BREAKING THE SILENCE, 2014 Breaking The Silence | Page 45

BREAKING DOWN THE MBTI: SIXTEEN PERSONALITY TYPES
4. Judgment (J) versus
According to the theory behind the MBTI, every individual falls into one of 16 types of
personality. These personality types are derived from the four main indices of the MBTI.
Each index represents one of the four basic preferences (described by Jung) about how
every individual perceives and processes external stimuli and then uses that
information to make some kind of cognitive judgment. As part of one's overall
personality, this judgment guides behavioral preferences in any situation involving
other people—like colleagues or patients. The four dimensions measured by the MBTI
are: Perception (P):
How do you order your
life? What kind of
environment makes you
the most comfortable?
This index describes how a
person deals with the
outside world. Those who
prefer judgment are
1. Extroversion (E) 2. Sensing (S) versus 3. Thinking (T) versus serious, time‐conscious
versus Introversion (I):
How do you relate to
others? Where do you best
derive your energy—from
yourself or from others?
Introverts prefer to focus
their interest and energy
on an inner world of ideas,
impressions, and
reactions. Being
introverted does not mean
being asocial. Instead,
introverts prefer
interactions with greater
focus and depth, with
others who are also good
listeners and who think
before they act or speak.
Extroverts, on the other
hand, derive their energy
from external stimuli and
tend to focus their interest
on the outside world.
They prefer dealing with
facts, objects, and actions.
Not all extroverts are the
life of the party, however.
They simply prefer being
engaged in many things at
once, with lots of
expression, impulsivity,
and thinking out loud. Intuition (N):
What kinds of stimuli do
you prefer when
collecting, processing, and
remembering information?
Sensors are the ones who
are drawn to the hard,
immediate facts of
life—practical details and
evidence that can be taken
in through one of the five
senses. They are sensible, Feeling (F):
How do you make
decisions and come to
conclusions? This index
concerns the kind of
judgment you trust when
you need to make a
decision. Thinkers make
their decisions
impersonally, based mainly
on objective data that
makes sense to them. As
analytical people
motivated by achievement,
they always consider the
logical consequences of
their decisions. Unlike
thinkers, Feelers rely on
personal, subjective
feelings in their decisions.
As empathetic,
compassionate, and
sensitive people, they take
the time to consider how
their decision might affect
others. Feelers like
pleasing others and tend
to get their feelings hurt
rather easily. individuals who live by
schedules. They like things
orderly, planned, and
controlled. Judgers need a
world of structure and
predictability to have a
sense of control over their
environment and to be
their most organized and
productive. Judgers work
hard, make decisions
quickly and decisively, and
sometimes can be closed
minded. On the other
hand, Perceivers are much
more open minded,
relaxed, and
nonconforming. They are
much more aware of ideas,
events, and things. Their
flexibility and spontaneity,
however, can sometimes
lead to irresponsibility.
Although judgers need to
finish projects and settle
all issues, perceivers tend
to gather information in a
leisurely way before
making a final decision.
Perceivers prefer to
experience as much of the
world as possible, so they
like to keep their options
open and are most
comfortable adapting.
matter‐of‐fact people who
look at the reality of the
world around them, rely
on prior experiences, and
take things literally.
Intuitives, on the other
hand, look beyond the
facts and evidence for
meanings, possibilities,
connections, and
relationships. They are
more imaginative and
creative people who like to
see the big picture and
abstract concepts. Using
intuition often means
relying on a hunch or gut
feeling rather than past
experience. They eschew
facts for theories and look
beyond simply the
obvious.
AMSUL Digest 2014