The post is developed in partnership with BetterHelp.
Do you enjoy taking personality quizzes? Whether you want to know what your interior design choices say about your personality or you’d like a more in-depth look at your traits, these quizzes can be an easy and fun way to gain insight. Today, we’ll be discussing the Myers-Briggs Personality Type Indicator, a well-known and highly popular personality assessment.
What Is the MBTI?
The Myers-Briggs Personality Type Indicator often referred to as MBTI, is a self-report assessment designed to identify a person’s personality type. The questionnaire consists of 93 questions. It is based on Carl Jung’s theory of personality types and was created by Katharine Briggs and her daughter Isabel Myers.
The MBTI looks at the traits of Introversion vs. Extraversion, Intuition vs. Sensing, Thinking vs. Feeling, and Judging vs. Perceiving. For example, if you have the traits of introversion (I), sensing (S), thinking (T), and perceiving (P), you would be an ISTP or Crafter personality type. The opposite of this type is the ENFJ or Giver, which has the traits of extraversion (E), intuition (N), feeling (F), and Judging (J).
This personality tool is one of the world’s most popular, with over 88% of Fortune 500 companies using it. As the MBTI website explains, the test is based on more than 70 years of insight based on science and research and is considered a robust tool for self-awareness and improvement.
Is MBTI Valid?
The Myers & Briggs Foundation states that the MBTI meets standards of validity and reliability, but other studies disagree. One found that many respondents get a different result after completing the assessment a second time.
Generally, though, the MBTI is just as valid and reliable as other personality tests. To learn more about personality, click here.
The 16 Personality Types
The purpose of the MBTI is to offer you information about your personality. No answers are right or wrong, and no personality type is better or worse than the others.
Now, let’s get into a brief overview of each personality type. We’ll start with the eight extraverted types and finish up with the introverts!
ENFP: The Champion
People with this type have extraverted, intuition, feeling, and perceiving traits. They’re typically very independent, charismatic, and creative. ENFPs have strong communication and people skills, and they’re fun and spontaneous. However, they can be disorganized, overly emotional, and struggle to follow rules.
ENFJ: The Giver
ENFJs have extraverted intuition, feeling, and judging traits. They’re sensitive, warm, and loyal, and are considered the strongest “people person” of the 16 personalities. They’re affectionate and persuasive, but also indecisive, overprotective, and even manipulative at times.
ENTP: The Debater
This personality type has extraverted, intuition, thinking, and perceiving traits. ENTPs are described as being expressive, clever, and innovative. They’re very idea-oriented and tend to be great conversationalists that value knowledge. Some of their weaknesses are their dislike of control, routines, and schedules, as well as their tendency to be argumentative.
ENTJ: The Commander
Those who have The Commander personality type have extraverted, intuition, thinking, and judging traits. They’re usually confident, outspoken, and good at making decisions. On the other hand, ENTJs can also be insensitive, impatient, and stubborn.
ESTP: The Persuader
ESTPs have extraverted, sensing, thinking, and perceiving traits. The Persuader is usually dramatic, observant, adaptable, and energetic. This personality type has a large group of friends and acquaintances that they enjoy spending time with. Still, they can be easily bored and competitive.
ESTJ: The Director
The Director’s personality type has extraverted, sensing, thinking, and judging traits. ESTJs are dependable, hard-working, self-confident, and have strong leadership skills. However, they can be bossy, inflexible, and insensitive at times.
ESFP: The Performer
ESFPs have extraverted, sensing, feeling, and perceiving traits. They’re typically resourceful, outgoing, spontaneous, and sociable. The Performer is a natural entertainer and was often the class clown during their school days. Some of the weaknesses of ESFPs include their dislike of planning and tendency to get bored easily.
ESFJ: The Caregiver
Caregivers have extraverted, sensing, feeling, and judging traits. They’re true extroverts, gaining energy from interaction with others, and they’re loyal, outgoing, and gregarious. They can also be needy, intolerant, and sensitive to criticism.
ISTJ: The Inspector
We’re now moving into the introverted personality types, and ISTJ is our first. Aside from introversion, Inspectors also have sensing, thinking, and judging traits. ISTJs are usually practical and reserved, and they love to have an organization in all parts of life. They’re realistic, detail-oriented, and observant, and they can also be insensitive, subjective, and judgmental.
ISTP: The Crafter
Crafters have introverted, sensing, thinking, and perceiving traits. ISTPs are very independent, easygoing, and ready to engage in new experiences. At times, they can be hard to get to know, and they also tend to be risk-takers who don’t enjoy commitment.
ISFJ: The Protector
ISFJs have introverted, sensing, feeling, and judging traits. Protectors are known for being reserved but warm-hearted and reliable, and they have an eye for detail. However, they don’t like change and sometimes neglect their own needs.
ISFP: The Artist
Artists have introverted, sensing, feeling, and perceiving traits. They’re typically easygoing, peaceful people who are very aware of their environment. They can be very quiet and require plenty of personal space. ISFPs don’t like arguments and conflict.
INFJ: The Advocate
The rarest MBTI personality type, Advocates frequently feel misunderstood. INFJs have introverted, intuition, feeling, and judging traits. They’re very creative, sensitive to others’ needs, and enjoy thinking about the deeper meaning of life. However, they’re also stubborn and prone to having unrealistic expectations.
INFP: The Mediator
Mediators have introverted, intuition, feeling, and perceiving traits and are often described as idealists. INFPs are devoted and caring. Although they work well on their own, they also value close relationships. Some of their weaknesses include a tendency to take everything personally and a lack of attention to detail.
INTJ: The Architect
INTJs have introverted, intuition, thinking, and judging traits. They’re strategic, analytical, and logical, and they take criticism well. On the flip side, they can be overly analytical and judgmental, and they prefer to avoid talking about their feelings.
INTP: The Thinker
Thinkers have introverted, intuition, thinking, and perceiving traits. INTPs like spending time by themselves, thinking about solutions to problems, and figuring out how things work. They’re independent, abstract thinkers who are quite affectionate and loyal to their loved ones. But they can be difficult to get to know and often struggle with self-doubt.
A Final Word
If you’re interested in taking the MBTI for yourself, you can find the official version here and a free version here. Remember that personality test results should always be taken with a grain of salt since each of us is a unique individual. It’s rare that a person fits perfectly into a specific box. Still, the MBTI can be a fun way to learn about yourself and others and to make sense of various personality traits!
