I believe that typology is fascinating, it was the gateway that lead me to discover my love for psychology. Catagorizing ourselves and forcing a bunch of labels onto ourselves could often be limiting and harmful. We are abstract, and complex. However, I think it is a good starting point to learning about ourselves.
My Typology: INXP sp6w5 694 R[L]Ua/I/ Mel-Phleg FLEV
Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
MBTI (Myers-Briggs Type Indicator) is a self-report questionnaire and system created by a mother (Katharine Cook Briggs) and her daughter (Isabel Briggs Myers) to fit individuals into 16 categories, or “personalities” based on studies by Carl Jung (pronounced young). I have decided to seperate their systems due their fundamentally different approaches.
I think it is important to note that MBTI is widely regarded as pseudoscience, meaning there is not enough evidence to back it up as a scientific method. Originally, I wanted the "study" branch of my site to only involve subjects I learned in school, but I decided to include some of my other interests/hyperfixations that I enjoy collecting information about.
There are 4 dimensions or axes in MBTI - introversion/extraversion, intuition/sensation, thinking/feeling, and judging/percieving. You may see this method being used on personality test sites such as 16personalities. This is a simplified model of Carl Jung’s theory.
Test(s) That I Would Recommend
Self-report assessments aren't the most reliable. Don't take the results at face value, and try to introspect and research beyond. I thought that these tests provide a good starting point, as they were helpful to me. Feel free to disagree with me, or explore other alternatives.
Introversion
- An inward function, where focus is primarily directed on their inner "world" - and priority is put upon their subjective perception/values.
- Gathering energy from solitude and time alone in low stimulation environments.
Extraversion
- An outward function, where focus is primarily directed on the outer world - and priority is put upon focusing on people/external ideas.
- Gathering energy from interacting with the external world in high stimulation environments.
Sensing
- A percieving/irrational function in which one primarily takes in new information by using their senses -- eg. through interacting with the physical world, or interacting with one's previous experiences.
Intuition
- A percieving/irrational function in which one primarily takes in new information by making abstract connections and patterns between items in the physical world.
Thinking
- A judging/rational function in which one primarily relies on logical reasoning guided by principles.
Feeling
- A judging/rational function in which one primarily empathizes on emotions and/or morality during reasoning.
Judging
- An individual with a preference for "judging" favors planning and organization. Their appreciation for structure may appear in external actions, or in their internal systems. They tend to keep their options limited - only going in depth in a few areas they deem important. They are often experts in a few fields.
Percieving
- An individual with a preference for "percieving" are spontaneous and flexible. In contrast, they like keeping their options open - and enjoy exploring many different possibilities. They could be described as a jack of all trades.
Conclusion
There are a total of 2⁴ or 16 different combinations or types that could be formed by choosing the option in each axis that aligns the most with you. An example of a type would begin with I/E (shortened forms for introversion/extraversion), followed by S/N (sensing/intuition), and ending with T/F (thinking/feeling). An example of a type in MBTI can be "ISFJ", or "ENTP".
It is normal for a person to be indecisive, or feel that they land somewhere between the axes. Finding our where you lean, and what your "type" is takes time and introspection. This is also one of the reasons why MBTI is considered to be pseudoscience - as it is incredibly difficult to fit everyone into these boxes.