Jungian Type Indicator

Carl Jung’s theories of personality influenced Isabel Myers and Katherine Briggs, the authors of the Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and one of the world’s best-known ways of identifying personality, sorting you into one of 16 possible personality types. The questionnaire asks you to choose between two sets of choices on four dimensions, so offering eight possible preferences which influence personality and therefore behaviour.

The assumption is that all of us can access all eight of these preferences, but that the chances are we will have either a strong or a mild preference for one of each pair over the other. The chances are also that we will develop skill in our chosen preference. When you combine the letters of your four preferences, you arrive at a four letter profile. This profile can help you understand your strengths and weaknesses, make reliable career choices as well as showing you how to get along better with others.

The original – and best – questionnaire is available in the UK from OPP, www.OPP.com. There are many rival questionnaires, including the excellent Keirsey Temperament Sorter which you can take online: www.keirsey.com. It gives you a free Temperament Sorter (only two of the four letters) and you can then pay for the full profile with several options – for instance, a career-focused version.

What follows is a quick alternative to help you decide which of the 4 sets of preferences is the best fit for you. You will have a full debrief with your coach on what each set of preferences means for you and a copy of my book on the MBTI.

  • Fill it in quickly without pondering. Don’t leave out any pairs of questions.
  • Where do you instinctively feel your preferences lie when faced with two equally good candidates?
  • Don’t try to answer as you feel others expect you to be
  • Don’t try to answer as you feel you would like to be
  • The ticks in each column will total automatically
  • Note the letter which represents the most ticks in each of the four sections
  • Those 4 letters make up your probable Type

Extraversion or Introversion? (E or I?)

These words are interpreted differently from their everyday meanings. In Jungian, or MBTI-speak, they are about where you get your energy. Either preference has equal validity.

Talking is how you get your ideas clear to yourself and others
You reflect before speaking
At a party you talk to as many people as possible
At a party you enjoy in-depth conversations with a few people
People often describe you as good talker
People often describe you as a good listener
At a meeting you contribute freely
At a meeting you choose your moments carefully before speaking
You like to take part in things
You like to observe things
You are an open person
You are a private person
You find that meeting a lot of people at once can be energizing
You find that meeting a lot of people at once can be exhausting
Total — E
Total — I

Sensing or Intuition? (S or N?)

This dimension is about perception: where does your attention typically go? Sensing is about what you can see, hear, taste, smell, touch. Intuition is about what is intangible. (It is dubbed ‘N’ because the letter ‘I’ has already been used for Introversion.) Either is an equally valid way of experiencing the world.

You like facts and data
You like ideas
You are meticulous with detail
You like the big picture; it’s the overall view that matters
Being grounded and living in the here-and-now appeals to you
Speculating about future possibilities appeals to you
You like practicality
You like uniqueness
People describe you as sensible
People describe you as imaginative
You follow rules
You bend the rules
You like tradition: if something works, why change it?
Change energizes you
Total — S
Total — N

Thinking and Feeling (T and F)

This dimension is about coming to conclusions, and as with each of the other dimensions, both sets of preferences are equally valid.

People often describe you as firm
People often describe you as kind
Even in difficult circumstances, you can be objective
Even in difficult circumstances, you can be sympathetic
You value rationality
You value being able to see others’ points of view
Being fair is one of your most important values
Being merciful is one of your most important values
You pride yourself on being questioning
You pride yourself on being caring
When you have to give bad news, you are straightforward and direct
When you have to give bad news you are sensitive and warm
When there is conflict you stick to what you think is right
When there is conflict you look for common ground
Total — T
Total — F

Judging and Perceiving (J and P)

This dimension is about whether your preference is for decisiveness or for flexibility. Again, there is no one ‘right way’. Either is perfectly valid.

Once a decision has been made you dislike going back on it
You will reconsider decisions and change your mind
People often describe you as serious
People often describe you as light-hearted
You like completing things
You like starting things
You finish your work, then you play
You can play at any time
You plan your time carefully
You have plenty of unscheduled time
You pride yourself on being orderly
You pride yourself on being easy-going
You are determined
You are adaptable
Total — J
Total — P