Personality Type Basics and Dynamics
Type Basics
The Myers-Briggs® personality type framework derives from Carl Jung’s work, as refined by Katharine Briggs, Isabel Briggs Myers, and many others. Briggs and Myers developed the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator ® (MBTI®) assessment, a widely administered tool that helps people identify their personality preferences.
There are two basic components of the Myers-Briggs personality type system:
- The four preference pairs—pairs of opposite type preferences
- The 16 four-letter types—personality patterns resulting from the interaction of people’s choices on the four preference pairs
The Four Preference Pairs
The fundamental differences between people, in terms of the four basic ways in which they use their mind, are described by the four preference pairs: Extraversion–Introversion (E–I), Sensing–Intuition (S–N), Thinking–Feeling (T–F), and Judging–Perceiving (J–P).
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- Directing and Receiving Energy
- Taking In Information
- Deciding and Coming to Conclusions
- Approaching the Outside World
The E–I Preference Pair The way you direct and receive energy
Extraversion
People who prefer Extraversion tend to direct their energy toward the outside world and get energized by interacting with people and taking action.
Introversion
People who prefer Introversion tend to direct their energy toward their inner world and get energized by reflecting on their ideas and experiences.
The S–N Preference Pair The way you take in information
Sensing
People who prefer Sensing tend to take in information that is real and tangible. They focus mainly on what they perceive using the five senses.
Intuition
People who prefer Intuition tend to take in information by seeing the big picture. They focus mainly on the patterns and interrelationships they perceive.
The T–F Preference Pair The way you decide and come to conclusions
Thinking
People who prefer Thinking typically base their decisions and conclusions on logic, with accuracy and objective truth the primary goals.
Feeling
People who prefer Feeling typically base their decisions and conclusions on personal and social values, with understanding and harmony the primary goals.
The J–P Preference Pair The way you approach the outside world
Judging
People who prefer Judging typically come to conclusions quickly and want to move on, and take an organized, planned approach to the world.
Perceiving
People who prefer Perceiving typically look for more information before coming to conclusions and take a spontaneous, flexible approach to the world.
The 16 Personality Types
The eight preferences when combined in all possible ways form 16 four-letter types.
EXPLORE THE 16 TYPESType Dynamics
The four letters of your type also contain important hidden information—including information about the four mental processes and clues about your development path.
The Four Mental Processes
The four preferences in the middle two preference pairs (Sensing, Intuition, Thinking, and Feeling) describe the important elements of how a person uses his or her mind. These are referred to as the mental processes. Sensing and Intuition, known as the perceiving processes, describe two opposite ways people tend to take in information. Thinking and Feeling, the judging processes, describe two opposite ways people tend to make decisions and come to conclusions.
Each of these four mental processes takes on a different character depending on whether it is directed toward the outside world (extraverted) or toward one’s inner world (introverted). This refinement of the four processes yields the eight patterns of mental activity.
Jung’s Eight Mental Patterns—Four Inward, Four Outward
Inward
Perceiving Processes
SiIntroverted Sensing
NiIntroverted Intuition
Judging Processes
TiIntroverted Thinking
FiIntroverted Feeling
Outward
Perceiving Processes
SeExtraverted Sensing
NeExtraverted Intuition
Judging Processes
TeExtraverted Thinking
FeExtraverted Feeling
Jung asserted that everyone uses all eight of these mental patterns, but with differing degrees of awareness and ease. Review the following table to understand what each of these patterns contributes to how you make sense of the world. You may want to take a few minutes to try the suggested activity for experiencing each pattern.
Contributions of the Eight Mental Patterns
SeExtraverted Sensing
Contribution
What is. The individual . . .
Takes in data via the five senses and trusts them
Notices what is factual and observable in the present
Is keenly aware of specific details in the here and now
Suggested Activity
Get an orange. Describe the orange, in detail, exactly as you experience it right now.
SiIntroverted Sensing
Contribution
What was. The individual . . .
