Ever since I took the full version of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator entering college (this was used for roommate selection purposes), I've been fascinated by this questionnaire. When I was younger, I used to be so hard on myself. I would get frustrated by my subtle awkwardness and preferences to have plenty of alone time. Instead, I wanted to be like the people who were carefree, loud, and spontaneous because I thought that they had it better. Why did I feel uncomfortable due to a last minute change of plans? Why was I nervous meeting a new group of people for the first time? Why was I so analytical, and why did I overthink everything? Those feelings aren't natural, right?
[After taking the personality test, I found myself placed in the INTJ category. With a little research, it all made sense. My combination of the four traits was introverted, intuitive, thinking, and judging.A brief overview of my personality summed up by the MBTI is that INTJs "have original minds and great drive for implementing their ideas and achieving their goals. Quickly see patterns in external events and develop long-range explanatory perspectives. When committed, organize a job and carry it through. Skeptical and independent, have high standards of competence and performance - for themselves and others." The explanations made sense as to why I look at a situation from numerous perspectives to find the best solution to a problem, but this sometimes results in confusion and over-thinking about whether I'm being too open-minded or too factual. It made sense of how I can come across as too serious because I value logic over emotions, even though I consider myself a caring and kind individual. It also made sense of my introverted tendencies and how I feel drained when being around people for too long. All of the little "weird" things about myself that I felt like I couldn't control were discussed in my results.]
The more in-depth descriptions seemed to fit me almost exactly, and I was amazed. It was the first time that I truly felt understood and that my tendencies didn't seem unusual. It was then that I began to embrace my traits. In fact, I suddenly thought they were kind of cool. After doing some research, I found several fun facts that showed my personality type in a positive light:
1. INTJ's are one of the least common types of personality. They only make up 2% of the general population. More specifically, it only makes up 1% of women.
2. INTJ's are the least likely to believe in a higher power. Finally my guilt from struggling to believe in God subsided. I've grown up Catholic and still identify as that, but more recently I've been having some doubts. (If anything, I should earn brownie points with the guy upstairs for choosing to believe in Him even though I have to convince myself of His existence pretty often.)
3. Many female INTJ's are entrepreneurs. It was not stated whether or not they are successful (but I'm assuming they mostly are since INTJ's make some of the highest salaries out of the sixteen different personality types), but it made me feel good to know that I have traits that will be helpful in the field of business, which I plan to major in.
Finding the MBTI did wonders for my self-acceptance and understanding. Of course I realize that it's not a one-size-fits-all description and that I should not limit myself to what my research says. In fact, I'm not very extreme in the four categories of the test; most of my traits were borderline between the two ends of the spectrum ro slightly closer to one. I'm also aware that it's just a test to show your tendencies, not your ultimate behavior.
If anyone reading this has not taken this test, I encourage you to do so! Not only can it help explain your own personality, but it can help you increase understanding of others in your lives - friends, family, or significant others - and improve those relationships. I've benefited immensely from it, and I hope it can assist others in understanding their personalities and accepting themselves for who they are.
