In fact, Personality typing is a tool with many uses. It's especially notable for it's helpfulness in the areas of growth and self-development. Learning and applying the theories of your personality type can be a powerful and rewarding experience.
There are many ways to find out your personality type, that do not involve the need for a psychic connection! My personal favorite is based on the well-known research of Carl Jung, Katharine C. Briggs, and Isabel Briggs Myers.
Carl Jung first developed the theory that individuals each had a psychological type. He believed that there were two basic kinds of "functions" which humans used in their lives: how we take in information, and how we make decisions. He believed that within these two categories, there were also two opposite ways of functioning, thus realizing four distinct categories; sensing, intuition, thinking & feeling. He believed that we all use these four functions in our lives, but that each individual uses the different functions with a varying amount of success and frequency. He asserted also that individuals either "extraverted" or "introverted" their dominant function and upon the completion of his research, he had defined eight unique personality types:
- Extraverted Sensing
- Introverted Sensing
- Extraverted Intuition
- Introverted Intuition
- Extraverted Thinking
- Introverted Thinking
- Extraverted Feeling
- Introverted Feeling
Katharine Briggs expounded upon Jung's work, but it was Katharine's daughter Isabel who was really responsible for making the work on Personality Types visible and putting it all together. The developed theory today is that every individual also has a primary mode of operation within four categories.
- our flow of energy
- how we take in information
- how we prefer to make decisions
- the basic day-to-day lifestyle that we prefer
And that within each of these categories, we "prefer" to be either:
- Extraverted or Introverted
- Sensing or iNtuitive
- Thinking or Feeling
- Judging or Perceiving
Is your head spinning yet?
Here it all is in a nutshell...
Our Flow of Energy defines how we receive the essential part of our stimulation. Do we receive it from within ourselves (Introverted) or from external sources (Extraverted)? Is our dominant function focused externally or internally?
The topic of how we Take in Information deals with our preferred method of taking in and absorbing information. Do we trust our five senses (Sensing) to take in information, or do we rely on our instincts (iNtuitive)?
The third type of preference, how we prefer to Make Decisions, refers to whether we are prone to decide things based on logic and objective consideration (Thinking), or based on our personal, subjective value systems (Feeling).
These first three preferences were the basis of Jung's theory of Personalty Types. Isabel Briggs Myers developed the theory of the fourth preference, which is concerned with how we deal with the external world on a Day-to-day Basis. Are we organized and purposeful, and more comfortable with scheduled, structured environments (Judging), or are we flexible and diverse, and more comfortable with open, casual environments (Perceiving)? From a theoretical perspective, we know that if our highest Extraverted function is a Decision Making function, we prefer Judging. If our highest Extraverted function is an Information Gathering function, we prefer Perceiving.
The theory of Personality Types contends that each of us has a natural preference which falls into one category or the other in each of these four areas, and that our native Personality Type indicates how we are likely to deal with different situations that life presents, and in which environments we are most comfortable.
Learning about our Personality Type helps us to understand why certain areas in life come easily to us, and others are more of a struggle. Learning about other people's Personality Types help us to understand the most effective way to communicate with them, and how they function best!
The topic of how we Take in Information deals with our preferred method of taking in and absorbing information. Do we trust our five senses (Sensing) to take in information, or do we rely on our instincts (iNtuitive)?
The third type of preference, how we prefer to Make Decisions, refers to whether we are prone to decide things based on logic and objective consideration (Thinking), or based on our personal, subjective value systems (Feeling).
These first three preferences were the basis of Jung's theory of Personalty Types. Isabel Briggs Myers developed the theory of the fourth preference, which is concerned with how we deal with the external world on a Day-to-day Basis. Are we organized and purposeful, and more comfortable with scheduled, structured environments (Judging), or are we flexible and diverse, and more comfortable with open, casual environments (Perceiving)? From a theoretical perspective, we know that if our highest Extraverted function is a Decision Making function, we prefer Judging. If our highest Extraverted function is an Information Gathering function, we prefer Perceiving.
The theory of Personality Types contends that each of us has a natural preference which falls into one category or the other in each of these four areas, and that our native Personality Type indicates how we are likely to deal with different situations that life presents, and in which environments we are most comfortable.
Learning about our Personality Type helps us to understand why certain areas in life come easily to us, and others are more of a struggle. Learning about other people's Personality Types help us to understand the most effective way to communicate with them, and how they function best!
My personality type is ENFP
Extrovert/Intuitive/Feeler/Perceiver
ENFP - The Inspirer
Enthusiastic, idealistic, and creative. Able to do almost anything that interests them. Great people skills. Need to live life in accordance with their inner values. Excited by new ideas, but bored with details. Open-minded and flexible, with a broad range of interests and abilities
For a complete list of the 16 personality types, click here
OR
Click here to find out what your personality type is!
(and when you do, be sure to post it here...I'd LOVE to know more about you)
** information for this post has been gathered from personalitypage.com**
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