Personality Types

I spent a portion of my night going through several personality frameworks including Myers Briggs (MBTI), DISC, Enneagram, and the Keirsey Sorter. This is the type of thing that I get theoretically excited about, but quickly become discouraged by once I sit down and start going through the frameworks. A good buddy of mine asked me the other day what my MBTI was which put this whole personality thing on my mind. Growing up in my family, I have taken most of the tests out there several times. However, one of the struggles that I encounter is authentically and accurately assessing myself. I find that I have a hard time identifying myself and I often have an ideal "portrait" I am unconsciously trying to obtain. From my perspective, I feel like I have skewed my answers to align more with the person I want to be than the person I might actually be.


Knowing my historic challenge with these type of frameworks, the process I have used this time around is more holistic. I have used friends as sounding boards, talked to my parents about my childhood, completed tests, and used frameworks. For now, I focused on the Myers Briggs tool using a combination of the aforementioned methods. For those of you not familiar with the MBTI, it is a tool to help people better understand themselves and others. I have included an overview of the types and tool below:

My Results
For the first time, I am reasonably confident that I have identified a type that fits me. I will first go through the individual dichotomies to flesh out my thinking, then talk about the application, and finally address resources for you to use should you be interested.


INTJ - The Mastermind (Per the Keirsey Sorter)
I think that INTJ best depicts my personality type (within the bounds of the MBTI) because of the following analysis (very "T" like):

Application
This exercise has been both freeing and encouraging to me. The freedom comes from the realization that I am more of an introvert than an extrovert and that this does not mean I am sub-par. For a long time, I have been one to push through the tiredness and exhaustion that accompanies long times with big groups of people. While I love being with people and teams, I realized that I do need to recharge my batteries by being alone. I also learned that my introvertedness is what powers my ability to put on my headphones and work hard for a long period of time. I also have an ability to see long-term that comes from my intuitive and pragmatic approach to life.

As stated above, I am also encouraged by the fact that no matter the "type," everyone has unique contributions that the world needs in order to flourish. Before doing this exercise, I thought I only wanted to be a few of the rare, special types. However, after reading through all the types and their unique strengths, it is very apparent how everyone is needed.

Resources
Helpful framework: Personality Pathways
Portraits of the various types: Portraits
MBTI Basics: Myers Briggs Basics
Keirsey Sorter: Keirsey Sorter Types
Book: Quiet - Great book for more introverted people