Ever had those moments where you find yourself straying from that large assignment you had to finish and searching up random personality quizzes about what type of food, dog, cat, or Harry Potter house you are? Sometimes, you would wholeheartedly agree that you are a Hufflepuff beyond a doubt, but other times, you are not quite as satisfied that your personality matches with that of a “Lightly-Dressed Ranch Salad”. Although it is true that most personality quizzes out there are either a hit-or-miss depending on blind chance, there are a few that are often spot on. One of such tests would be the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, also known as the MBTI Personality test.
The MBTI test was originally conceptualized by a man named Carl Jung, but was later refined by Isabel Briggs-Myers and as it is now, it appears in the form of different personality types based on the combination of four dichotomous aspects of personality: Introversion vs. Extroversion, Intuition vs. Sensory Perception, Thinking vs. Feeling, and Judging vs. Perceiving. Depending on the preference of one choice in each of the four categories, 16 different personality tropes can be formed and used to describe an individual’s personality. Although there are many different free versions of the test online, the Human-Metrics version and the 16 Personalities version are two of the most comprehensive and accurate. If you have the time for a 100+ question quiz and a detailed explanation of your MBTI personality, feel free to check these tests out! If not, then check out the short summaries of the 16 personalities below:
The Explorers
These are the personality types that tend to gravitate to adventure, be it in art, in nature, in music, in business, or essentially anywhere. Creativity abounds, and thrill-seeking is second nature. These are the people you want to try something new with. If you have Explorer friends, be ready to be dragged out of your comfortable bed to hiking at 5 a.m. to see the sunrise, to the wildest parties and concerts in town, and the biggest adventures of your life!
ISTP – The Virtuoso
Mechanisms, as in how and why things work, never fail to attract the interest of the quiet and reserved ISTPs. Hardworking, meticulous, they will achieve whatever they set their minds to. Always up for a good challenge and some fun, these Virtuosos often find extreme sports rather alluring. Although they are loyal to their friends and personal morals, they will not hesitate to eschew laws and rules to accomplish their goals.
ISFP – The Adventurer
ISFPs love to live in the moment, relishing in open-mindedness, creativity, and flexibility as they take risks to explore the world around them. Quiet, serious, and sensitive, they try to avoid conflict whenever possible. Rather than being thrust in leadership roles, these individuals prefer to be faithful companions. With their preference for Sensing over Intuition, they have an acute awareness of their environment and a great appreciation for beauty.
ESTP – The Entrepreneur
Friendly and adaptable, they make extremely dependable friends. However, they won’t be the best at listening to long-winded stories and explanations. Fond of the fast-paced lifestyle, they always expect quick and immediate results, regardless of the method in which they are obtained. This may sometimes cause them to experience issues with the law.
ESFP – The Entertainer
Outgoing with a flair for the dramatic, these people-oriented individuals are born to be in the spotlight. They live in the moment and are always looking for new adventures to embark on; you will never be bored when hanging out with them! Although ESFPs are often at the center of attention, they dedicate themselves to others and often possess very high EQs as demonstrated by their superior prowess in social situations. On the other hand, they avoid theory and impersonal analysis as much as possible – they find these topics beyond boring.
The Sentinels
Solid, grounded, and reliable are the first words to come to mind for “Sentinel” personality types. Organization and management is second-nature, whether it may be of information or people. They are often the “glue” that holds groups together as one cohesive unit. These are the people you can trust to keep your secrets, to take care of you when you drink too much at a bar, or calm down a high-tension situation. If you have any Sentinel friends, then be sure to cherish them. You won’t find anyone as loyal as they are.
ISTJ – The Logician
There’s almost near nothing in the world that can break the Logician’s concentration when they are fully absorbed in the task that they are doing. Quiet, serious, and reserved, they seek security and peace, often supporting the status quo. Extremely hardworking as well as organized, they are the star employees of any establishment. You can always count on them to get their work done well and on time.
ISFJ – The Defender
One of the most altruistic of the bunch, ISFJs are those selfless individuals who will put your needs above their own. Stable, practical, security and traditions are high up in the list of their values. Natural empaths, they have an uncanny understanding of others’ feelings. They are unbelievably trustworthy, kind, and conscientious – these are the friends you can count on to quietly listen to your rants and do whatever they can in their power to help you solve the problem you’re facing.
ESTJ – The Executive
These are known to be the strict law-abiders of society, with a rigid set of morals and values. As per their “Executive” title, they are known for their preference for leadership positions, and often succeed in these high ranks due to their loyalty, hard work, and vision. Planning and running events present no challenge to ESTJs. Because of their tendency to focus on execution of any theoretical plans, theory and abstract thought present no value to these individuals unless they have a clear practical application.
ESFJ – The Consul
People naturally gravitate towards the warm-hearted, conscientious, and selfless ESFJs whose reputations are characterized by their strong sense of responsibility to the people. They tend to prefer tradition over change, stability over risk-taking. However, despite their altruistic natures towards others, they can sometimes be too over critical on themselves; they thrive in an environment where their peers openly show that they are valued and needed. ESFJ friends are truly the gifts that just keep giving.
