Invest in yourself today
Jump to section What is the Myers-Briggs personality test? What does each letter mean in the 16 personalities? What are the MBTI 16 personalities? Is the Myers-Briggs test accurate? How to take the Myers-Briggs test Additional personality tests you can try Use the MBTI 16 personalities to improve your self-awareness If you’ve ever taken the Myers-Briggs personality test, you know it classifies you into one of 16 personalities based on your unique combination of character traits. Through a series of questions, it measures your degrees of extraversion versus introversion, intuiting versus sensing, thinking versus feeling, and judging versus perceiving. Your answers reveal the dominant trait in each set, resulting in a personality type like ESTJ or INFP. Regardless of whether you agree with the findings, this personality assessment is a great tool for improving your self-awareness and helping you identify potential career paths. It can also give you areas to focus on for personal and professional development. Knowing what the individual letters in each personality type stand for and what the 16 personalities indicate can help you learn more about yourself and your strengths, preferences, and opportunities for growth. The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is a personality assessment that identifies you as one of 16 personality types. It’s a self-report questionnaire that helps you uncover four things about yourself: Writer Isabel Briggs Myers and her mother, Katharine Cook Briggs, developed the MBTI during World War II. It was based on psychologist Carl Jung’s personality theory and theory of individual preferences, which argues that fundamental differences in mental and emotional functioning lead to the variations seen in human behavior. The Myers-Briggs personality assessment is often used to help people explore career fields, improve communication in the workplace, and support leadership development. You can also use it as an activity for personality development to identify your character traits and self-reflect on your strengths and weaknesses. The 16 personalities identified by the MBTI are each represented by a combination of four letters that stand as an abbreviation for certain traits. The first letter in your MBTI personality type will be an E or an I for extraversion or introversion. This distinction helps determine where you derive your energy from. Extroverted people tend to gain energy from spending time with others and likely enjoy social interaction. They process things by bouncing ideas off other people. Conversely, introverted people tend to direct their energy inward. If you’re introverted, you’re more likely to enjoy alone time and process things internally rather than through discussing them with someone else. The second letter in your personality type will be either an N for intuiting or an S for sensing. These characteristics help explain how you absorb and trust information. If you’re intuitive, you process information based on patterns and possibilities, especially if you have introverted intuition. You’re a more abstract thinker who uses your imagination to analyze situations. Sensing types, on the other hand, rely on specific details and facts to process information. If you are sensing, you likely use your human senses to understand your surroundings and situations. You’ll find either a T or an F as the third letter in your personality type, which stands for thinking or feeling. These psychological functions, identified by Carl Jung and built upon by Isabel Briggs Myers, help you understand how you make decisions. If you fall into the “thinking” category, you’re likely more practical and rely on logic to make decisions. If you’re in the “feeling” category, you’re more likely to follow your heart and emotions. The final letter in your MBTI personality test result will be a J or a P for judging or perceiving. This area helps describe how you interact with the outside world. Judgers often prefer structure and order. They’re well organized and like to focus on one thing at a time rather than multitasking. Meanwhile, those in the perceiving category tend to be more flexible and adaptable. They tend to keep their options open and absorb information for longer periods of time. The different combinations of the letters above form the personality types recognized by the MBTI. Here are the 16 personalities Myers-Briggs identifies through the assessment, along with their strengths and areas for improvement. People with the INTJ personality type have a unique way of looking at the world, which makes them great innovators. They’re logical, often relying on objective observations and thoughtful analyses to make conclusions. INTJ personality types thrive when they’re alone with their thoughts, making them more introverted. They’re great at organizing work and completing it at high performance standards. The more extroverted version of INTJ, ENTJ personality types make great leaders. They’re direct, decisive, and quick to identify inefficiencies in processes and solutions. They enjoy setting goals and making long-term plans to solve complex organizational problems. Their ideas are usually well informed, and they find it meaningful to share their knowledge with others. People with the INFP personality type are introspective daydreamers who excel at solo work. They tend to be more introverted and self-expressive. They’re loyal friends and protective of their personal values. They’re also empathetic, meaning they’re good at understanding what others need and ensuring no one else has to compromise their values. Similar to INFP, the ENFP personality type excels in creativity and passion. However, those with an ENFP personality are extroverts (sometimes spelled “extraverts”). They’re also open-minded and great at bringing people together and making every task an adventure. They’re excellent problem solvers and enjoy a good challenge. INTP personality types are introverted and find more value in ideas than social interaction. They’re analytical, curious, and think outside the box to find solutions that may seem counterintuitive. They’re usually quiet and have a deep ability to focus. They’re also receptive to new ideas and enjoy taking an unconventional approach to