The Myers-Briggs Might Be Legit

I wish I could say I was being paid to tell you this, but I am not. This is all true.

If you’re familiar with the Myer’s Briggs Personality Test, you know what INFJ means. If you’re not, here’s the gist:

Decades ago, Katharine Cook Briggs and her daughter, Isabel Briggs Myers, encountered the studies of Carl Jung and his theories on personality. They decided to make it their mission to help individuals identify the type of personality they had, and work on better understanding how they can reach their full potential. Eventually, after years and years of research, the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) test was born.

The test is available through many different resources, and often it requires a form of payment. To take a test based around the MBTI for free, click here.

The research and test operates under the idea that there are 16 main personality types, with four different categories and two possibilities for each of them. The four sections are I/E, N/S, F/T, and J/P.

Attitudes
Introversion (I): thought-orientated, energized from spending time alone, prefer more substantial interaction
Extroversion (E): action-orientated, energized from spending time with people, prefer frequent interaction

Perceiving Functions
Intuition (N): focus on information that is able to be felt and given context, along with placing weight in the principles and underlying theory of information
Sensing (S): prefer to process things that are concrete and like to focus on details and facts

Judging Functions
Feeling (F): make decisions based on empathizing with a situation and considering the needs of the people involved
Thinking (T): make decisions based on which one seems most logical and able to fall into the structure of given rules

Lifestyles
Judgment (J): like planning activities and making decisions in advance and having predictability
Perception (P): like to delay decisions in favor of, “keeping options open.”

While there are many different studies and research into the MBTI, there is no actual psychological decision made on whether the test is a true indicator of personality or not. That being said, I decided to take the test myself.

According to the 16 Personalities test, I am an INFJ, meaning I am an advocate. My results state that, “INFJ is the rarest of personality types, making up less than 1% of the population.”

I’ve taken the test multiple times in the last 6 or 7 years, and have always found myself to be an INFJ.

I often describe myself as the, “outgoing introvert.” I love talking to people, and those that know me know that I could talk for hours if I was allowed to. However, those that know me also know that I’m only good for short interactions with people. If you take me to an event where I only know you, expect me to be stuck to your side like glue. Additionally, if you take me out, I’m only good for a few hours of interaction before I just want my pajamas and my home.

As a performer, I like entertaining. I enjoy conversing. I find joy in talking to people, but I need to recharge pretty regularly, and that recharging has to happen alone.

I am most definitely a creative type with what I refer to as an artist’s brain. I think in abstract ideas and mental pictures of something I want to do or have. This can make being understood sometimes difficult.

I am usually emotions-based, and am constantly wondering how someone is feeling about the thing they are sharing as opposed to the actual information I am being given. On that same note, even though I am someone that is emotionally in touch and someone that even runs a blog, I tend to be rather reserved and even a little private. There are many things that even close friends will ask me and I will clam up for fear of sharing too much of myself.

That being said, I consider myself to be not only a good friend, but a great one. I’m always pushing for whatever a friend may need and trying my best to give it to them. I go out of my way to assist those that I care about, and will support anything that they strongly believe in. This does not always do me justice, because while I take care of those around me, I rarely take time to take care of myself, too.

All in all, I personally find the MBTI to be a legitimate starting place for learning more about yourself, or reaffirming what you’ve already known. Almost all of what I read about INFJs applies to me. I read through my results, and read through the pages where it was broken down into: strengths and weaknesses, romantic relationships, friendships, parenthood, career paths, and even workplace habits. In the conclusion of my results, I read a few sentences that I believe really make up the essence of who I am:

Your imagination and empathy make you someone who not only cherishes their integrity and deeply held principles but, unlike many other idealistic types, is also capable of turning those ideals into plans, and executing them.

I wish I could say I was being paid to tell you this, but I am not. This is all true. It is all my opinion.

If nothing else, I encourage you to take the test for fun. It’s something you can do in only a few moments on your phone. You answer some questions about yourself, and maybe you’ll learn something valuable. What you decide to do with that information is completely up to you, but there is nothing that has ever seemed to understand me more than the Myers-Briggs test.

Already know your Myers-Briggs results? Share them with me!