You have probably heard of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) either in school or at work. According to MBTIOnline, MBTI is a questionnaire that indicates different psychological preferences and allows people to understand how these different personality types have an effect on their outlook.
There are 16 different personality types, composed of the following dichotomies: Extraversion (E) v. Introversion (I), Sensing (S) v. Intuition (N), Thinking (T) v. Feeling (F), and Judging (J) v. Perceiving (P).
When you take the MBTI test, you’ll discover what combination of these personality characteristics you have, which can be beneficial for the following reasons:
1. Personal Well-Being
When you learn what your MBTI is, you might be surprised when you realize that it’s creepily accurate, and that’s actually a good thing.
By knowing your personality type, you gain self-awareness. Sometimes, it’s hard for us to spell out exactly what makes us tick or what really matters to us. But I find that you can learn some things about yourself that you may not have considered by reading up on your personality type.
For instance, you might think that you’re just a shy person, when in reality, you’re an introvert, which is different from being shy.
Introverts need time to be alone, especially after interacting with a lot of people. If you’re an introvert, pushing yourself to be more energetic after a long day of socializing is not the best thing you can do for yourself.
In understanding that you’re prone to introversion, you will likely become more aware of your energy levels and learn techniques to take care of yourself. Knowing these areas of your personality can ultimately lead to better decisions for yourself and your well-being.
2. Career Paths
Another benefit of knowing your MBTI is that you’ll gain awareness on how these personality traits can be beneficial or a hindrance to you in your career. When you take the test to learn your MBTI, the results will most likely list your strengths and weaknesses.
If you are prone to perceiving than judging, that means that flexibility and adaptability are your strong suits. Although you are comfortable with change, you may also have a hard time following strict deadlines and creating structure in your life.
If you know that you lean more towards perceiving and you find it difficult to plan ahead, you will be able to compensate for any lack of structure you need to rectify later in life.
When you get your MBTI results, you’ll also find a list of careers that your personality trait tends to align well with. Depending on your personality preference, you might be apt to doing something that involves strategy and careful thinking rather than flexibility and creativity.
For instance, ENTJs are often thought of as natural-born leaders so people with this personality type might find a leadership role in politics or business appealing whereas INFPs don’t like high-stress workplaces and would prefer to do something that involves one-on-one human interaction.
These are not hard and fast rules. Your MBTI does not, nor should it, determine what career you pursue. But it can certainly be helpful if you are unsure about your job and want to brainstorm possible careers.
3. Connections with Others
You know how in astrology your sign tends to get along better with some signs over others? Well, the same is often true for personality types.
Again, this is not a strict rule, but knowing your personality trait (and possibly knowing your friends’) will give you an idea of how you best communicate and whether a certain aspect of your personality tends to clash with a friend’s.
For example, someone who identifies as an ISTJ is very methodical and careful when choosing friends while a ESFP loves chatting and being the center of attention. These two personalities can be friends, but they just might run into disagreements, such as whether they should de-stress by going to a party or staying at home to get ahead on work.
By knowing your personality trait, you’ll learn what areas you might not feel comfortable with as well. Even better, if you have a friend who is well-versed in the area you’re uncomfortable with, you will know that you have someone to help you get through it.
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Knowing your MBTI is not an absolute necessity, but I do believe that for many people, knowing certain nuances about their personality leads to greater self-awareness.
Self-awareness allows us to not only compensate for our general weaknesses or challenges, but also appreciate our strengths and individual talents.
Whether you want to know your MBTI to understand your leadership style or because you want to see which Game of Thrones character you most relate to, this test can be a great resource.
Reflect & Refresh 