareness and so I always find personality tests quite fascinating. Whilst I don’t think these tests can give you 100% insight into your individualism, I think some of them can paint a very good picture. My favorite personality test is the Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and one that I have found really insightful since I got introduced to it over 5 years ago.
With MBTI, people are identified as having one of 16 personality types personality traits and so today I am sharing with you what my personality type is and maybe spark some interest in you to figure out yours if you don’t know it already. There are 4 key attributes that MBTI tests for and for each of the attribute there are 2 alphabets, one of which you will identify as more than the other.
P.S: No one personality type is “better” than another. It isn’t a tool designed to look for dysfunction or abnormality. Instead, the goal is simply to help you learn more about yourself.
- Your Orientation with the world: You are either Introverted (I) or Extroverted (E). Now, this is a popular term but is explained differently with MBTI, it is majorly about where you get your energy from. If you are Introverted, this means that you get energy from spending time alone whilst being extroverted means you get energy from spending time with people. Contrary to popular perception, I am introverted. Whilst I can enjoy spending time outside to socialize, I usually have to retreat back to myself to recharge. I don’t get energized by socializing; rather I expend energy and I have to get my energy back by spending time alone. So my first alphabet is I
- How you process information: How do you take in information and what do you normally pay attention to? Do you prefer to focus on the basic information you take in or do you prefer to interpret and add meaning? The options are either Sensing (S) or Intuitive (N). Someone who is an S focuses on facts and details, usually practical, focuses on the present. On the other hand, N represents those who pay more attention to things like patterns and impressions. They enjoy thinking about possibilities, imagining the future, and abstract theories. My second alphabet is N
- How you make decisions: When making decisions, do you prefer to first look at logic and consistency or first look at the people and special circumstances? This is called Thinking (T) or Feeling (F). Someone who is a T instinctively searches for facts and logic, is objective and accepts conflict as natural. On the other hand, an F makes decisions considering personal feelings and empathy, naturally sensitive to people’s needs and reactions, and is unsettled by conflict. For me, when I make decisions, I am naturally always particular about how it impacts people versus the logic of the decision; which is not always a good thing. At work however, my job requires me to exhibit T traits which I do flawlessly but my natural inclination will always be an F.
- How you deal with the world and what type of lifestyle habits do you prefer?: In dealing with the outside world, do you prefer to get things decided or do you prefer to stay open to new information and options? The options here are either Judging (J) or Perceiving (P). The J personality plans in advance, focuses on task-related action, keeps ahead of deadlines and naturally uses standard procedures and organization to manage life. On the other hand, the P personality prefers to keep things open ended, likes to multi-task and have variety, is tolerant to deadlines and time pressure and naturally avoids commitments which interfere with flexibility and freedom. On this scale, I am a J
Based on the above, my MBTI profile is INFJ i.e Introverted, Intuitive, Feeling and Judging. INFJs are generally described as warm and affirming people who are usually also deep and complex. INFJs are likely to only seek out and promote relationships that are intense and meaningful. They tend to be perfectionists, generally described as nurturers with a strong sense of personal integrity and an innate drive to help others. Usually idealistic, dependable, compassionate, seeking harmony and cooperation and enjoy intellectual stimulation. Each personality type also has its own weaknesses and some of the strengths sometimes play out as weaknesses depending on the circumstance. INFJs are usually very sensitive and vulnerable to criticism; have perfectionist ideals that can create unrealistic expectations and have difficulty facing and resolving conflict.
Once you know your 4 alphabets, you can read more about the personality type. It may not 100% describe you but MBTI has been proven as one of the best personality indicators in the world. It was introduced in the 1940s and has been adopted by many Fortune 500 organizations to aid self-improvement.
So, what is your MBTI personality type? Let’s talk!
N.B: If there are specific topics you would like me to write about in future posts, please also let me know in the comments – I am more than happy to oblige.
Love,
Nifemi
Koye
We the INFJs :-). Indeed, I really like the MBTI. I think it’s a pretty useful tool and strongly recommend that people find out what their profile is.
Anthony
Insightful. I saw the movie last week too. While I dozed off during the movie and woke up towards the end, I saw how she became famous at the end. Her demise of course cannot happen in a real world setting. Someone like her would be heavily gaurded. Never had it in mind to check afterwards. Thank you for shedding more light on that.
In Nigeria, I think our system of guardianship is quite different. Our old people relocate to the villages where they can have their peers around or live in with a daughter or son or get their grandchildren to live with them. It’s been working, I guess. Most times, assets are passed down to children.
In Germany, there is something called the care homes. Several old people are taken care of in such homes. However, they do not take control of the assets. The cost is paid either from their pension or by their children.
I should take the personality test too. Looking forward to seeing who I’ll discover.
Nifemi Odeyinde
Hi Anthony, interesting to hear how this works in Germany.
On the MBTI, you definitely should, it is a fantastic test.