Psychologists mostly use the Myers-Briggs type indicator (MBTI) to classify personalities. The early versions of this classification were developed by two American researchers: Katharine Cook Briggs and her daughter Isabel Briggs Myers.
The current version of the MBTI assessment classifies personalities into 16 different types, and these are based on four different traits. These are extroversion vs introversion, sensing vs intuition, thinking vs feeling, and judging vs perceiving.
Let’s see what your personality type says about you.
Extroversion vs Introversion
Extroverts are energized by having many friends and socializing in larger groups, while introverts gain energy in solitude or by interacting with fewer people. INFJ personality characters can be described as introspective, idealistic, reserved, forward-thinking, and compassionate.
To judge your level of introversion or extroversion, psychologists usually consider your openness to experience, agreeableness, neuroticism, and conscientiousness. Checking where you fall on the introvert-extrovert scale can be essential in selecting a career.
Judging vs Perceiving
People with the judging trait tend to be neat, orderly, and established. On the other hand, perceiving people can be more flexible and spontaneous. This preference can be thought of as your orientation to the outer world, and again, we all display judging and perceiving traits to different degrees. It is worth noting that judging people tend to take charge of their environment and make choices early to maintain a sense of control.
As a perceiving person, you may feel like judging personalities are rigid and opinionated. Perceiving people only make decisions when it is necessary, and they maintain a sense of control by keeping their options open.
Sensing vs Intuition
Someone with a sensing personality will usually focus on what can be detected with the five senses. These senses are hearing, seeing, tasting, touching, and smelling. On the other hand, intuitive people will focus more on patterns from the information that they collect. Intuitive personalities are generally imaginative and prefer to live in the future.
Thinking vs Feeling
Thinking and feeling are modes of judging, and they are the processes through which we evaluate information and make decisions. Thinkers will usually use impersonal and logic-based methods to draw conclusions and make decisions. On the other hand, feelers will consider their tastes and feelings, as well as those of other people. Like other personality traits, these ones are not absolute.
Thinkers still use feelings to draw conclusions, but they focus more on the logical aspects. Similarly, feelers still apply impersonal and logic-based methods to some extent. Thinkers are more likely to venture into fields like mathematics, science, business, philosophy, and engineering. On the other hand, feelers are drawn to fields like music, poetry, and fashion.
Conclusion
Psychologists classify personalities into 16 different categories, and these are based on four major personality traits. These are introversion vs extroversion, sensing vs intuition, thinking vs feeling, and judging vs perceiving.
Understanding your personality type can be important as it helps you identify your strengths and weaknesses. It can also reveal certain details about your feelings and actions. By figuring out your personality type, you will be able to control your behavior in different situations.
