The Myers Briggs Personality Types- MBTI

You must’ve seen people on social medias putting up these weird cryptic kind of acronyms ‘intp, enfj or estp’. So what are these? This is their Myers Briggs personality type (MBTI), which means, by putting up such acronym in their bio, they are actually referring to the kind of personality they hold. What kind of a person they are, what are their values and the way of perceiving the world around them.

What does it mean?

The theory was put forth by the famous psychologist Carl Jung, and according to this theory, people have a way of perceiving the world, dealing with it, and coming to conclusions about it, that it either prospecting or judgement. Combining with other three factors, Introversion/Extroversion, Observant/Intuition and Thinking/Feeling, it creates a picture of what interests the person, how he/she reacts to a particular situation and most importantly, what are his/her preferences. Interactions of these traits makes up 16 personality types. This is how Myers Briggs Personality Types were formulated. Of course, this is not to say that all people falling under the category of, say, INTP would be exactly the same, but no doubt, they’ll hold almost similar preferences. Now, the traits in the Myers Briggs Personality Type theory make up four dichotomous categories, let’s have a look at what are these and what meaning does it hold for a person.

1. Introverted/Extroverted

The concept of introversion and extroversion is pretty well known, and falls beyond the circle of ones who necessarily study psychology. This feature demonstrates how we interact with our surroundings.

Introverts are the people whose focus is more on the inside world, while extroverts are the ones who prefer to focus on the outside world. Introverts are more of solitude loving kinds whereas you’ll find extroverts energized by constant social interactions. However, to rigidly define someone as an introvert or extrovert wouldn’t be wise, essentially because there is no ‘absolute’ sense, someone cannot be wholly and solely introverted. Think of it as a scale with introversion and extroversion on the extreme ends, each one of us leans towards one or the other, and you, my friend might as well be falling right in the center of it.

And yes, a myth buster, not all introverts are shy.

2. Observant/Intuitive

In the Myers Briggs Personality Types, these characteristics explain what people are more inclined to do with information acquired from their surroundings. Intuitive personality types focus on envisioning the history and future possibilities. Those with the Observant personality are more interested in observable facts and simple results. They prefer not to add too much meaning on what they perceive. Some have more practical-bent mind (Observant) while some choose to let their imaginations run wild (Intuitive).

Intuitive individuals aren’t necessarily the most practical, preferring to give things more significance. They may also move too fast into more complicated issues. Individuals with intuitive abilities are creative, open-minded, and inquisitive. They value novelty above stability, and they are interested in hidden meanings and future possibilities.

Observant people are sensible, realistic, and down-to-earth. They have strong routines and are preoccupied with what is occurring or has previously occurred. They are most aware of what is happening in front of them, in the moment. This is not to say that Observant personality types are unconcerned with the past or the future. However, they look at both from the standpoint of how each impacts their current behavior. As a result, they are focused and realistic. They tend to base their ideas on what is actionable, practical, and helpful. But, make no mistake, these people are capable of being creative within that context.

3. Thinking/Feeling

This factor influences how we make decisions and deal with emotions. The third scale in Myers Briggs Personality Types indicates how much we value emotions or logic when weighing our alternatives. Is a person more likely to utilize the Thinking (T) personality characteristic, which is based on the brain, or the Feeling (F) personality characteristic, which is based on the heart?

Thinking people prioritize reasoning above emotions and focus on objectivity and reason. They prefer to keep their emotions hidden and value efficiency above collaboration. Individuals that feel are sensitive and emotionally expressive. They are less competitive and more empathetic than Thinking types, focusing on social peace and collaboration.

People who have the Feeling (F) personality trait tend to follow their hearts and emotions — often without even recognizing it. Feeling personality types tend to be loving, compassionate, and warm, to varying degrees and in various ways. These conscientious individuals can be fiercely protective of those they care about, whether they are personal family members or faraway communities in need.

4. Prospecting/Judging

This characteristic represents our attitude to work, planning, and decision-making. This fourth preference pair indicates how you like to conduct your outside life — what actions do people notice? Do you prefer a more organized and determined way of living (Judging) or a more adaptive and flexible way of living (Perceiving)? This choice can also be viewed as your orientation to the outside world.

People with the Judging (J) personality trait are most at ease when the path ahead is clearly outlined. They would rather devise five contingency plans than deal with events as they occur. Personality types with this feature seek clarity and closure, adhering to the plan rather than flowing with the flow, preferring to examine their alternatives ahead of time. It’s as though Judging types have a mental checklist at all times. When they check anything off their list — or even begin anything on their list — they consider it complete and not subject to revision.

Prospecting (P) people are considerably more adaptable when faced with unforeseen obstacles. This adaptability also allows them to exploit unforeseen chances. These personality types are more likely to respond to their surroundings rather than attempting to control them, allowing them to make their own luck in whatever the world throws at them. People that have this characteristic believe that life is full with opportunities.

Interesting right? If you are keen on finding out your personality type, you can do so from the 16personalities website and keep in mind to answer honestly. However, this is not an attempt to categorize you and rigidly try to fix you into a box of labels, rather as something to help you get to know yourself better. Every person, based on the environment he has been brought up in, his/her experiences carries a lot of variations, hence, supposedly 7 people sharing the same personality type may still differ a lot, because yes, individual variances exist, and hey, there’s no second YOU.