How to Understand the Myers-Briggs Personality System
Understanding the Myers-Briggs personality system can be difficult without clear-cut information. The system has many fine distinctions that can confuse even the most experienced student of personality psychology. Learn more about the Myers-Briggs system to gain a clearer understanding of yourself and others.
- Difficulty:
- Moderate
Instructions
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Initial Steps
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1
Assess your own personality structure first. Understanding the system is easy if you first understand yourself. Choose between extrovert and introvert, and then sensor and intuitive. Finally, pick between thinker and feeler, and then judger and perceiver.
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2
Determine if you are extroverted. Extroverts prefer the company of others and tend to go outward for information about themselves and the world. They typically perform many functions at once, and enjoy socializing.
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3
Decide if you are an introvert. Introverts tunnel inward for information concerning themselves and the world. They focus more on the immediate task at hand and feel drained by excessive socializing. The internal voice of an introvert is filtered internally before being put outward.
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4
Decide whether you are a sensor. Sensors prefer the world of the five senses; touch, smell, hearing, and vision. Sensors often filter the world through their five senses. Sensors want specific answers to specific questions; they think in polarized terms. They would rather do something than think about it and find details easier to manage.
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5
Ponder if you are intuitive. Intuitives think about several things at once, and they like to ponder things. Intuitives are people with a general effusive understanding of situations and the world. They find interrelatedness in most things and always ask about meaning.
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6
Think about whether you are a thinker. Thinkers are able to stay objective in situations when everyone else is upset. They enjoy proving a point for the sake of clarity, and value fairness and objectivity. Thinkers are firm minded and value logic over emotion.
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7
Know if you're a feeler. Feelers consider people's feelings, empathize easily, and forego being right for getting along. Sometimes feelers have difficulty saying no and enjoy helping others by providing services to the world.
Final Steps
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1
Finally determine whether you are a judger. Judgers have a place for everything and prefer lists and timetables. They do not like surprises, and thrive on order and completing tasks before moving on to the next job.
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2
Determine if you are a perceiver. Perceivers prefer open schedules, don't plan tasks, but wait to see what demands come up. They don't typically value neatness and often turn work into play. Perceivers change subjects easily, and they complete tasks or make appointments at the last minute.
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3
Write down your combination of tendencies. For example, if you are an ESFJ (Extroverted Sensing Feeling Judging) then you will exhibit this combination of tendencies. You may fall in between the two tendencies, but determine who you are the majority of the time.
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4
Learn more about yourself and the basics of the system. Various tests both online and in print provide more detail about the Myers-Briggs personality system. You'll find sixteen combinations of styles, each with a distinctive temperament.
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1
Tips & Warnings
Choose your answers based on your initial tendencies. Think objectively about how you behave most of the time.
Research further the finer details of each tendency. As you improve your assessment skills, your Myers-Briggs type may change with your increased awareness.
