Know Thyself Part 3: MBTI – What’s Your Personality Type?

So far, we’ve explored your intelligences and your Big Five traits. There’s another tool that’s very popular (and also fun) for understanding yourself: the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI).

You’ve probably heard people say things like “I’m an INFP” or “She’s such an ESTJ.” They were referring to their personality types measured by MBTI.

What Is MBTI?

The MBTI is a personality framework based on the work of psychologist Carl Jung. It’s developed by mother-daughter duo Isabel Briggs Myers and Katharine Cook Briggs. The framework sorts people into 16 personality types based on four dimensions:

1. How they use and get energy – Introversion (I) or Extraversion (E)

2. How they take in information – Sensing (S) or Intuition (N)

3. How they make decisions – Thinking (T) or Feeling (F)

4. How they approach the world – Judging (J) or Perceiving (P)

Each dimension is captured by a single letter (e.g., E for Extroversion). And based on a person's natural tendency in each dimension, each person gets a 4-letter MBTI type, like ENFP or ISTJ. There are 16 types in total.

Dimension	What It Means
Introversion (I) vs. Extraversion (E)	Do you recharge by being alone (I) or spending time with others (E)?
Sensing (S) vs. Intuition (N)	Do you focus on facts (S) or big ideas (N)?
Thinking (T) vs. Feeling (F)	Do you make decisions with logic (T) or values/empathy (F)?
Judging (J) vs. Perceiving (P)	Do you prefer structure (J) or opening to new information (P)?

The 16 Personality Types

Image Source:  https://www.simplypsychology.org/the-myers-briggs-type-indicator.html

MBTI vs. Big Five

• MBTI reflects how you prefer to operate – your predisposition and style.

• Big Five measures how much of a trait you show on a spectrum.

Both tools can help you understand yourself better. MBTI gives a quick, handy sketch in broad strokes. Big Five provides a more detailed, nuanced view.

Final Thoughts

• MBTI is not about putting you in a box. People are complicated and each has a unique temperament, interests, and quirks. 16 boxes are certainly not enough for holding all of us. Also, between white and black, there are shades of grey. For example, my MBTI test result shows that I’m an ENTP. E means extravert here. But in reality, I’m neither a pure extravert nor a pure introvert. I sit right in the middle, and depending on the mood of the day, I may lean toward one side slightly more. Nonetheless, MBTI is useful because it gives a snapshot of ourselves and others. It teaches us to be mindful when making choices and interacting with others: what works for me? what clicks for others? It also comes in handy when we try to help others know ourselves better by describing our personalities to them.

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References:

16Personalities. (n.d.). Personality types. 16Personalities. https://www.16personalities.com/personality-types

Simkus, J. (2025, March 19). Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI): 16 personality types. Simply Psychology. https://www.simplypsychology.org/the-myers-briggs-type-indicator.html

The Myers & Briggs Foundation. (n.d.). The 16 MBTI personality types. https://www.myersbriggs.org/my-mbti-personality-type/the-16-mbti-personality-types/