What is Your Personality Type?

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The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is a questionnaire that claims to indicate different "personality types". It was developed by Katharine Cook Briggs and her daughter Isabel Briggs Myers. They based their work on Carl Jung's theories.

You may like to complete their questionnaire before I give an explanation of the personality types.

Disclaimer

There is no scientific proof for the theories that support this model. The results are based on your perception of yourself. Others may view you differently.

Questionnaire

1. At a party, do you
a. interact with many, including strangers,
b. interact with a few who are known to you.

2. Are you more
a. realistic than speculative,
b. speculative than realistic.

3. Are you more impressed by
a. principles
b. emotions

4. Do you prefer to work
a. to deadlines
b. just "whenever"

5. At parties, do you
a. stay late with increasing energy
b. leave early, with decreased energy

6. Are you more attracted to
a. sensible people,
b. imaginative people

7. In judging others, are you more swayed by
a. laws than circumstances
b. circumstances than laws

8. Are you more
a. punctual
b. leisurely

9. In your social groups, do you
a. keep abreast of other's happenings
b. get behind on the news

10. In doing ordinary things, are you more likely to
a. do it the usual way
b. do it your own way

11. Which appeals to you more
a. consistency of thought
b. harmonious human relationships

12. Do you want things
a. settled and decided
b. unsettled and undecided

13. In phoning, do you
a. rarely question that it will all be said
b. rehearse what you'll say

14. Facts
a. "speak for themselves"
b. illustrate principles

15. Are you more often
a. a cool-headed person
b. a warm-hearted person

16. Should one usually let events occur
a. by careful selection and choice
b. randomly and by chance

17. In company, do you
a. initiate conversation
b. wait to be approached

18. Common sense is
a. rarely questionable
b. frequently questionable

19. When making decisions, do you feel more comfortable with
a. standards
b. feelings

20. Which is more admirable:
a. the ability to organise and be methodical
b. the ability to adapt and make do

21. Does new and non-routine interaction with others
a. stimulate and energise you
b. tax your reserves

22. Are you more frequently
a. a practical type of person
b. a fanciful type of person

23. Is it more satisfying
a. to discuss an issue thoroughly
b. to arrive at agreement on an issue

24. Are you more comfortable with work that is
a. contracted
b. done on a casual basis

25. Do you prefer
a. many friends with brief contact
b. a few friends with more lengthy contact

26. Do you go more by
a. facts
b. principles

27. Which is more of a compliment
a. "There's a very logical person"
b. "There's a very sentimental person"

28. Do you more often prefer the
a. final and unalterable statement
b. tentative and preliminary statement

29. Do you
a. speak easily and at length with strangers
b. find little to say to strangers

30. Are you more likely to trust your
a. experience
b. hunch

31. Which is to be more complimented on
a. clear reason
b. strong feeling

32. Is it preferable mostly to
a. make sure things are arranged
b. just let things happen

33. When the phone rings do you
a. hasten to get to it first
b. hope someone else will answer

34. Do you prize more in yourself
a. a strong sense of reality
b. a vivid imagination

35. Which seems to be the greatest error
a. to be too passionate
b. to be too objective

36. Which situation appeals to you more
a. the structured and the scheduled
b. the unstructured and the unscheduled

37. Are you more inclined to be
a. easy to approach
b somewhat reserved

38. In writings do you prefer
a. the more literal
b. the more figurative

39. Which do you wish more for your self
a. clarity of reason
b. strength of passion

40. Do you prefer the
a. planned event b. the unplanned event

41. Is it worse to
a. have your "head in the clouds"
b. be "in a rut"

42. Are you more drawn towards the
a. convincing
b. touching

43. Do you tend to choose
a. rather carefully
b. somewhat impulsively

44. Are you more interested in
a. what is actual
b. what is possible

45. In approaching others is your inclination to be somewhat
a. objective
b. personal

46. Does it bother you more having things
a. incomplete
b. completed

47. Writers should
a. "Say what they mean and mean what they say"
b. express things more by use of analogy

48. Are you more comfortable in making
a. logical judgments
b. value judgments

49. Would you say you are more
a. serious and determined
b. easy going

50. Are visionaries
a. somewhat annoying
b. rather fascinating

51. Is it worse to be
a. unjust
b. merciless

52. Do you feel better about
a. having purchased
b. having the option to buy

53. Children often do not
a. make themselves useful enough
b. exercise their fantasy enough

54. Are you more
a. firm than gentle
b. gentle than firm

55. Do you put more value on the
a. definite
b. open-ended

56. Are you more likely to
a. see how others are useful
b. see how others see

57. Which rules you more
a. your head
b. your heart

58. Do you tend to look for
a. the orderly
b. whatever turns up

59. Are you more interested in
a. production and distribution
b. design and research

60. Do you value yourself more for being
a. unwavering
b. devoted

61. Are you more comfortable
a. after a decision
b. before a decision

62. Do you feel
a. more practical than ingenious
b. more ingenious than practical

63. Are you inclined more to be
a. fair-minded
b. sympathetic

64. In relationships, should most things be
a. renegotiable
b. random and circumstantial

65. Are you more drawn to
a. fundamentals
b. overtones

66. Do you see yourself as basically
a. hard-headed
b. soft-hearted

67. Are you a person that is more
a. routinised than whimsical
b. whimsical than routinised

68. Is it harder for you to
a. identify with others
b. assess others

69. Which is the greater fault
a. being indiscriminate
b. being critical

70. Do you tend to be more
a. deliberate than spontaneous
b. spontaneous than deliberate

Answer Sheets

There are two ways you can analyse your answers to the above questionnaire:

1. Make a copy of the table below and enter a tick in either column a or column b for each answer. Add up the number of ticks in each column.
2. Download a free copy of the spreadsheet from the Learning Pages Digital Shop and enter a "1" in either column a or column b for each answer. The spreadsheet does the additions for you.