life. ENTP personalities are quick on their feet and excellent brainstormers. They’re idea-oriented, creative, and charismatic. People with ENTP traits have a unique mix of charm and knowledge, and their extroversion is marked with enthusiasm. They have strong communication skills and are experts at reading people. Because of this, they often excel in public-facing roles. People with an ISTP personality are flexible and highly observant. They’re hands-on learners, making them handy and resourceful, especially when it comes to things like mechanics or crafting. They value straightforward communication and make sense of the world using logical reasoning. They’re also self-reliant and excel at staying in the present. ESTP personality types take a pragmatic approach to life and may find theories and broad concepts boring. They’re energetic and spontaneous and learn best by doing. They are highly perceptive and great at identifying when something needs to change. They’re also sociable, making them natural group leaders, even when they aren’t seeking leadership roles. Although people with an ISFP personality are introverted, they’re loyal and committed to those in their corner. Their introversion drives them to be quiet yet kind and encouraging, making them likable and great team players. They have a bold imagination, are highly passionate about their interests, and tend to encourage others to find their passions, too. They excel in positions where they can be creative and compassionate. The more extroverted version of an ISFP is an ESFP. ESFPs are friendly and outgoing, making them great entertainers. They’re accepting and have excellent people skills. They’re also positive thinkers who easily adapt to new people and environments. They make work fun while also bringing a realistic and common-sense approach to problem-solving. ISTJ personality types are thorough, dependable, and responsible. People with this personality type are fact-minded, disciplined, and highly organized. They strictly adhere to guidelines, making them great at being productive and reliably meeting deadlines. They’re also calm and practical, which helps them make rational decisions. People with an ESTJ personality type are decisive and quick to act. They can make great people managers and project managers due to their organizational skills and efficiency. ESTJs are dedicated, strong-willed, and enjoy constructing order out of chaos. They prefer predictability and are fully committed to high standards. ISFJ personality types are highly conscientious and observant. They remember specific details and concern themselves with how their decisions will make others feel. They take pride in hard work, often going above and beyond expectations. They’re also meticulous, supportive, and practical, making them a well-rounded team member for any project. The more extroverted companion to the ISFJ personality, ESFJ personalities are social, community-minded, and great at connecting with others. They’re loyal, determined, and proactive, and they have a strong desire to help others. They value stability and appreciation for their contributions and are practical collaborators. INFJ personality types value connection and meaningful relationships. They want to use their strengths to help others, and they have strong beliefs when it comes to ethics. They’re insightful, leading them to uncover what motivates those around them. They also exhibit passion and creativity, motivating them to shoot for the stars. Similar to INFJ personalities, ENFJ personality types are warm and have a strong moral compass. They naturally inspire others through their desire to help each individual realize their full potential, which has a way of making people feel seen. Their empathy, coupled with charisma and an ability to capture attention, makes them great leaders. While the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator is a helpful tool for increasing your self-awareness, it’s not widely considered to be accurate or reliable. Here are a few reasons why: You can take the full Myers-Briggs personality assessment in one of three ways: While you’ll see plenty of websites advertising a free personality test, you can only purchase the full and original Myers-Briggs personality assessment at MBTIonline. The free options are typically simplified versions of the original. If you don’t feel aligned with the methodology used by the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, there are plenty of other personality tests you can try to help increase your self-awareness. Four other popular personality assessments include the following: You can also try taking a career aptitude test to learn more about your interests and how they align with potential career paths. Another place to start could be to research jobs for introverts or jobs for extroverts based on the traits you identify with most. Working with a career coach can also be a great way to help you start your career search on the right foot. Regardless of whether you agree with your MBTI assessment result, understanding each of the 16 personalities can help you better pinpoint your strengths, values, and motivations. Knowing what you’re good at can open the door to more substantial career opportunities and help uncover your authentic self. If you want to learn more about careers that might be a good match for your personality traits, consider working with a career coach. Career coaches can help you develop a vision, create a career trajectory, and unlock your full potential. Understand yourself better by working with a BetterUp Coach to find your most meaningful career opportunity yet.What is the Myers-Briggs personality test?
What does each letter mean in the 16 personalities?
Extraversion (E) vs. introversion (I)
Intuiting (N) vs. sensing (S)
Thinking (T) vs. feeling (F)
Judging (J) vs. perceiving (P)
What are the MBTI 16 personalities?
INTJ
ENTJ
INFP
ENFP
INTP
ENTP
ISTP
ESTP
ISFP
ESFP
ISTJ
ESTJ
ISFJ
ESFJ
INFJ
ENFJ
Is the Myers-Briggs test accurate?
How to take the Myers-Briggs test
Additional personality tests you can try
Use the MBTI 16 personalities to improve your self-awareness
Understand Yourself Better: Big 5 Personality Test
Understand Yourself Better: Big 5 Personality Test
Well-being
Published November 25, 2024
