About 4 years ago a friend at work, who is also obsessed with all things psychology came in and declared that I absolutely must take this test he had come across online. He said he’d been up all night reading articles about his “type” and that he had never come across anything that described him so accurately.
After making him slow down long enough to tell me what he meant by “type”, we found the website he used and I began my journey to discovering my personality type according to the Myers-Briggs method.
For those of you who don’t know, you can click here to read an in-depth history of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI for short). All you really need to know for the purpose of this post is that it contains 16 different combinations of 4 specific elements of our personality. Using a variety of pointed questions and applying some honest personal reflection you can determine which type you are and from there the resources are endless.
I am an ISFJ (Introverted Sensing Feeling Judging). I know…this looks like gibberish if you’ve never encountered it before; but let me encourage you by explaining why I decided to explore my own type.
Sure, my friend came into the office with the enthusiasm of someone who had taken the latest online quiz and discovered that his celebrity wife was Scarlett Johansson. But there was much more to his elation than that. Something happens when we begin to discover that our excentricities, the way we interact with the world around us is the result of something more than a roll of the dice. There is a design in place and an explanation for the way we think and act and there is something freeing about being able to assign a reason to certain aspects of our behavior.
After taking the quiz, my friend and I began pouring over articles about our types and laughing at how accurate they were. I remember remarking to him that someone must have been spying on me and based the ISFJ descriptions on my life. From the extraverted tendencies with introverted needs to the predilection for tradition and order, it was like reading a roadmap of my personality. I began to learn things about myself I had never noticed before.
For example, one of the hallmarks of this type is that we are naturally social. Now I know this doesn’t seem like a big deal, but for me it made so much sense. I am an introvert through and through. The best definition I’ve ever read of an introvert is someone who draws their energy from being alone or with a small group of specific people. I love nothing more than to spend a Friday night curled up with Charlie watching a movie or reading a book. I love the effortlessness of night in doing something I enjoy without the over-stimulation of a large crown and lots of noise. That being said, I am often mistaken for an extravert because of my natural ability to put people at ease and navigate social situations.
I once coordinated and lead a large company meeting. I spent weeks on the phone making the preparations, communicating with every manager and vendor to ensure we had everything in order. The day of the meeting I was responsible for half of the presentations. Everything went off without a hitch, but by the time the whole thing was over, I was completely worn out…I was “peopled” out. That following weekend I didn’t leave the house for anything. I cooked for myself, painted a little, read a book, and basked in the quiet.
Knowing what I know about my personality type helps me to make informed decisions about my self care. I knew that I could pull off that meeting and meet my boss’s expectations, but I also knew that after it was done, I would need to intentionally carve out some time to be quiet and recharge.
This is just one example of how learning my MBTI Type has been instrumental in my life…believe me there are plenty of others. I am enthusiastic about learning other’s types as well. Knowing the types of my family and friends has made me more aware of certain aspects of their personalities and has helped improve my relationships with them…at least I think so.
I have so much more to share about my experiences with MBTI and other personality studies, so stay tuned for more.
If you’re interested in learning your own Myers-Briggs type there are countless resources available online or at the library. My personal favorite site is 16personalities.com. Their test consist of 100 questions and gives you an in-depth look at your type once you finish the test.
I also recommend the book Reading People: How Seeing the World Through the Lens of Personality Changes Everything by Anne Bogel. In it she details her journey into discovering more about her personality and how it can impact your life for the better. Her chapters on MBTI and the cognitive functions were invaluable to my own research.
Anyway, I’ve rambled long enough. I’d love to hear from you in the comments. Tell me about your own experience with personality studies. How has it impacted your life?
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