Are you introverted or extroverted? Do you make decisions based on intuition or what your senses tell you? Do you make decisions based on objective thinking or do you use your intuition? How do you deal with the outside world – by making judgements or perceiving the world in an open minded, objective way? And how do these personality types affect your life?
The Myers–Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)
The Myers–Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is an introspective self-report questionnaire designed to help individuals identify how their differing personality types interact to shape how they process information, perceive the world around them and make decisions. Each year thousands of people all over the world fill out the MBTI questionnaire to gain insights into how to develop their self-awareness, improve their personal relationships, choose the best career for themselves and grow their leadership potential, among other things.
The Myers–Briggs Type Indicator was developed by Katharine Cook Briggs and her daughter Isabel Briggs Myers during the 1940s and 1950s, growing out of their fascination with Carl G. Jung’s theories of psychological type. The mother/daughter team felt these theories had real world applications and began researching and developing an indicator that could be used to examine the differences between individuals. Myers and Briggs hoped the Myers–Briggs Type Indicator would help people lead happier, healthier and more successful lives. Millions of people all over the world have taken the Myers–Briggs Type Indicator since its first publication in 1962.
There are no right or wrong answers to the questionnaire; its purpose is simply to help individuals learn more about themselves by measuring their preferred ways of thinking and behaving. Individuals can apply the results to building communications skills, reducing their stress, enjoying work more and getting more enjoyment out of life. The Myers–Briggs Type Indicator does not measure stress, emotions, maturity, intelligence, career potential, psychological trauma or skill levels.
Psychological Functions and How They are used
The Myers based their indicator on theories put forth by Jung, in the book “Psychological Types,” which first appeared in the 1920s. According to Jung’s theory, there are two basic types of “functions” humans use in their lives – how we take in, or “perceive” information and how we process, or make decisions based on that information. There are two opposite ways in which we can function. We perceive information through our senses or via intuition. We process the information using objective logic or subjective feelings. Jung believed we use these four functions in our lives, but that each person uses these functions in different ways and some more than others. Each individual has a dominant function. The dominant function overshadows the others as the defining personality type. The dominant function is followed (in order) by an auxiliary (2nd) function, tertiary (3rd) function, and inferior (4th) function.
Katharine Briggs expounded upon Jung’s work, identifying another distinctive preference which hadn’t been defined by Jung: Judging and Perceiving. She also established that an individual tends to use one of their preferences in the outer world (words and actions), and another in the inner world (thoughts and emotions) The Myers–Briggs Type Indicator has continued to be updated as new research is completed. The current model recognizes that every individual has a primary mode of operation within four categories:
- How our energy flows
- How we take in information
- Our preferences in making decisions
- What basic day-to-day lifestyle we prefer
Within each of these categories, our preferences can be either:
- Extroverted or Introverted
- Sensing or Intuitive
- Thinking or Feeling
- Judging or Perceiving
The preferences are expressed in the Myers–Briggs Type Indicator as the letters S, N (iNtuition), F, T, E, I, J and P.
Extroverted or Introverted
These first two preferences, Extroverted (E) or Introverted (I) describe if an individual is outwardly focused or inwardly focused.
Individuals who are talkative, outgoing and enjoy being the center of attention are said to be Extroverted, or outwardly focused.
An Introverted, or inwardly focused individual tends to be more reserved, quiet and contemplative. They prefer to observe rather than be the center of attention.
Sensing or Intuition
The next two preferences are Sensing (S) and iNtuition (N). (N is used for the word intuition to avoid confusion with Introverted.) They describe how a person perceives information.
Individuals who are reality focused, pay close attention to what they can learn from their own senses, focus on facts and details, have practical ideas can be said to prefer sensing.
Those who are able to understand the big picture and see how everything connects, imagine the possibilities of what could be and pay attention to patterns and impression most often prefer Intuition.
Thinking and Feeling
Thinking (T) and Feeling (F) describes how a person processes and makes decisions based on the information collected by their sensing or intuition functions.
Having a cool head, decision making using logical and objective reasoning, argumentative indicates that an individual prefers the Thinking mode.
An individual who is described as preferring Feeling make decisions based on emotions, and tend to express empathy toward others.
Judging and Perceiving
How people tend to live their lives and deal with the outside world is described by Judging (J) and Perceiving (P).
Those who respect rules and deadlines, prefer to have matters settled once and for all, carefully plan and like to follow detailed step by step instructions can be said to prefer Judging.
Individuals who are spontaneous, open to anything, flexible, adaptable and enjoy surprises and new experiences prefer Perceiving.
The 16 Personality Types
A persons preferences are ranked and expressed as a four letter code:
- ISTJ – Inverted, Sensing, Thinking, Judging
- ISTP – Inverted, Sensing, Thinking, Perceiving
- ISFJ – Inverted, Sensing, Feeling, Judging
- ISFP – Inverted, Sensing, Feeling, Perceiving
- INFJ – Inverted, iNtuition, Feeling, Judging
- INFP – Inverted, iNtuition, Feeling, Perceiving
- INTJ – Inverted, iNtuition, Thinking, Judging
- INTP – Inverted, iNtuition, Thinking, Perceiving
- ESTP- Extroverted, Sensing, Thinking, Perceiving
- ESTJ – Extroverted, Sensing, Thinking, Judging
- ESFP – Extroverted, Sensing, Feeling, Perceiving
- ESFJ – Extroverted, Sensing, Feeling, Judging
- ENFP – Extroverted, iNtuition, Feeling, Perceiving
- ENFJ – Extroverted, iNtuition, Feeling, Judging
- ENTP – Extroverted, iNtuition, Thinking, Perceiving
- ENTJ – Extroverted, iNtuition, Thinking, Judging
No preference is better that any other one. For instance, just because a person prefers Thinking doesn’t mean they are “smarter” or “better” than a person who prefers Feeling.
Learn More about Your Personality Type from a Master MBTI Practitioner
A lot of people are initially skeptical about any benefits they can derive from a questionnaire. Then they take the Myers–Briggs Type Indicator. For many it’s a revelatory experience and provides answers to questions they’ve had for years. Dr. D. Ivan Young is a Master MBTI Practitioner who uses the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® (MBTI®) to prescribe individual psychological personality types to help clients achieve their full potential in life. If you think you could benefit from an MBTI assessment, contact Dr. D Ivan Young to make an appointment.