Myers-Briggs Type Indicator

I originally posted this on my old website on March 13, 2005.

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is a multiple-choice survey designed to classify people into 16 psychological personality types.  I took the MBTI as part of an Organizational Psychology Class at the Milwaukee School of Engineering.  This post is a compilation of my MBTI report and materials provided in class by the professor, Dr. Harry Rollings, Ph.D., and Assistant Director of Counseling Services Mary Jo Wellenstein.

Where Do Types Come From?

The MBTI is based on years of observing people by the psychologist Carl Jung and by the authors of the MBTI, Isabel Briggs Myers and her mother Katharine Cook Briggs. Their ideas help explain why different kinds of people are interested in different things, are good in different kinds of work and often find it hard to understand each other. The Indicator was developed with great care and has been used with people around the world for more than twenty years. Families use it to understand each other better. Teachers and students use it to make learning more interesting and efficient. Young people and adults use it to choose careers that are likely to hold their interest and use their gifts. Organizations use the ideas of type to improve communication, teamwork, and leadership.

How the Four-Letter Patterns Fit to Explain the Sixteen Types

Each of the 16 types has its unique pattern of preferences. These patterns are shown by the letters. The four mental processes described by the MBTI are Sensing (S), Intuition (N), Thinking (T) and Feeling (F). Everyone uses all four, but each of the sixteen types has its own pattern showing which of these four processes is the favorite or first in importance, the second favorite, the third, and the least favorite. The patterns for each type also show whether the first or favorite process is used mostly in the world of people and things (the extraverted way) or in the inner world of ideas (the introverted way). The author of the MBTI, Isabel Briggs Myers, wrote sixteen descriptions of the types at their best

There are four dimensions to the Myers-Briggs. We use all of these processes, but develop more comfort and adequacy with one side of a dimension compared to its opposite, Healthy personality development involves discovering and strengthening one's four preferred processes, but also supplementing these with adequate use of the others.

EXTROVERSION (E) Focusing energy outward Liking activity and experience Using trial and error Initiating	INTROVERSION (I) Focusing energy inward Liking quiet for concentration Anticipating a forehand Reacting
SENSING (S) Perceiving facts and detail carefully Observing thoroughly Being patient with routine Valuing the practical and realistic	INTUITION (N) Perceiving "the big picture" impressionistically Imagining possibilities Being patient with complexity Valuing the abstract and ideal
THINKING (T) Analyzing objectively Examining logical consequences Seeking consistency Considering right- wrong principles	FEELING (F) Evaluating subjectively Examining likes and dislikes Seeking harmony Considering personal values
JUDGING (J) Regulating life to get things done Being orderly, planful and productive Giving answers	PERCEIVING (P) Investigation life to understanding it Being spontaneous, flexible and adaptive Asking questions

When you answer the MBTI, you made choices on four preferences indicated by eight letters: E or I, S or N, T or F and J or P. The MBTI assumes that every person uses all eight of the qualities described by these letters, but that people find one letter of each pair more interesting or comfortable than its opposite. Think of the choices as somewhat like being right-handed or left-handed. Both hands are valuable, but most people reach first with the hand they prefer. They usually use that hand more and become more skillful with that hand. In the same way, MBTI preferences are preferences between equally valuable and useful qualities.

Choice 1: Extraversion (E) or Introversion (I). These are two different attitudes to the world around us.

When you are in the extraverted attitude, you relate more easily to the world of people and things outside you. When you are in the introverted attitude, you relate more easily to the ideas and concepts in your mind.

Choice 2: Sensing (S) or Intuition (N). These are two different ways of perceiving or gathering information.

When you are perceiving with your sensing process you are interested in what your five senses show you-what exists in the present. When you are perceiving with your intuition, you are using your imagination to see new possibilities and insights hidden from the eye.

Choice 3: Thinking (T) or Feeling (F). These are two kinds of judgment or decision-making.

When you make judgments with your thinking, you base your decisions on impersonal analysis and logic. When you make your judgments with your feeling, you base your decisions on your values.

Choice 4: Judgment (J) or Perception (P). These are two ways of living in the world around us.

When you are living by your judgment, you like to have things decided; your life is likely to be planned and orderly. When you are living by your perception, you don't want to miss anything; your way of life is likely to be spontaneous and flexible.

