B. Lorenzo Buckinchere
Oct 13, 2024
Over the past three weeks, I have explored the sixteen Myers-Briggs personality types, particularly within the context of employment compatibility. However, Myers-Briggs can also be applied to other aspects of social life, such as friendships, dating and business.
In this article, I will be exploring the idiosyncrasies of each personality type, and how they might relate to one another. Because being aware of this and knowing how to apply it in real world situations is sure to allow for smoother interactions in all areas of life.
There are eight character traits within Myers Briggs, four analytical, and four emotional. They are as follows;
Left Brain Right Brain
Extravert Introvert
Sensing iNtuitive
Thinking Feeling
Judging Perceiving
Some Myers Briggs types strictly lean to one side or another, while others have a mixture of both quotients to varying degrees.
The way to know what personality type you are, as well as the personality type of anyone you are interacting with is to answer four questions that are as follows;
- Who are you based on what energizes you? (a) Self validating (Introvert) (b) Seeking validation from others (Extravert)
- Where do you get your ideas? (a) My imagination (iNtuitive) (b) The world around me (Sensing)
- How do you decide what to do with your ideas? (a) With what I think (Thinking) (b) How I feel (Feeling)
- How do you act upon your ideas? (a) Things must go according to plan (Judging) (b) I am more flexible to changes and prospects (Perceiving)
Keep these four questions in mind as we explore each type throughout the rest of the article.
Introverts:
- Introvert, iNtuitive, Thinking, Judging (INTJ)
The INTJ is an introvert who gets his ideas from his imagination, decides with what he thinks, then acts upon it by making a swift judgment. Though an introvert who gains ideas through his intuition, he is still analytical when it comes to executing his ideas, the opposite of the ESFP whose analytics lean more towards social contact (see number 11).
The combination of being introverted and intuitive, suggests that he values his solitude, and spends much of his alone time in deep thought. So then when it’s time to execute his ideas, he wastes no time in making snap judgments.
- Introvert, iNtuitive, Thinking, Perceiving (INTP)
The INTP is an introvert who gets his ideas from his imagination, and makes decisions based on what he thinks. But unlike the INTJ, he is more flexible to changes when it comes to deciding. He is more reserved in that regard, and that makes him a procrastinator.
But procrastinating has its benefits, especially if the outcome will be final, as there is room to make adjustments should the INTP change his mind. The procrastination of the INTP would likely piss off the more impatient judging types, especially those who have already spent a lot of time in thought.
- Introvert, iNtuitive, Feeling, Perceiving (INFP)
The INFP is an introvert who is inspired by their own imagination, decides what to do based on how it makes them feel, but tends to be more flexible when it is time to act.
The INFP is only one of two types where all four of his traits are aligned to one side or another. In his case, the INFP is entirely right brain dominant, relying solely on his emotional quotient. Unlike the ESTJ, who is the polar opposite (see number 10).
- Introvert, iNtuitive, Feeling, Judging (INFJ)
The INFJ is an introvert who is inspired by his own imagination and decides what to do based on how it makes him feel much like the INFP before him.
But unlike the INFP, the INFJ makes swift and aggressive judgements once his mind is made up, much to the shock of others around him who were expecting him to be entirely illogical.
This makes the INFJ the single rarest of the sixteen Myers-Briggs types, which often causes the INFJ to come into conflict with those with ulterior motives who thought it was easy to manipulate him.
The INFJ is the most idealistic type, and therefore the most creative. The INFJ is more likely to thrive from working in professions where he is free to express his creativity.
- Introvert, Sensing, Thinking, Perceiving (ISTP)
The ISTP is an introvert who is inspired by the world around him, decides what to do based on what he thinks, but is open to change and prospects. One might rate the ISTP as being one of the more analytical of the introverts, yet they have trouble making up their minds.
As such, the ISTP tends to procrastinate when it comes down to them making decisions on how to advance with their plans. This can be frustrating for others around them, as they tend to become impatient with the ISTP once they realize that he is not quite as analytical as they thought.
