Have you ever heard of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator? If you are between the ages of 18-70, I would think you would have – in fact, maybe you’ve taken it several times by now.
The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is a personality test. Well, to be more accurate, it’s an assessment based on a questionnaire that measures preferences on how the participant views the world and makes decisions. It’s based on the work of famous psychiatrist, Carl Jung. You can take a reasonable facsimile of the questionnaire on line here. It will give you your “type” which consists of four letters.
Why am I talking about this? Well, I have a theory regarding one of the personality type indicators in this assessment. I’ve taken the official MBTI assessment at least 4 times in my life, and each time I have been assesses as an ENTP. I have taken a bunch of personality questionnaires and 360 feedback surveys, and by far the MBTI has been the most accurate and the most helpful. If you want to learn more about the assessment, the Wiki article is a good synopsis.
Basically, the assessment tells you what personality preferences you have for 1) how you get your energy – my preference is ‘E’ which means extrovert – so I prefer to get my energy externally. 2) how you get your information – my preference is ‘N’ which means intuitive – so I prefer to get my information by using my intuition. 3) how you make your decisions – my preference is ‘T’ which means thinking – so I prefer to make my decisions using a more logical, pro/con approach. 4) the lifestyle indicator – how you relate to the outside world – my preference is ‘P’ which means perceiver – so I prefer to be more flexible and adaptive – leaving decisions open.
I think there is a definite link in those with the P lifestyle indicator – especially when you compare it to its pair, the “J” and whether you are “naturally disorganized”. J stands for “judging” and that indicator means that you prefer a more structured and decided lifestyle. Either preference can be organized, but I believe that someone who has a ‘J’ preference will be more bothered or annoyed with disorder and chaos. The nature of preferring to have life decided means the ‘J’ person will have lists and plans and follow through with what has been decided. The ‘P’ person, on the other hand, will make up her mind when she gets out of bed and sees what the weather is. Suddenly the “plan” for the day has changed from cleaning the closet to going to the beach!
People joke all the time about being born with (or without) the “organization gene”. Of course, there is no such gene, but I think we all know someone who, since childhood, has been organized and neat with what looks like no effort at all. Just like we all know someone (who, moi?) that can’t seem to keep a space neat and clean to save their lives. This predisposition is it nature or nurture? My own experience is nature. My older sister was neat, automatically picked up after herself, hung up her clothes, made her bed, etc. I grew up in the very same house – the very same bedroom, and my bed was never made, my clothes and toys were all over the bed and my space. I would clean it all up (ok, with a lot of shoving under a bed), and it would be a mess again in a week, a disaster area in two weeks. Why is one of us neat and the other not? I don’t know why, and I’m not sure if any biologist or psychologist can explain it, but in my early 20s I learned to accept it. I am who I am, and instead of incessantly trying to change who I am (and FAILING again and again), I work with the strengths and weaknesses I possess and make the best of the situation.
Want to hear something funny? My current profession is as a project manager! Yes, I plan tasks and milestones, track budgets, and make deadlines. In this area of my life, I’m actually really good at figuring out how work should be broken down, what should be done in which order, and prioritizing.
I attribute this to my early experiences with meal and party planning. When I was in my teens, my mother went to work, and I ended up having to start dinner for the family (and sometimes make the whole thing). I learned a lot about having to time certain tasks so that the meal would be ready all at once. I also loved to entertain since I was really young (planned a surprise birthday party for my best friend when I was 10). This is also an event where you need to understand your deadline, the tasks that need to be done when, your available time, etc. So, it was all good practice and the skills were transferable to what I do today.
It just shows you that it’s not as black and white as it seems. We all have “preferences”, but those preferences are revealed in different ways, depending on the situation.
So, have you ever taken the MBTI assessment? What is your type? What do you think, is it accurate?
