Have you ever taken the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator? Last summer one of my friends wanted to do this version with me, but I wasn’t so sure I was interested. I kind of scoffed at the idea that my entire personality could be summed up in a few letters, and don’t we all feel more complex than that? Well, we did it for fun and woah…spot on! I’m an INFJ, the advocate personality, and the detailed descriptions read like they were written by someone inside my head. I kept nodding along (and my friend kept laughing) as I read them out loud.
I think this tool can give you greater self-understanding, which can be helpful as long as it doesn’t become a rigid definition of what you’re capable of. An awareness of how you tick and what your strengths and weaknesses are can help you identify how you will reach your goals in relationships and avodas Hashem. For example, I know that I have an intense belief in my convictions, which can lead me into unhelpful arguments that become stressful. So I can recognize (and respect) my core of idealism, but be mindful of not letting it lead.
And like we’ve said before, there’s no such thing as a “best” personality type.
Do you know your Myers-Briggs personality type? Do you want to know?
What’s interesting is I took the test twice, got two very different results (INTP and ISFJ), yet both describe me pretty well. I wonder how that works. I kind of think both profiles are helpful in understanding myself. Maybe I should try a few more times…
Haha! I was actually an INFP when I took it a different time, and the descriptions were pretty accurate, but INFJ was eerily precise.
Wow… I was just looking this up a few days ago, on the same site!
I got ISFP on my first try but my good friend who is very into this tells me I am definitely an INFP (the ‘Mediator’) which I got when I took the test again today. For many years I brushed off this kind of thing b.c. I felt like I didn’t want to define anyone else or myself in such narrow terms, surely there is more to a person, and why the need to ‘type’ everyone- won’t it just lead to friction and divide?
😉