- Introvert, Sensing, Thinking, Judging (ISTJ)
The ISTJ is the most analytical of all the introverts. He gets his ideas from sensing the world around him, decides what to do based on what he thinks, acts by making rigid plans, and is unyielding in his convictions. In spite of all that, the ISTJ still values his solitude, as that is when he thinks and decides based on what he senses within his environment.
- Introvert, Sensing, Feeling, Perceiving (ISFP)
The ISFP is an introvert who gets inspired by sensing what is going on in the world around him, decides based on how it makes him feel, but is indecisive when it comes to acting upon what he has decided. His sensing trait adds analytical balance to his otherwise emotional personality.
- Introvert, Sensing, Feeling, Judging (ISFJ)
The ISFJ is an introvert who gets his ideas from being able to sense the world around him, decides what to do with it based on the way it makes him feel, then acts upon it with knowledge and intent. The feeling aspect of his character adds a sensitive touch to his general demeanor.
Extraverts:
- Extravert, Sensing, Thinking, Perceiving (ESTP)
An ESTP is the polar opposite of the INFJ. This is due to the fact that he is an extravert who gets his ideas from the world around him and decides what to do with his ideas based on what he thinks. But his shortfall is that he hesitates when it comes to acting upon his ideas. He is more open to changing his plans versus the INFJ who makes snap decisions and sticks to them. That one trait of being perceiving over judging makes him slightly less analytical.
- Extravert, Sensing, Thinking, Judging (ESTJ)
The only other MBTI type next to the INFP who is entirely aligned to one side or another, the left brain in this case. The ESTJ is an extravert who gets his ideas from sensing the world around him, decides what to do based on what he thinks, and acts upon his decisions by judging.
Due to being left brain dominant, the ESTJ is the most analytical of the Myers Briggs types, therefore the most controlling. It’s good to be analytical, especially in leadership roles, but excessive logic can work against you. As such, the ESTJ is the quintessential narcissist of the lot, and the mortal enemy of the INFJ (more on that later). They are rigid, and everything must go their way. It’s either their way or the highway, and they take this mindset with them into personal relationships. Because they are extraverts, they also tend to seek external validation.
On the other hand, they also tend to get things done, which is actually a good thing. Though they can be useful at times, one should tread carefully when dealing with an ESTJ. I could have said that the ESTJ should find balance in life, but instead I will say that the ESTJ should seek out other ESTJ types where they can happily thrive among themselves.
- Extravert, Sensing, Feeling, Perceiving (ESFP)
The ESFP is an extravert who gets his ideas from being able to sense the world around him, decides what to do based on how he feels, and acts upon them based on perceiving and being open to change.
He is only half analytical and half emotional, the extraverted opposite of the INTJ, which adds some balance to the mix.
- Extravert, Sensing, Feeling, Judging (ESFJ)
The ESFJ is an extravert who gets his ideas from sensing the world around him, decides what to do with them based on how they make him feel, then acts upon them by making a firm judgment. He is mostly analytical, but the feeling trait adds a healthy balance of emotional quotient to his character profile.
- Extravert, iNtuitive, Thinking, Perceiving (ENTP)
The ENTP may be an extravert, but still finds time to be intuitive when it comes to getting ideas. He decides what to do with his ideas based on what he thinks, but is more perceiving when it is time to act.
The ENTP is more balanced because he possesses two analytical traits, and two emotional ones, which makes him a bit more reasonable even though he is left brain dominant.
- Extravert, iNtuitive, Thinking, Judging (ENTJ)
The ENTJ is left brain dominant, with intuition being the only emotional trait. As analytical as he may be, getting ideas from within, versus the world around him, adds a nice balance that makes him more human.
- Extravert, iNtuitive, Feeling, Perceiving (ENFP)
The ENFP is right brain dominant, with extraversion being the only left brain trait within his character profile. Being an extravert adds a bit of balance to his otherwise emotional quotient that makes him more relatable.
- Extravert, iNtuitive, Feeling, Judging (ENFJ)
And finally, we have the ENFJ. An extravert who has equal balance between intellectual and emotional traits. This makes him more relatable to wider groups of people. Even though he is internally motivated, one can rely on him to make snap decisions due to his judging trait.
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