I was recently asked to deliver a team day based on Myers Briggs personality profiling. I hadn’t done one for a while (all things more recently being about emotional intelligence, behaviour and positive mental health) but delivering this session rekindled my love of Myers-Briggs as one example of a great starting point for self- discovery. So I thought I’d explain for those who haven’t encountered it before and who might get something from it.
The model is based on four spectra. All of us can travel up and down each spectra but we all have a point of preference (that links to our behavioural tendencies). I think of it like this. At our point of preference is a stake. We are attached to that stake by a piece of elastic. The further we are forced away from the stake (for example because our work requires us to be a certain way), the more the elastic has to stretch and the more uncomfortable we can feel.
Here are the four spectra. I’ll explain them one at a time.
(Please forgive that I don’t write ‘with a preference for’ every time – to highlight that none of these traits are set in stone here and that I use shorthand instead!)
Extravert and Introvert
These words have entered into the English language but in this model, they mean slightly different things (and extrovert is spelt differently). I basically think of this as whether a person is a ‘radar in’ or ‘radar out’ person.
Extraverts are energised by the external world and very much predominantly exist ‘out there’. They can talk a lot, they are often quick to react and they tend to think things through out loud. Often what you hear an extravert saying, is their processing.
An introvert’s world is more internal. They process quietly to themselves and when they share, it’s the final, well-considered – arrival point, not the process.
When you get introverts and extraverts to brainstorm in separate groups, the introverts quietly take turns to carefully consider things. They pause to think and take their time. They produce a neat, orderly list and depending on what you’ve asked them to brainstorm about, their lists tend to be very measured.
The extraverts however, are more likely to be talking over each other – adding their ideas keenly into the pot, however fully considered – or not – they are. The list they produce is likely to be far more varied and random too. Even the page is more likely to visibly look all over the place!
Sensor and iNtuitive (As the I was already used for Introvert – an N is used here).
This spectrum is about how we take information in and process it – or how we perceive the world.
Sensors make up 75% of the population. Like their name implies, they receive ‘data’ through their five senses and the buck stops there. A table is a table and a chair is a chair. This makes them down-to-earth. It also tends to make them ‘do-ers’ and present-moment orientated. They also tend to focus on details.
People with a preference for intuition receive data and extrapolate. They prefer theory over reality. They are considered a tad ‘away-with-the-fairies by those with a strong preference for sensing. They tend to be future orientated and often prefer ‘new and novel’ over ‘tried and tested’.
Sensors and iNtuitvies work well together if the ‘Ns’ are left to consider the big picture, the aims and objectives, the overview, the vision and the ‘Ss’ keep it ‘real’ with practical details and logistics. Sensors see ‘what is’ and iNtuitives see, ‘what could be’. Sensors take things on face value, iNtuitives read between the lines.
I love exploring this spectrum! Initially I set a task the intuitives usually excel in. While they are feeling smug, I set a task that the Sensors usually excel in!
Feeler and Thinker
This spectrum is about how we make decisions. – our judging/assessing function. Both are considered rational functions – even though ‘feeler’ sounds far from rational – and can be relied upon to effectively guide our choices.
Feelers make decisions based more on a gut reaction. They unconsciously take all the information in, process it and are driven to decide based on how they end up feeling. Because of this, they tend to be more considerate any decision might have on others. Feelers tend to be ‘in’ the arena of the decision, feeling everything.
Thinkers are more impartial and more like observers of the decision arena, weighing up pros and cons with emotional detachment. They make decisions based on ‘what makes sense’ and can be oblivious (in their delightful straightforwardness) to any impact the decision might have on others.
Thinkers can seem harsh to feelers, feelers can seem wishy-washy to thinkers.
To illustrate the differences here, one activity I do is an ‘auction’ of values. It really highlights the different priorities of the two preferences.
Judger or Perceiver
This spectrum is about whether we are a person who tends to gun for closure or someone who remains ever-open, resisting closure.
Judgers like closure. They tend to be tidy, organised and work steadily towards deadlines. Once they’ve made a decision, they like it to remain made (or ‘closed’) – even if it would be good to consider a ‘new’ piece of significant information that has emerged.
Perceivers prefer things to remain open and resist closure. They tend to be more chaotic, distractible and only likely to complete tasks as the pressure of the deadline mounts. They are good at taking in new information and incorporating it into a – and necessarily changed – final result. They are also good at dealing with a ‘spanner in the works.’
To illustrate the differences between those with a judging and those with a perceiving preference, I set an task that can be completed in a ‘gunning for closure’ way or an ever expansive, open-ended way.
Once you have your four letters :
- E or I (Extravert or Introvert)
- S or N (Sensor or iNtuitive)
- T or F (Thinker or Feeler)
- J or P (Judger or Perceiver)
…put them together, e.g. ENFP and place those four letters in a search engine. You’ll be surprised by 1) how much information there is and 2) how astute it is!
Some versions of Myers Briggs add another component (that links to the ‘neuroticism’ part of the Big 5 personality profiling). Although it’s sometimes hard to be a ‘T’, they tend to be the people who drive for change, who are responsive to others and who are likely to embrace self-development in their lives.
As with all things when it comes to humans, nothing is concrete. This is only a helpful model of it ‘speaks to you’ and if you use it to help you understand why others don’t always see things that same way as you do. It’s also a great tool for understanding your blind spots too – although it usually takes people a while before they are ready to use the tool in this way: to appreciate the benefits ‘other types’ bring and to consider potential areas for personal growth.