Don’t you love a personality test? From the properly scientific ones right down to the ridiculous “what cheese are you?” ones that you find on Buzzfeed, finding out more about the person you are can be rewarding. The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is a renowned test that’s worth trying.
It sorts you into one of 16 personality types, which can be referred to by the abbreviation of four letters. These letters indicate whether your personality type is more extraverted or introverted, whether you think or feel more, typically use judgement or perception, or whether you’re more naturally drawn to using sense or intuition.
And no matter how alike you think you are to your best friend, it is almost guaranteed there are more psychological differences separating you than you might realise. Even across the hundreds of people who have the same MBTI type, they will have numerous personality traits that are different due to the environments they were brought up in and due to their genes.
Understanding differences is a real people skill and once you can see this through reading about your own MBTI, then you’re likely to become both more productive and more accepting of others and yourself.
There is no right or wrong type, but there are combinations of types that are ‘better’ or ‘worse’ in business or relationships. The purpose of learning about your personality type is to help you to understand yourself better – once you know what energises and motivates you, you can seek out the opportunities that will most suit the way you are.
For example, ‘thinking’ people and ‘feeling’ people often have a hard time getting along – thinkers can’t understand the need to agree, but feeling people try their hardest to avoid arguments. But if each becomes aware of the other’s preference, they can build a mutual acceptance and understanding, especially if they find themselves in the same work environment.
Typical applications of the MBTI include:
- Managing staff: what are a person’s natural strengths, and what role would suit them best?
- Guiding careers: what types of jobs and positions will a person find most fulfilling?
- Improving interpersonal relationships: how can we best relate to and communicate with other personality types?
- Developing education and training: which teaching methods will ensure that ALL personality types benefit and absorb information presented?
- Coaching and advising people: how can we help people understand themselves better, identify their strengths and address their weaknesses?
If you’re keen and want to have a go at the MBTI test, here’s the link: https://www.16personalities.com/
Of course, it goes without saying that type doesn’t explain everything – human personalities are much more complex. They don’t measure skills, ability or to what extent you are the type the test says you are, for instance. But MBTI may help us to understand ourselves better and make us more aware of our impact on other people’s lives.
Lastly, YOU are the final judge of which type fits you best. Your MBTI results suggest your probable type, but it is not unchangeable!
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