Myers-Briggs Personality Test

When I found out that we would be taking and discussing the Myers-Briggs test for class this week, I was really excited. When I was a senior in high school, my sociology teacher had us take this test, and I have ever since loved learning about it. I have taken it several times over the past few years, and my results have been fairly consistent. I always get the same last three letters, and the scores on them are always relatively high. However, the first letter varies from I to E, and the score is always rather low on that. Steve Smith, the man who spoke to the class on Monday, talked about how this was often the situation for him. He said it means that you are comfortable in a variety of different situations, and depending on the scenario, you can extroveted or introverted. He used the example of being in a class, and how he never really raises his hand or talks, but when he's teaching, he's loud and outgoing. This  is similar to me. I rarely talk in classes. I'm the person who will sit in the very back and not say a single comment the whole entire time. I think a lot during classes, but I never feel like I know how to articulate my thoughts in the way I want them to come out. I analyze situations but rarely comment. When I do talk, how I sound is completely different than when I am with a group of people I am comfortable with.  However, when I'm in a small group of people, usually friends, family or acquaintances, I am completely the opposite. I just say everything that comes out of my mouth and rarely (unfortunately) think before I say things. I still analyze the situation, but I'm more outgoing with what I say.

After reading a description of both an EFSJ and ISFJ profile, I realized that I definitely have qualities of both. These profiles are labelled as "The Nurturer" and "The Caregiver". I just find it very interesting how I read both the descriptions and I find myself throughout them. Obviously, there are going to be some differences in some areas, but for the most part, they are fairly accurate.

One of my favorite parts of the Myers-Briggs is that most of the time, there is given an analysis on relationships and the types of personalities you best work with. I've actually found out quite a bit about myself, and how to better deal with others that may not particularly be the same type of person as I am. When I was dating my last boyfriend, we had some issues. He was a very cynical person, and I was very much not. One day, he told me to read the description of his personality type, and honestly, it helped me understand him a lot better. That relationship didn't work out for some reasons that were really beyond repair, but it was then that I realized that even if two people are completely different, they can work together. I think that this is important in all areas of life, whether it be marriage, friendships, families, or just working on a group project. If you just recognize the strengths and weaknesses of others, and in yourself, and try and make them work together, everything works out for the better. It takes a lot of practice, in my opinion, but it is worth it to try. Every personality type is needed for a community to function, and everyone has some kind of gift or talent to contribute. I think as leaders it is so important for us to recognize those talents, and help others develop ones they might not know they have.