I have recently been introduced to myers briggs personality types. A neighbour of mine is an organisational consultant than among other things help companies to do successful recruitments. In this role he has studied myers briggs and typewatching in depth.
A while ago he came over and we went through the basics of the four dimensions to see where my preference is. Once we had done this we summarised my results and we came to the conclusion that I am an INTJ – Introvert, iNtuition, Thinking and Judging. In order to be certain that this was my type he asked me a control question: “Do you think people are idiots?” Supposedly, it is very common for INTJ to think people are idiots. I did not like the question because, of course, people are not idiots. That is not how I have been raised but I had to admit that it is frustrating that people are so slow sometimes and does not seem to “get it”.
I have taken quite a lot of time to study my type since then. It is not always a very flattering description and it does fall outside the social norm in many cases. Here is how INTJ are described at www.16personalities.com.
It’s lonely at the top, and being one of the rarest and most strategically capable personality types, INTJs know this all too well. INTJs form just two percent of the population, and women of this personality type are especially rare, forming just 0.8% of the population – it is often a challenge for them to find like-minded individuals who are able to keep up with their relentless intellectualism and chess-like maneuvering. People with the INTJ personality type are imaginative yet decisive, ambitious yet private, amazingly curious, but they do not squander their energy.
Not only have I studied my own type since that afternoon together with my neighbour but I have been studying all 16 personality types. I find it very stimulating and rewarding. One thing with typewatching is that there is no lack of examples and practical applications. You read something one evening and start seeing it next day at work.
If you do not know what your type is, I recommend that you take the test yourself. There are plenty of sites where you can do it but I personally like www.16personalities.com or www.41q.com best. If you are anything like me, there will be a whole new world of human understanding that will open up.