(This
is the introduction to two series: first, an eight part one on the characteristics
detailed shortly, then a sixteen part one on each of the 16 different MBTI personality
types.)
I have for some
time had a deep and passionate interest in the MBTI and what it tells about a
individual’s personality. This paper will seek to outline the eight different
components that comprise the MBTI, and the sixteen different personality types
that those can create. But first, allow me to share what exactly the MBTI is.
The
Myers-Briggs Type Indicator is a test that seeks to make “the theory of the
psychological types described by C. G. Jung understandable and useful in
people’s lives.”[1]
Carl Jung was the original person to come up with the concepts of the MBTI, and
his definitions sometimes differ slightly from how they are used in today’s
popular test. For the purposes of this paper, we will be using the common
definitions rather than Jung’s original ones.
The
test makes a four-letter sequence for each person who takes it. There are two
choices for each of the four letters, indicating the personality
characteristics of the person. The choices and divisions are as follows:
Introverted (I) or Extroverted (E), Realistic/Sensing (S) or Abstract/Intuitive
(N), Thinking (T) or Feeling (F), and Judging (J) or Exploring/Perceiving (P).
A sample personality might be, for example, ISFP indicating that the person is
introverted, realistic, steered by feelings, and exploring. Occasionally people
will not tend towards one specific thing in a category – in these instances,
the letter is replaced by an X. For example, a person who has both introvert
and extrovert tendencies might be XSFP. However, we will be primarily
concentrating on, firstly, the eight characteristics, and secondly, the sixteen
combinations.
[1]
“The Myers & Briggs Foundation,” accessed July 9, 2015, http://www.myersbriggs.org/my-mbti-personality-type/mbti-basics/.
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