My obsession with personality quizzes began in my Seventeen Magazine days and ended...well, it hasn't yet. Discovering the Myers-Briggs test a few years only opened up more possibilities of self-exploration and discovery for me.
Critics of Myers-Briggs call it unreliable, mainly because some who take the test again after a few years receive completely different results. However, we are complex creatures who (thankfully) have the capacity to change and grow over time. Mine hasn't changed since I first took the test, but I wouldn't be surprised or upset if it does in the future.
Try taking a break from Buzzfeed quizzes and horoscopes and learn how these four letters can help you on your path to truly knowing who you are.
1. It helps you understand yourself.
My type, INFP, is one of the most commonly misunderstood. Before taking this test, I felt ashamed for having such strong emotions yet hardly expressing them. Whenever I expressed my sensitivity in situations, some encouraged me to toughen up. Whenever I hid what was feeling, others called me cold. Learning about my type helped me identify exactly why that happened in the past and how I can communicate better with different types. Simply reading descriptions of my type made me feel less alone, better understood, and helped me discover so many things about myself I'd never realized before.
2. It helps you advance in or find the right career.
There's a reason some workplaces have new employees take the test before training. MBTI can tell you the best way for you to learn and the best career path for you. It's best to know upfront whether your values align with the company you want to work for and if that field will be ultimately fulfilling for you.
3. It can improve your relationships and friendships.
Compatibility doesn't mean everything in a relationship, but it does mean something. Knowing your partner or best friend's MBTI type can help you understand why you butt heads in some situations and prepare for situations like this in the future. I believe that any type can get along with any other, but sometimes it just needs some extra effort and mutual understanding.
4. It can help you address your weaknesses.
Another criticism of MBTI is that it uses the Barnum effect, listing mainly positive traits in descriptions to increase one's belief in the test's accuracy. However, I disagree with this because pretty much every test website clearly defines each types' weaknesses as well as their strengths. This can show you flaws you might not have identified on your own. And then, of course, you can work on them to become the best you possible.
5. It's fun.
Once you know your Myers-Briggs type, so many exciting opportunities open up to you. There are tons of articles written by and for your type that can give you advice in how to live life to the fullest based on your values and personality. You will meet others who are into MBTI and knowing your type right off the bat can help you connect with them. You can look up which celebrities and fictional characters share your type and bask in the glory of knowing you and Daenerys Targaryen are actually one and the same. There's a whole world of knowledge and entertainment available to you as soon as your receive your test results.
Myers-Briggs can help you learn about yourself and others as you venture to gain more self-awareness. But take it with a grain of salt. Human beings are weird, mind-boggling creatures who could never be wholly defined by a single test (see “Divergent").