The Diplomats
Vision is the one thing that “Diplomats” can never be accused of lacking. Although sometimes their aspirations are idealistic and difficult to achieve, they will always be able to inspire others to join their causes and succeed through a group effort. Often selfless and altruistic, don’t be surprised to know that while they are petitioning the government to have stricter regulations on carbon regulations, they also volunteer to build houses in developing countries during the summer. They’re just that good.
INFJ – The Advocate
The first mistake you make when confronting these individuals would be to assume that their quiet and reserved natures are indicative of passivity. They have an underlying thread of resilience to them, never giving up and always seeing their projects to the finish. Very strict adherents to their moral values. Despite their strength, they are also known to be great empaths who show great sensitivity to the emotions of those around them. Rather than leading or following, INFJs like to act as lone wolves following their own paths.
INFP – The Mediator
You can often find the INFP lost in their thoughts, with a million ideas whizzing around in their heads. Quiet and reserved, they would much rather spend time appreciating the world around them and imagining a dozen of different possibilities. Loyal and altruistic, you can always count on them to understand and support you in sticky situations. Usually turn out be very talented writers
ENFJ – The Protagonist
Well-liked by those around them, they typically hate being alone. They have the uncanny ability to see everything from the human perspective and try to avoid the non-emotional, impersonal analysis whenever they can. Natural-born leaders, dealing with issues between people and leading others are a piece of cake for them. They love to help others, and try their best to place the thoughts, emotions, and needs of others above their own.
ENFP – The Campaigner
Enthusiastic and creative, Campaigners sow the seeds of inspiration no matter where they go. They will pursue and stick to whatever captures their interest and sympathy, up until the bitter end. Adherence to inner values is of the utmost importance to ENFPs. Not only are they good with thoughts and ideas, but they are also great with people. Open-minded, adaptable, they tend to be “Jacks of All Trades”. Just don’t bore them with the details – they prefer general and the more idealistic ideas thank you very much.
The Analysts
Finally, the “Analyst” personality types are those who are known to be the “brains” of any group; instead of tapping into their emotions, they prefer to resolve any situations in their lives through logical reasoning. These individuals crave a good intellectual challenge and do whatever they can to seek it out. Methodical, systematic, but not without wild imaginations and out-of-the-box ideas, Analysts are often the best at unraveling and solving large, complicated puzzles of any kind. The next time you’re out of ideas, be sure to call up your Analyst buddy. They’ll have plenty of crazy ideas for you to try out!
INTJ – The Architect
Independent, determined, analytical, and extremely intelligent, these are the brainiacs who will flawlessly turn their goals, ambitions and ideas into reality. Knowledge, competence, and organization are important to the INTJs, and all who do not meet their criteria will have difficulty catching their attention and their respect. They do possess natural leadership traits and tendencies – such as vision, drive, and the ability to move to action – but will follow existing leaders whom they trust. These are the people whom you can trust to have Plans A to Z for any and every situation imaginable.
INTP – The Logician
Although shy, quiet and reserved around strangers, these Logicians will be complete blabbermouths around trusted friends with whom they can share their ideas with. As logical, original and creative individuals, INTPs find interest in theories and ideas. They can take complex theories and break them down to very clear and simple principles. They love to have mini-arguments with themselves in their brains, so when you are in the middle of a INTP brainstorming session, expect to be completely and utterly lost. Individualistic, they prefer to go their own way rather than leading or following someone else.
ENTJ – The Commander
True to their title of “Commander”, ENTJs are natural-born leaders with their assertive and outspoken personalities. With their high levels of intelligence and awareness of the global issues around them, ENTJs make strong public speakers. Organization and efficiency are paramount in their work, and can often be seen in their ability to untangle a variety of organizational problems and lead the members of their group to substantial and effective solutions. Like other “Analyst” types, ENTJs look highly upon knowledge and competence.
ENTP – The Debater
Last but not least, we have the ENTPs, who are talented in many different areas and are often known for their intense love debate. New projects and ideas will always pique their interest, but if they get too much into it, they can sometimes neglect the self-care and maintenance they need in other aspects of their lives. Outspoken, assertive, but also creative, intelligent and resourceful, you will never get bored with them around!
Each of the 16 personalities have strengths and weaknesses, but the little quirks that compose each of them are what make the personalities truly unique. Of course, there are little nuances in personality that are not accounted for by the MBTI categories, but for the most part, the typing of personalities is fairly accurate. Usually, people find themselves identifying with more than one personality type depending on the situation. Nevertheless, there is usually one personality type that will call out to you the most. So, which one are you?
———————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————-
Photo Links:
https://static.pexels.com/photos/7042/pexels-photo.jpeg
https://c1.staticflickr.com/7/6030/5966894496_cdfeb202cc_b.jpg
http://goodnewsnotebook.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/personality-traits.jpg