The MBTI framework provides a positive way of describing and understanding your personality. It is based on the work of Carl Jung as expanded and developed by
Isabel Briggs Myers and Katharine Briggs. The personality type framework describes normal, everyday behavior by identifying a person’s preference for one of two opposite
ways of directing and receiving energy (Extraversion or Introversion), taking in information (Sensing or Intuition), making decisions and coming to conclusions (Thinking or Feeling), and approaching the outside world (Judging or Perceiving).
“The Basics of MBTI by Mind Body Green: CLICK HERE for more information:
The MBTI is based on four dimensions: extroversion/introversion, sensing/intuition, thinking/feeling, and judging/perceiving. Your type is a combination of each of these qualities, and it’s based on how you answer 93 questions. There are a total of 16 possible personality types.
Extroversion/introversion speaks to how you get your energy. Enlivened by crowds, parties, and spending time with others? You’re likely an extrovert. If you prefer to re-energize through quiet time and solitary pursuits, introversion probably describes you better. Most of us are probably a mix of the two, but your type depends on which one you tend to gravitate toward more.
Sensing/intuition is your style of information gathering. More factual and detail-oriented? That suggests sensing. Acting on intuition means you tend to lean more toward abstract thinking and interpretation.
Thinking/feeling is all about decision making. Logical, fact-based decisions are a sign of thinking, while the feeling is concentrated on values, emotions, and relationships.
Judging/perceiving looks at how you tend to approach your life. All about structure, schedules, and clear expectations? You’re judging. Flexibility, spontaneity, and the art of the possible are hallmarks of the perceiving type.”
By helping people understand themselves, Myers and Briggs believed that they could help people select occupations that were best suited to their personality types and lead healthier, happier lives. Further research has demonstrated that personality compatibility (and understanding the MBTI personality types) also leads to happier and healthy intimate and family relationships, and more functional and harmonious work teams and organizations.
Based on the answers to the questions on the inventory, people are identified as having one of 16 personality types. The goal of the MBTI is to allow respondents to further explore and understand their own personalities including their likes, dislikes, strengths, weaknesses, possible career preferences, and compatibility with other people. The MBTI also assists management and team leaders in selecting a compatible and well-rounded work force/team that is best suited to their mission or organizational vision.
It is important to understand that no one personality type is “best” or “better” than another. The MBTI isn’t a tool designed to look for dysfunction or abnormality. Instead, its goal is simply to help you learn more about yourself.
Extraversion (E) – Introversion (I)
The extraversion-introversion dichotomy was first explored by Jung in his theory of personality types as a way to describe how people respond and interact with the world around them. While these terms are familiar to most people, the way in which they are used in the MBTI differs somewhat from their popular usage.
Extraverts (also often spelled extroverts) are “outward-turning” and tend to be action-oriented, enjoy more frequent social interaction, and feel energized after spending time with other people. Introverts are “inward-turning” and tend to be thought-oriented, enjoy deep and meaningful social interactions, and feel recharged after spending time alone.
We all exhibit extraversion and introversion to some degree, but most of us tend to have an overall preference for one or the other.
Sensing (S) – Intuition (N)
This scale involves looking at how people gather information from the world around them. Just like with extraversion and introversion, all people spend some time sensing and intuiting depending on the situation. According to the MBTI, people tend to be dominant in one area or the other.
People who prefer sensing tend to pay a great deal of attention to reality, particularly to what they can learn from their own senses. They tend to focus on facts and details and enjoy getting hands-on experience. Those who prefer intuition pay more attention to things like patterns and impressions. They enjoy thinking about possibilities, imagining the future, and abstract theories.
Thinking (T) – Feeling (F)
This scale focuses on how people make decisions based on the information that they gathered from their sensing or intuition functions. People who prefer thinking place a greater emphasis on facts and objective data.
They tend to be consistent, logical, and impersonal when weighing a decision. Those who prefer feeling are more likely to consider people and emotions when arriving at a conclusion.
Judging (J) – Perceiving (P)
The final scale involves how people tend to deal with the outside world. Those who lean toward judging prefer structure and firm decisions. People who lean toward perceiving are more open, flexible, and adaptable. These two tendencies interact with the other scales.
Remember, all people at least spend some time engaged in extraverted activities. The judging-perceiving scale helps describe whether you behave like an extravert when you are taking in new information (sensing and intuiting) or when you are making decisions (thinking and feeling).
The 16 Personality Types; What are you?
ISFJ – The Protector
ISFP – The Artist
INFJ – The Advocate
INFP – The Mediator
INTJ – The Architect
INTP – The Thinker
ESTP – The Persuader
ESTJ – The Director
ESFP – The Performer
ESFJ – The Caregiver
ENFP – The Champion
ENFJ – The Giver
ENTP – The Debater
ENTJ – The Commander
Taking the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator can provide a lot of insight into your personality, which is probably why the instrument has become so enormously popular. Even without taking the formal questionnaire, you can probably immediately recognize some of these tendencies in yourself.
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Myers-Briggs Personality Types and Relationships
Let’s dive into some of the basics of Myers-Briggs relationship compatibility.
Intimate relationships are a vital part of our lives, so it makes sense that we’d want to maximize our chance of finding or being the best possible life partner. But is there a way to use science and psychology to give us that edge? Many people feel that the Myers-Briggs Type Inventory (MBTI) is a tool to figure this out.
Dating and Partner Selection: Although you’re probably not asking someone about their MBTI before a first date, knowing it can be a shortcut to more information about a potential partner’s personality and your long term compatability.
Long Term Relationship and Marriage Compatability: For those already in a long-term partnership or marriage, discovering your own and your partner’s personality types, strengths, weaknesses, communication styles, and decision-making preferences can reduce conflict or discord and ultimately enhance relationship satisfaction.
Parenting: Knowing how your children process information on the E/I, S/N, T/F and J/P scales can assist parents in making disciplinary choices, determining how best to present new or novel information, and help predict how children are likely to respond to developmental challenges and obstacles. Additionally, knowing how your own personality responds to the challenges of parenting can assist creating harmonious parent/child relationships.
Inherent “preferences” associated with the MBTI 16 personality types result in each of us developing a comfortable and preferred mental process and style of reacting to stimuli; Each of us is unique in the way we interpret and react to the world around us.
We offer MBTI Workshops for individuals, couples, and work-place managers in order to know how to better use our own strengths, understand a partner’s/child’s/workers strengths, and become aware of blind spots that hinder communication, decision-making, and relationship or work-force well-being.
See Events Page for Upcoming Workshops