CHARACTERISTICS FREQUENTLY ASSOCIATED WITH EACH TYPE

INTROVERTS

           SENSING TYPES                    FEELING TYPES

ISTJ Serious, quiet, earn success by concentration and thoroughness. Practical, orderly, matter-of-fact, logical, realistic and dependable. See to it that everything is well organized. Take responsibility. Make up their own minds as to what should be accomplished and work toward it steadily, regardless of protests or distractions.	ISFJ Quiet, friendly, responsible and conscientious. Work devotedly to meet their obligations. Lend stability to any project or group. Thorough, painstaking, accurate. May need time to master technical subjects, as their interests are usually not technical. Patient with detail and routine. Loyal, considerate, concerned with how other people feel.	INFJ Succeed by perseverance, originality and desire to do whatever is needed or wanted. Put their best efforts into their work. Quietly forceful, conscientious, concerned for others. Respected for their firm principles. Likely to be honored and followed for their clear convictions as to how best to serve the common ground.	INTJ Usually have original minds and great drive for their own ideas and purposes. In fields that appeal to them, they have a fine power to organize a job and carry it through with or without help. Skeptical, critical, independent, determined, often stubborn. Must learn to yield less important points in order to win the most important.
ISTP Cool onlookers - quiet, reserved, observing and analyzing life with detached curiosity and unexpected flashes of original humor. Usually interested in impersonal principles, cause and effect, how and why mechanical things work. Exert themselves no more than they think necessary, because any waste of energy would be inefficient.	ISFP Retiring, quietly friendly, sensitive, kind, modest about their abilities. Shun disagreements; do not force their opinions or values on others. Usually do not care to lead but are often loyal followers. Often relaxed about getting things done, because they enjoy the present moment and do not want to spoil it by undue haste or exertion.	INFP Full of enthusiasms and loyalties, but seldom talk of these until they know you well. Care about learning ideas, language, and independent projects of their own. Tend to undertake too much, then somehow get it done. Friendly but often too absorbed in what they are doing to be sociable. Little concerned with possessions or physical surroundings.	INTP Quiet, reserved, impersonal. Enjoy especially theoretical or scientific subjects. Logical the point of hair-splitting. Usually interested mainly in ideas, with little liking for parties or small talk. Tend to have sharply defined interests. Need careers where some strong interest can be used and useful.

EXTRAVERTS

           SENSING TYPES                    FEELING TYPES

ESTP Matter-of-fact, do not worry or hurry, enjoy whatever comes along. Tend to like mechanical things and sports, with friends on the side. May be a bit blunt or insensitive. Adaptable, tolerant, generally conservative in values. Dislike long explanations. Are best with real things that can be worked, handled, taken apart or put together.	ESFP Outgoing, easygoing, accepting, friendly, enjoy everything and make things more fun for others by their enjoyment. Like sports and making things. Know what's going on and join in eagerly. Find remembering facts easier than mastering theories. Are best in situations that need sound common sense and practical ability with people as well as with things.	ENFP Warmly enthusiastic, high-spirited, ingenious, imaginative. Able to do almost anything that interests them. Quick with a solution for any difficulty and ready to help anyone with a .problem. Often rely on their ability to improvise instead of preparing in advance. Can usually find compelling reasons for whatever they want.	ENTP Quick, ingenious; good at many things. Stimulating company, alert and outspoken. May argue for fun on either side of a question. Resourceful in solving new and challenging problems, but many neglect routine assignments. Apt to turn to one new interest after another. Skillful in finding logical reasons for what they want.
ESTJ Practical, realistic, matter-of-fact, with a natural head for business or mechanics. Not interested in subjects they see no use for, but can apply themselves when necessary. Like to organize and run activities. May make good administrators, especially if they remember to consider others' feelings and points of view.	ESFJ Warm-hearted, talkative, popular, conscientious, born cooperators, active committee members. Need harmony and may be good at creating it. Always doing something nice for someone. Work best with encouragement and praise. Little interest in abstract thinking or technical subjects. Main interest is in things that directly and visibly affect people's lives.	ENFJ Responsive and responsible. Generally feel real concern for what others think or want, and try to handle things with due regard for other person's feelings. Can present a proposal or lead a group discussion with ease and tact. Sociable, popular, sympathetic. Responsive to criticism.	ENTJ Hearty, frank, decisive, leaders in activities. Usually good in anything that requires reasoning and intelligent talk, such as public speaking. Are usually well informed and enjoy adding to their fund of knowledge. May sometimes be more positive and confident than their experience in an area warrants.

