Before
we can continue on to the sixteen personality combinations that can be created
from these eight options, it would be beneficial to the reader to have a
rudimentary understanding of how I am organizing the sixteen. Certainly, they
could be in a random order but they are not. Rather, I have chosen to group
them according to the categories given by David Keirsey in his book titled Please
Understand Me: Character & Temperament Types. For anyone interested in
pursuing further studies on the MBTI, I highly recommend this book and its
sequel. Much of my information stems from it. But for now, let me introduce you
to the four categories, known as temperaments, into which Keirsey groups the
personality types. They are SP, SJ, NT, and NF and they organize the types in
the following way: SP (ISTP, ESTP, ISFP, ESFP); SJ (ISFJ, ESFJ, ISTJ, ESTJ); NT
(INTP, ENTP, INTJ, ENTJ); and NF (INFJ, ENFJ, INFP, ENFP).
The SP Temperament
The
aim of the SP is to be free. Indeed, he must be free. The SP holds a hunger for
action that seems strange to others. If the action accomplishes some goal or
does some good, so be it – the important thing is to simply have that action. They
are process-oriented, while most types are motivated by the end that will be
completed. Their love for action leads them to a great mastery of tools. They
“cannot not put it to use”[1]
when a tool is present, be that a hammer or a bulldozer or a gun or a scalpel. For
them, the joy is in the action, in the labor. They have an endurance which can
often stretch far beyond the endurance of the other types.
Yet
even beyond the longing to be in action, the SP longs to be seen as active by
others. They want to appear to have the freedom to act how they will, to be
impulsive when they choose. They have joy in almost everything, bringing a
sense of “something exciting is about to happen”[2]
to all that they do. Randomness and spontaneity are an important part of life
to an SP. Out of all the types, they are most likely to wander and can cut
social ties quite easily, although they may be aware of the distress which they
may cause. Sometimes they miss the little romantic things such as a phone call,
while remembering the grand gesture of a dozen roses or a ring.
The
SP has an egalitarian point of view, living in a state of opulence unless money
is short, and then he will believe that it is only for a time. In general, SPs
are willing to share, open and welcoming, ready to give what they have and
accept what you give. They are not prone to thinking ahead or planning, but
living in the moment and to the fullest.
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