cuz I got personality, babe, and there ain't nothin' you can do 'bout it.

Since I was little, my parents told me that I was a J -- and I was like, yeah I'm a J, my name's Jennifer!  Later I realized they were attempting to type me using the MBTI (Myers Briggs) personality typing system.  In high school I took several free tests online -- some of which I of course posted results to my myspace or hi5 account (I have not participated on either site in many years, may they rest in peace).  Then, my Junior year of high school I took the official MBTI test through my school's counseling office.  It told me the same thing as the free tests -- ISFJ.  This left me in a quandry as I started my degree in art and wondered how an ISFJ could want to pursue art.  I mean, isn't ISFP the artist type?  Or at least shouldn't I be an N and be interested in theories so that I can make art leaden with complex ideas that are more about the philosophy than the materials and work involved?  I guess I began to feel really boxed in with the type, especially with a sister who was really interested in personality typing (she's an INFP, so this totally makes sense) and continually assured me that yes, I was a classic ISFJ... that is, until like two days ago.  My world opened up.  I discovered socionics.  If a person is typed correctly under the MBTI system and is an introvert, to convert the MBTI type to socionics, one must only switch the final letter, for me J, to the other letter, but lowercase, for me, p.  I had looked up the socionics inter-type relationship chart many a time, of course trying to find which kinds of people would make a perfect love interest for me - or even a good friend for me - and had always put my type as ISFj thinking that socionics and MBTI were the same.  I then got discouraged because some of my favorite people were types that were supposedly not very compatible with mine.  However, in socionics, I am not an ISFj but an ISFp, or a Sensing Ethical Introvert.  I re-verified this by taking a free socionics test this afternoon.  This means that those types that were previously incompatible to mine may just be perfect guinea pigs for my affection.  I also have looked up socionics ISFp and SEI descriptions and have found that they fit me to a T.  (Pun intended, though I am not a T... pun always intended.)  This clears up so much fog that has stayed with me for so long.  As an SEI being an artist is expected, not a weird exception.  As an SEI it makes sense that I painted my room bright indigo.  Being typed as an SEI I don't feel boxed in to expectations but feel free to be who I am.  You may not realize how freeing being accurately categorized is... especially since being categorized does not sound like freedom at all.  -- Thank you sister for your initial enlightenment into the socionics world and for helping me clear the fog regarding my personality identity.  I will dig deeper with joy.