We all have special gifts…..our personality. Sometimes it’s just hard to uncover and see them for ourselves. Once you understand your basic “type”, it becomes easier to recognise your own strengths and weaknesses.  It also helps you to see more clearly your personal strengths and how to play to them and live a life that uses and compliments them.

There are four basic aspects to the human personality

  1. How we interact with the world.
  2. Where we direct our energy.
  3. The kind of information we naturally notice.
  4. How we make decisions and whether we prefer a more structured way of life or a more spontaneous way.

Some people call these four aspects “dimensions” because each one can be pictured as a continuum or line between two extremes like this.

(E) Extroversion——-+—–Introversion (I)

(S) Sensing————+— -Intuition (N)

(T) Thinking———–+—–Feeling (F)

(J) Judging————+—-Perceiving (P)

 

When you do the test, you will end up with four letters in a particular sequence which will give you the basic scaffold of your “type” You will either be an E or an I, an S or an N, a T or an F and a J or a P. I’m going to explain what those words/letters mean because it’s slightly different from normal usage.

1. Extraversion / Introversion.

  • Extroverts are outward turning, they get their energy from spending time with people. They are action oriented and seek breadth of knowledge. They tend to act, then reflect, then act further.  Extraverts prefer frequent interaction.
  • Introverts obtain their energy from “inside” of themselves and from time spent alone. Their flow is directed inward toward concepts and ideas. They are thought not action oriented. They seek depth and not breadth of knowledge and influence.  Introverts prefer substantial interaction. Introverts reflect then act then reflect again in the opposite sequence to extraverts.
2.  Sensing/Intuition
  • Those closer to the sensor end, trust the information their 5 senses understand. They like and trust facts that are certain and concrete. They take on new ideas only if they have some kind of practical application. They value realism and common sense. They like to use and hone well established skills. They respond best to information presented in a logical step by step manner.
  • Those closer to the intuitive end, trust inspiration and inference and understand abstract and theoretical concepts. They like new ideas and concepts just for their own sake. They value imagination and innovation. They like to learn new skills and get bored easily once they’ve mastered skills. They trust their own flashes of insight and look for meaning in how new information fits various patterns or theories.
3. Thinking/Feeling
  • “Thinking” means making decisions impersonally or logically, based on facts.
  • “Feeling” means basing decisions on things that are important or of value to the person as an individual.
4. Judging/Perceiving
  • People with a preference for judging prefer to live in a more orderly way and are happiest when their lives are structured and matters are settled. They like to make decisions and are very good at getting things done and completing things.
  • People with a preference for “perceiving” like to live spontaneously and are happiest when their lives are flexible. They like to stay open to many options and seek to understand their life rather than control it.