Key

Each pair of columns represents a different personality category:

Extraversion v Introversion
Sensing v Intuition
Thinking v Feeling
Judging v Perception

The letter with the highest score in each pair indicates your preference. These letters, taken together, produce a four-letter result representing one of sixteen possible types, such as "ENFJ" or "ISTP":

ISTJ - Quiet and serious - Earn success by thoroughness and dependability. - Practical, matter-of-fact, realistic, and responsible - They decide logically what should be done and work toward it steadily, regardless of distractions. - Take pleasure in keeping everything orderly and organised—their work, their home, their lives. - Value traditions and loyalty.

ISFJ - Quiet, friendly, responsible, and conscientious. - Committed and steady in meeting their obligations. - Thorough, painstaking, and accurate. - Loyal and considerate. - Notice and remember specifics about people who are important to them. - Concerned with how others feel. - Strive to create an orderly and harmonious environment at work and at home.

INFJ - Seek meaning and connection in ideas, relationships, and material possessions. - Want to understand what motivates people and are insightful about others. - Conscientious and committed to their firm values. - Develop a clear vision about how best to serve the common good. - Organised and decisive in implementing their vision.

INTJ - They have original minds and a great drive to implement their ideas and achieve their goals. - Quickly see patterns in external events and develop long-range explanatory perspectives. - When committed, organise a job and carry it through. - Sceptical and independent, have high standards of competence and performance - for themselves and others.

ISTP - Tolerant and flexible, quiet observers until a problem appears, then act quickly to find workable solutions. - Analyse what makes things work and readily get through large amounts of data to isolate the core of practical problems. - Interested in cause and effect. - Organise facts using logical principles and value efficiency.

ISFP - Quiet, friendly, sensitive, and kind. - Enjoy the present moment, what's going on around them. - Like to have their own space and to work within their own time frame. - Loyal and committed to their values and to people who are important to them. - Dislike disagreements and conflicts, do not force their opinions or values on others.

INFP - Idealistic, loyal to their values and to people who are important to them. - Want an external life that is congruent with their values. - Curious and quick to see possibilities can be catalysts for implementing ideas. - Seek to understand people and help them fulfil their potential. - Adaptable, flexible, and accepting unless a value is threatened.

INTP - Seek to develop logical explanations for everything that interests them. - Theoretical and abstract, interested more in ideas than in social interaction. - Quiet, contained, flexible, and adaptable. - They have an unusual ability to focus in depth to solve problems in their area of interest. - Skeptical, sometimes critical, always analytical.

ESTP - Flexible and tolerant, they take a pragmatic approach focused on immediate results. - Theories and conceptual explanations bore them - they want to act energetically to solve the problem. - Focus on the here and now, be spontaneous, and enjoy each moment that they can be active with others. - Enjoy material comforts and style. Learn best through doing.

ESFP - Outgoing, friendly, and accepting. - Exuberant lovers of life, people, and material comforts. - Enjoy working with others to make things happen. - Bring common sense and a realistic approach to their work, and make work fun. - Flexible and spontaneous, adapt readily to new people and environments. - Learn best by trying a new skill with other people.

ENFP - Warmly enthusiastic and imaginative. - See life as full of possibilities. - Make connections between events and information very quickly and confidently proceed based on the patterns they see. - Want a lot of affirmation from others, and readily give appreciation and support. - Spontaneous and flexible, often rely on their ability to improvise and their verbal fluency.

ENTP - Quick, ingenious, stimulating, alert, and outspoken. - Resourceful in solving new and challenging problems. - Adept at generating conceptual possibilities and then analysing them strategically. - Good at reading other people. - Bored by routine, will seldom do the same thing the same way, apt to turn to one new interest after another.

ESTJ - Practical, realistic, matter-of-fact. - Decisive, quickly move to implement decisions. - Organise projects and people to get things done, and focus on getting results in the most efficient way possible. - Take care of routine details. - Have a clear set of logical standards, systematically follow them and want others to also. - Forceful in implementing their plans.

ESFJ - Warmhearted, conscientious, and co-operative. - They want harmony in their environment and work with determination to establish it. - They like to work with others to complete tasks accurately and on time. - Loyal, follow through even in small matters. - Notice what others need in their day-by-day lives and try to provide it. - Want to be appreciated for who they are and for what they contribute.

ENFJ - Warm, empathetic, responsive, and responsible. - Highly attuned to the emotions, needs, and motivations of others. - Find potential in everyone, and want to help others fulfil their potential. - May act as catalysts for individual and group growth. - Loyal and responsive to praise and criticism. - Sociable, facilitate others in a group, and provide inspiring leadership.

ENTJ - They are frank and decisive and assume leadership readily. - Quickly see illogical and inefficient procedures and policies and develop and implement comprehensive systems to solve organisational problems. - Enjoy long-term planning and goal setting. - Usually well-informed, well-read, enjoy expanding their knowledge and passing it on to others. - Forceful in presenting their ideas.