COMMUNICATIONS-TALKING IN TYPE

When explaining to or trying to understand:

Extraverts	Introverts
* Show energy/enthusiasm * Respond quickly * Allow brainstorming * Communicate openly	* Include get-to-know time * Allow thinking before responding * More one-to-one activities * Do not assume uninterested; may need process time
Sensors	Intuitives
* Be factual * Document successful application * Reduce risk factors * Work out details in advance	* Give the "big picture" * Be enthusiastic; don't let opportunity pass * Indicate challenges * Point out future benefits
Thinkers	Feelers
* Be logical * State principles involved * Be well-organized * List the costs and benefits	* Be personable/friendly * Indicate how it is helpful * Tell why it is valuable * Show how it supports personal goals
Judgers	Perceptives
* Be well-organized * Acknowledge a plan and deadlines * Give only the essentials * Allow time for completion	* Leave room for change * Allow time for new ideas and possibilities * Give them the "big picture" * Don't force quick decisions

My Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Report

I took the MBTI on December 12th, 2003. The MBTI indicates sixteen types of people. My answers to the MBTI questions came out the type called Introverted Sensing with Thinking, also known by the letters ISTJ.

ISTJ

Introverted Sensing with Thinking

ISTJ people are extremely dependable and accept responsibilities beyond the call of duty. They have a complete, realistic, practical respect for the facts. When they see from the facts that something needs to be done, they pause to think about it. If they decide that action is logically required, they accept the responsibility.

They absorb, remember and use facts by the bushel. They like everything kept factual, clearly stated and not too complex.

Their private reaction, the way a thing will strike them, is often vivid and intense; these characteristic ISTJ reactions are quite unpredictable to other types. Their private reactions, however, seldom show in their faces. Even when they are dealing with a crisis, they look calm and composed. Not until you know them very well do you discover that behind their outer calm they are looking at the facts from an intensely individual angle, often a delightfully humorous one. When ISTJs are "on duty" and dealing with the world, however, what they actually do is sound and sensible.

No type is more thorough, painstaking, systematic, hardworking, or patient with detail and routine. Their extreme perseverance tends to stabilize everything with which they are connected. They do not enter into things impulsively, but once in, they are very hard to distract, discourage, or stop. They do not quit unless experience convinces them they are wrong.

ISTJs often choose careers combining systematic attention to detail with organization and impartiality. Examples are accounting, civil engineering, law, production, construction, health careers, and office work. They often move into supervisory and management responsibilities.

If they are in charge of something, their practical judgment and memory for detail make them conservative and consistent; they have facts to support their evaluations of people and methods; they compare the present problem to past experience. With time, they are masters of the details of their work, but don't give themselves any special credit for this knowledge. They tend to be somewhat suspicious of imagination and do not take it seriously. They hate to be told to do something that "doesn’t make sense" but will go to any amount of trouble when they understand what is really needed.

The thinking of ISTJs emphasizes analysis and logic. They find a large portion of the human race illogical. It is hard for them to see any sense in needs which differ widely from their own. But where they see that something matters a lot to someone right before their eyes, then it becomes a fact to be respected; they may go to generous lengths to help, although they still think that it doesn't make sense.

Every type needs to be balanced in order to be good. For an ISTJ, balance requires the development of good judgment for dealing with the world. IF their thinking remains childish, the world does not get dealt with. Then ISTJs retreat and become silently absorbed with inner reactions to incoming sense impressions. They may become almost impossible for others to understand. Then nothing of value is likely to come out.

Well-balanced ISTJ people do have good development of their perception and their judgment. Their problem is merely to use the right one at the right time. A safe rule is to use their thinking to decide about inanimate objects and to govern their own conduct; they should use their perception to understand the situation other people are in without passing judgment. ISTJs will then be in no danger of overriding people less forceful than they are, and will find themselves richly repaid in their human relationships.

How My Answers Indicated Type ISTJ

Below is a picture of my four preference patterns. The length of the line comes from the formula by Isabel Myers which compares the two choices for each preference. A long line means that I chose one side consistently. A short line means that my choices were more evenly divided.

Of the four mental processes described by the MBTI, ISTJs like and use Sensing (S) best and Thinking (T) next best. The third is Feeling (F) and the least preferred is Intuition (N). Youth is the time for ISTJs to develop Sensing and Thinking. In middle life Feeling and Intuition often become more interesting and easier to use.

Here is how the whole pattern works for type ISTJ: Introverted Sensing with Thinking.

ISTJs mainly use their first process Sensing (S) in the inner world of ideas. They run their outer lives with their second process Thinking (T). Other people may at first underestimate ISTJs because they see mostly the ISTJs second best process, Thinking (T), which shows in their outer behavior. Their best process, Sensing (S) is less apparent because it is mainly busy in the inner world of ideas. ISTJs also use Feeling (F) and Intuition (N), but not so readily or easily as Sensing (S) and Thinking (T). Intuition (N) is the most likely to be overlooked.

So anyway, that is my MBTI Analysis, for what it's worth.  I do think it's a pretty accurate evaluation of me.  If you ever have a chance to take the MBTI, I'd go for it.