Takes in and trusts information based on tangiblepast experiences
Links specific data in the here and now to stores of data taken in previously
Trusts experience and values history
Suggested Activity
Hold the orange. Close your eyes and think of the first time you encountered an orange. Recall all the details (sight, smell, sounds, location, who you were with, etc.).
NeExtraverted Intuition
Contribution
What could be. The individual . . .
Envisions what is by imagining what might be
Sees patterns, associations, and a range of possibilities for the future
Can project the future given today’s data
Suggested Activity
Put the orange in front of you. With someone else, list all the novel uses you can imagine for an orange.
NiIntroverted Intuition
Contribution
What will be. The individual . . .
Produces and trusts insights into the meaning of a situation
Holds a clear picture of the future that comes from instincts or hunches
Suggested Activity
Close your eyes. Think about what an orange symbolizes, what meaning it holds for you.
TeExtraverted Thinking
Contribution
What is true. The individual . . .
Critically analyzes in pursuit of finding “the best”
Trusts logic, structure, and order to drive quick action
Seeks clear outcomes and efficiency
Suggested Activity
Take five oranges. Organize them based on some objective criteria. See if someone else can identify the criteria you used.
TiIntroverted Thinking
Contribution
What is accurate. The individual . . .
Logically analyzes to clarify underlying frameworks
Is quick to find flaws in logic or faulty assumptions
Seeks precision
Suggested Activity
Research the family, genus, and species of orange trees, noting what distinguishes one species from another.
FeExtraverted Feeling
Contribution
What is valued. The individual . . .
Feels empathy for and connects easily with others
Wants action to align with stated or implied group values
Feels others’ emotions and trusts this type of data most
Suggested Activity
Describe how oranges can be used to better society or improve the human condition.
FiIntroverted Feeling
Contribution
What resonates. The individual . . .
Acts in accordance with personal core values or mission
Keeps feelings private rather than sharing them widely
Seeks internal alignment, harmony
Values integrity of aligning words with actions
Suggested Activity
Describe what matters most deeply to you. How does an orange reflect that? How are you influenced in daily life by those values?
The Interaction Between Preferences
Your four-letter type describes a dynamic system, not a static picture. The interaction between your preferences plays an important role in how you express your type. For each type, two of the eight patterns described above take precedence over all the others. These are referred to as your favorite process, which Jung called the dominant function, and your second process, which Jung called the auxiliary function.
- Favorite process. This is the mental process you use most habitually. It is represented by one of the middle two letters of your four-letter type along with a subscript letter, “e” or “i,” showing whether you use it outwardly (e) or inwardly (i).
- Second process. Your second process complements your favorite process. If your favorite process is one of the perceiving processes (used in taking in information: S or N), your second process is a judging process (used in making decisions: T or F). Again, a subscript letter, “e” or “i,” identifies whether you use it outwardly (e) or inwardly (i).
Combined, your favorite and second processes indicate how you understand your world and make decisions.
The subscript letters “e” and “i” attached to your favorite and second processes also balance each other. If, as indicated by the first letter of your type, you prefer Introversion (I), your favorite process typically operates inwardly and is less visible to others. Your second process balances this by operating outwardly. If you prefer Extraversion (E), your favorite process typically is used outwardly, visible to and engaging the people and things around you, and your second process creates balance by being oriented inwardly.
Your third process, which Jung called the tertiary function, is the preference opposite your second process. For example, if your second process is Sensing (either extraverted or introverted), your third process will be Intuition. Your fourth, or least preferred, process is the preference opposite your favorite process. For example, if your favorite process is Feeling (either extraverted or introverted), your fourth process will be Thinking.
Type Dynamics for the ESTJ Personality Type
(EXTRAVERTED
OR INTROVERTED) Third3rd process
COME EASILY. TAKE LESS ENERGY
ARE HARDER TO ACCESS. TAKE MORE ENERGY
Using your favorite and second processes is usually as easy as writing with your preferred hand and takes no more attention than that. Using your third and fourth processes is more like writing with your other hand. It definitely takes more energy and concentration, can be more tiring, and often turns out a bit shakier in terms of results. But you certainly can use these processes, and you’ve probably done so many times, even in the past few days.