Have you ever categorized people into certain types? Do you feel that one of your colleagues may be suited to a different job based on her personality? Do you see a chronic pattern in the behaviour of people around you?
If so, you might be glad to know that there is an exclusive system of classification that is used to categorize people based on their thinking and behaviour styles. The system is known as MBTI – Myer Briggs Type Indicator and is named after the mother-daughter duo Katharine Cook Briggs and Isabel Briggs who developed it based on the ideas of Carl Jung. Many organizations use this system or variants of it to get a better understanding of their employees. The system uses an extensive list of questionnaire to ask about an individual’s responses and behaviours in general. The person is then designated a certain personality type out of the 16 probable types after an analysis. While MBTI classification is not exactly a pure science, it allows for a deeper understanding of motivations and working styles owing to its worldwide popularity.
Let’s look at this system from a simplified way. MBTI judges each individual based on 8 parameters namely Introvert/ Extrovert, Sensor / Intuitive, Feeler/ Thinker and Judger/Percept-or. This gives rise to acronym-ic classes such as INTJ, ESFP etc
An Introvert prefers being to oneself more and an Extrovert loves to socialize. A sensor takes on direct information from the environment to function while an intuitive type tends to rely on intuition and past experiences. A feeler feels emotions more deeply while a thinker prefers to respond only through proper analysis. A judger judges everything instantaneously based on available information while a perceptive type tends to add on more information to any subject delaying false judgement.
Certain people with artistic tendencies tend to be Feelers and Intuitives. This means that the person makes decisions based on his or her feeling towards a particular situation rather than hard practical facts. Intuitive persons tend to be more in their head connecting certain dots than be fully present and responsive to their environments. Another extreme example can be of the so called numbers type, an extroverted sensor who prefers hard facts over feelings. Such a personality type can be a good accountant, manager or a leader according to this system.
However, the type and decision making under MBTI can often fluctuate based on an individual’s age and experience. Also we are the sum total of all our choices which sometimes have complex reasons that MBTI simply cannot account for, so one needs to be flexible while interpreting things based on MBTI.
You can take the personality test anytime online or go for a more professional analysis through a counsellor at Kyts to get a better understanding of yourself. Once you know more about your strengths and psychological preferences you can always choose a better job for yourself, a job suited to your particular natural preferences.
Note : This article is an interpretation of the system and not to be held for divulging or representing hard psychological facts.
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