Before moving into a discussion of the various personality types in the Myers-Briggs system, it is very important to make a few points clear.
(1) Unlike the Enneagram, the MBTI was not developed primarily to deal with motivation, spirituality, and personal growth. The MBTI is a system which describes cognitive styles (i.e., the way we think), so I am translating it to an extent to deal with spiritual matters.
(2) The MBTI has a long and checkered history with inappropriate and unfortunate stereotyping. Most “descriptions” of various types are not based on patterns of thought but on observed behavior. That observational bias skews things considerably. However, it is a bias we can never completely get away from because we are not going to be able to split people’s heads open to see how things work.
(3) The MBTI is NOT the most accurate typing system out there. Those systems cost hundreds of dollars and are administered by trained psychologists. I may be a professional theologian and sociologist, but I am not a psychologist. That means that I have a great chance of determining whether you are creating a cult and/or leading a mob to pull down the government :), but I have a less than an ideal chance in “typing” with one of the more sophisticated methods of personality typing.
(4) It is not always easy to tell what type you are. In fact, you may find it very difficult to discover your type. That’s okay. I have been studying the MBTI off and on for several years, and I still have thoughts of “switching” types from time to time. So, relax and have fun with it!
(5) The MBTI is actually based on eight cognitive functions identified by the psychologist Carl Jung. If you do not understand how these functions work independently and together (as a “stack”), then you will likely mistype yourself and others. So, let’s talk a little bit about the eight cognitive functions, and how they work together:
The Eight Functions:
Perceiving Functions (How we take in information)
Extroverted Sensing (Se):
Extroverted sensing (Se) takes in information through the five physical senses (sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch) for use in the immediate present. As such, Se is the most direct of all the perceiving functions. It is living in the moment and “just the facts” of what is present in the physical world. Persons who lead with this function are often viewed as most at “home” in the present. They may be athletic, coordinated, or just able to “get things done” a little easier than the rest of us. While extroverted sensors can learn to think abstractly with an eye to either past or future, that is not their natural instinct. Their natural instinct is to live for today, since today is all we ever really have.
Introverted Sensing (Si):
Introverted sensing (Si) takes in information through the five physical senses (sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch) for use after measured thought and reflection. An emphasis on reflection orients this method of perception to the past with a focus on memory, tradition, establishment, and structure. Persons who lead with Si are at home in the world of today, but they are never as much at home in the world of today as in the world of the “good, old days.” As might be expected with an internally focused method for perception, Si is subjective. Persons who lead with Si are living life according to how they interpret the data provided through their senses. Their natural instinct is to defend tradition (whatever tradition they personally value), for “there is some good in this world, and it’s worth fighting for.”
Extroverted Intuition (Ne):
Extroverted intuition (Ne) takes in information in an abstract, intuitive way. Both extroverted and introverted intuition are typified by the sudden illumination of insight. Ne is distinctive in the outward mode of constantly surveying for connections in the external environment. Ne sees how information is connected, leading to invention and innovation in ideas or hands-on mechanics. Persons who lead with Ne are constantly thinking in terms of “What if?” They see possibilities everywhere and want to follow those possibilities for the development of themselves, humanity, or ideas in general. Reality is seen by Ne as exciting and malleable; life is what you make it!
Introverted Intuition (Ni):
Introverted intuition (Ni) also takes in information in an abstract, intuitive way; however, this form of perception is turned within subjectively focused on one’s inner world. Resultantly, Ni is associated with insights concerning destiny, fate, prophecy, vision, and strategy. While many persons who lead with Ni do fall under the category of “mystic,” this designation is not absolutely necessary. Rather, Ni is the sense of perception most related to purpose and having a “mission” in one’s life. Ni sees the essence of things, and persons who lead with this function often focus on the meaning behind the facts of everyday life. Life has purpose and meaning!
Judging Functions (How we decide to take action)
Extroverted Thinking (Te):
Extroverted thinking (Te) helps us make decisions based on practical, objective logic. Te is the world of measurement, categories, schedules, and spreadsheets. Te deals in matters of logical fact, not speculation. Persons who lead with Te are not as interested in WHY something works as much as HOW something works. Persons who lead with Te get things done, and they have comparatively great skill in matters of organization and efficiency. “Give me a fixed point and lever, and I will move the world.” — Archimedes
Introverted Thinking (Ti):
Introverted thinking (Ti) is the opposite of Te in many ways. Ti is concerned primarily with abstract analysis of
abstract questions (Yes, I am aware that I used abstract twice there!). Ti is our cognitive function which drives us to ask questions of WHY and to never be fully satisfied with the answers until they match with our own independent sense of logic. Since this function is focused inwardly, Ti can be very subjective and even, occasionally, appear to be completely divorced from facts in the real world. Persons who lead with Te are concerned with fact and detail; persons who lead with Ti are concerned with principle and meaning. “The unexamined life is not worth living.” — Socrates
Extroverted Feeling (Fe):
Extroverted feeling (Fe) is a decision-making function based on value and feeling for the good of those in the external group. It is a very common mistake to equate “feeling” with “emotion,” but “feeling” is used by Jung and in MBTI to denote a values function. It is moral decision-making. Persons who lead with Fe may or may not be emotional, but they are very much in tune with the “mood” of the group. They often know who to persuade, comfort, or manipulate to change this group mood as well. For persons who lead with Fe, morality is something which we all share in common, and the individual’s morality is subsumed within the values of the group.
“The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.” – Spock from Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (although apparently imbued with the spirit of John Stuart Mill and other Utilitarian philosophers)
Introverted Feeling (Fi):
Introverted feeling (Fi) is a values-laden decision-making function as well. The major difference between Fe and Fi is the scope and direction of the feeling function. Fi looks inward for values and morality. Persons who lead with Fi are often particularly moral and can be particularly resolute in their own moral decisions. Their values come from within, and they often afford this sense of personal value and morality to others as well (i.e., my morals are for me and your morals are for you). Being authentic and true to self typifies the Fi individual, and he or she often resists being put in the “mold” of group morality and decision-making. “You may all go to hell, and I will go to Texas.” – Davy Crockett (said after losing his bid in the state of Tennessee for US Congress)
The Function Stack:
While each of us can use all eight functions, Jung first observed that we definitely favor certain functions over others. Katharine Briggs and Isabel Myers (Katharine’s daughter) further refined this observation to assert that each person uses four functions on a typical basis. A balanced individual has two introverted functions and two extroverted functions in his or her stack. One is an “introvert” or an “extravert” on the basis of which function you lead with. We also have two perceiving functions and two judging (decision-making) functions.
In the coming weeks (and months), I will post profiles of each type to go into greater depth concerning how these personality types think, perceive, and interpret the world. Until then, you might be curious of what your four-letter (i.e., four function) type actually is. If so, you might take one of the free tests on the following sites. I recommend taking more than one to see if you come out as the same type. If you have questions as you go, then you can wait for the profile for your type (or suspected types), or you can go ahead and contact me to start a more personal conversation. However, I should warn you that I “lead” with Ti, so I’m likely to give you more questions than answers
I recommend the following sites for free tests:
16 personalities, Truity, Human Metrics, Celebrity Types
Works Consulted:
Gifts Differing by Isabel Briggs-Myers with Peter Myers
Growing Spiritually with the Myers-Briggs Model by Julia McGuinness
Personality and Spiritual Freedom by Robert and Carol Ann Faucett
Psychological Types by C.G. Jung
Type Talk by Otto Kroeger and Janet M. Thuesen