b. (Kind of, I'd rephrase it as "INTJs are attracted to programming")
I remember an incident in a computer lab in college when someone mentioned the Myers-Briggs test. The room was full of CS majors. We thought it was quite amusing that among those who had taken the test, all but one was an INTJ.
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There absolutly NO TRUTH to the rumor that my first progran started out as: INT J%, K%, L%
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You are ENTP, I wager?
FWIW, the statistics I saw indicated that I/E is nearly evenly split as well, and that only the S/N axis shows a significant skew (at 3:1, as you said).
There is also an interesting nature/nurture question posed by the data in that T/F is only evenly split overall, whereas if you break it down by gender you get a 3:2 split on both sides – in favour of T for men while in favour of F for women.
(I also have to note here that the names “Thinking” and “Feeling” are very misleading. This axis not about thoughts vs emotions, it’s about one’s rational decision-making priority – objectivity vs values. In Socionics, which is similar to MBTI but not identical, that axis is termed “Logic” vs “Ethics”.)
Makeshifts last the longest.
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Not just programming, but most of the higher levels of Science and Math. It's almost all INTJs and INTPs (the other personality type that's overrepresented here).
Those two types are also the ones most likely to have analyzed psychology and came to the conclusion that it's a pseudo-science. Most of the IDFC responses can be chalked up to that.
"There is no shame in being self-taught, only in not trying to learn in the first place." -- Atrus, Myst: The Book of D'ni.
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e) People think they are replying honestly, but simply do not understand the types or themselves.
Programming generally is an internally logical task, making the introverted Ts the most likely to do it. And then, the intuitives enjoy problem solving, so INs as well. This makes the INTP the most likely coder, with INTJ coming in second. The INFs should join in as well both for their intuitive side, and the ISTPs too, because the T is dominant. The SJs, as a general rule, would hate coding, at least when it involves abstract thinking.
Many people simply do not understand the questions, or they answer them with what they want to be, rather than what they are. Also, as people get older they change, and the questions must be answered by what they "were" not what they feel they currently are. As such, these tests often produce incorrect results when administered by people (including themselves!) that do not understand the theories behind the typology.
Further, as the poll also shows, many people simply don't care. SJs and NFs can have a natural abhorrence of typing people. The former because it just doesn't seem right. The latter because it seems to take away their humanity by putting them in boxes. Needless to say, neither of these groups seem to appreciate the theory for what it is.
In my experience, it seems that most programmers are Ps and most database programmers are Js. Just most though. COBOL is an exception, where there might be a bunch of SJs lingering in those positions. Anyway, this poll is a lot of fun, but i would not rely on the results very much.
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