"That's the thing about introverts; we wear our chaos on the inside where no one can see it."
—Michaela Chung
Ever since I stumbled across MBTI a couple of years back, I have been obsessed. I came across it when I was trying to get insight into a character I was writing, and I ended up taking the quiz myself, which led to a great many epiphanies and relief over the fact that I wasn't crazy; it was just my personality type.
The Myers Briggs Type Indicator, also known as MBTI, is a common method of identifying a person's personality type. There are sixteen types in total, and by taking the MBTI quiz you can find out which one you are and gain insight into how you, and others with your personality, work and learn.
Your Myers Briggs personality type is determined by four cognitive functions, known as sensation, intuition, feeling, and thinking. Your preferences of these are used to calculate which of the sixteen types you fall into.
To put it simply, MBTI uses a series of letters that represent different aspects of a personality;
I (introvert) or E (extrovert)
S (sensing) or N (intuitive)
T (thinking) or F (feeling)
J (judging) or P (perceiving)
So as a basic explanation of each letter...
- Introverts get their energy from being alone, while extroverts get energy from being around people.
- Sensers receive and process new information using the five senses, while intuitives pay more attention to the patterns and possibilities when taking in new information.
- Thinkers make decisions using impersonal analysis, while feelers make decisions based on values and ethics.
- Judgers prefer a more structured lifestyle, while perceivers prefer more flexibility.
Each personality type is comprised of four of the above letters. For example, I am an introvert (I), intuitive (N), feeler (F), and judger (J), making me an INFJ.
While not everyone loves MBTI, I have found it incredibly useful for understanding how I work and how others around me work as well. I love trying to figure out other people's personality types and it has even become a bit of a coping mechanism for me; if I'm overwhelmed in a social situation, I try and figure out what the types of the people around me might be. It's surprising how much it helps.
Knowing your type opens up a world of relatability, and more than anything it's just good to know that no matter how alone or misunderstood you may sometimes feel, there are others out there like you. Especially as an introvert, it's a comforting thought.
I hope to write some posts in the future about specific personality types, particularly the introverted ones, as well as do more research on the endlessly intriguing cognitive functions. If there is anything specific you'd like me to blog about, feel free to let me know!
What is your personality type?
